The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House invites you to for I-TAL-YAH: SONGS FROM THE ‘ISLAND OF THE DIVINE DEW’ , AN ITALIAN JEWISH MUSICAL JOURNEY
Curated by Francesco Spagnolo and Directed by Leon Hyman

Saturday, May 15, 2004, at 9:30 PM
Congregation Shearith Israel
70th Street and Central Park West
A concert of Italian Jewish musical pieces from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, inspired by Baroque, operatic, choral and folk musical styles, and representing the richness of Italian Jewish cultural identity throughout the centuries.
For reservations, please call the American Sephardi Federation at
212-294-8350
Light Italian dessert specialties will be served after the concert.
More info…

The curator, musicologist Francesco Spagnolo, is the founder of Yuval,
the Italian Center for the Study of Jewish Music. A former radio
producer and host in Italy and a researcher for the Accademia di Santa
Cecilia and the Jewish Music Research Center in Jerusalem, he has
produced concerts, lectures, and theater event. In 2001 Mr. Spagnolo
published the CD Italian Jewish Musical Traditions, based on field
recordings from the 1950s, which opened a new field of research in
Jewish ethnomusicology.

The program will include baroque pieces by Salomone Rossi, a Portuguese repertoire of Italian origins, and several holiday songs in Italian- Judeo dialects from different regions.
Leon Hyman is a noted conductor whose career has encompassed the areas of orchestra, ballet, chorus, opera and theater. He has conducted operas in New York and Dallas, the Tokyo production of West Side Story (directed by
Jerome Robbins) and other musicals. He has extensive experience conducting both large and small choral ensembles including 25 years as director of the Montclair State University Chorus. In New York, Mr. Hyman has been Choirmaster at Congregation Shearith Israel since 1955. He co-founded the New Philharmonic of New Jersey where he currently serves as music director and conductor.

Participation: $35 per person