SEPHARDIC MUSIC FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT— 12/12/09.

 

This new multi-disciplinary (original music, dance, story-telling, video art) work comes from the Persian Jewish vocal innovator Galeet Dardashti—the driving force behind the popular all-woman Middle Eastern band Divahn. Dardashti unites the Persian classical music that made her grandfather a musical icon in Iran with a deep connection to Jewish poetry and song to create lush electronica-edged Middle Eastern compositions in Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic and Persian.

 

Ladino chanteuse Sarah Aroeste, inspired by her Sephardic roots from Spain and Greece, brings a fresh, sexy sound to Ladino and Sephardic music, fusing both original and 15th-century Ladino folk songs with rock, funk, jazz and blues.

 

An exciting new voice emerging from the NYC world music scene, Smadar Levi's gypsy-influenced pan-Mediterranean sound has won her wide acclaim. The Israeli-Moroccan's creative renditions of traditional tunes in Hebrew, Arabic and Ladino moved the Epoch Times International to call her "a euphonious and haunting voice" for peace and unity, while the internationally-renowned nonprofit organization Seeds of Peace honored her with an award for "uniting cultures to achieve peace through music.