World premiere
June 25, 2008 at 7pm at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to
the Holocaust
http://www.mjhnyc.org/index.htm
Written & conceived by Gerard Edery
Directed by Henning Rübsam
A soul-stirring musical journey, “Spirit of Sepharad: From Casbah to
Caliphate” traces the unique migration of Sephardic music from medieval
Spain, across North Africa, to the Middle East. Combining music, dance and
illuminating projections, this dynamic mixed-media performance brings to
life all the rich cultural strains that influenced Sephardic/Mizrahi Jews.
Featuring an array of virtuoso musicians from multiple disciplines, the
program includes songs of secular and liturgical origin, spanning many
centuries to the present and many continents from Ancient Persia (present
day Afghanistan and Iran), Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Greece, Syria, Turkey,
The Balkans, Jerusalem and Kurdistan (then, as now, part of Iran, Turkey and
Iraq). The musical story of a rich cultural heritage that synthesizes
diverse influences, “Spirit of Sepharad” is a celebration of the
Sephardic/Mizrahi experience that invites the possibility of coexistence,
tolerance, respect and peace among all peoples.
Gerard Edery (vocals, guitar, saz) master of Sephardic song, winner of the
Sephardic Musical Heritage Award
Amir Vahab (vocals, saz, percussion) Iranian master vocalist of Persian
sacred and folk music
Glen Velez (percussion) Three-time Grammy Award winning master drummer and
composer
Ara Dinkjan (oud) Aremenian virtuoso who is considered one of the top oud
players in the world
Barbara Martinez (dancer, vocals, narrator) Flamenco star dancer, singer and
actress
Meg Okura (violin, erhu) highly acclaimed world music, classical and world
chamber jazz virtuoso
Directions
Subway:
4/5 to Bowling Green, walk west along Battery Place.
W/R to Whitehall Street, walk west along Battery Place.
1 to South Ferry, walk north along Battery Park/State Street, turn left and walk west on Battery Place.
J/M/Z to Broad Street, walk one block west to Broadway, and then south to the corner of Battery Place and Bowling Green. Walk west on Battery Place.
Bus:
M1 to Battery Park.
M6 to Battery Park.
M9 to Battery Park City, stops in front of Museum.
M15 to Battery Park City.
M20 to Battery Park City, stops in front of Museum.