A soul-stirring musical journey, "The 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), from Ancient Persia, Iraq, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Libya, Egypt and Morocco.

The musical story of a rich cultural heritage that synthesizes diverse influences, "The Spirit of Sepharad" is a celebration of the Sephardic/Mizrahi experience that invites the possibility of coexistence, tolerance, respect and peace among all peoples.

Here is a taste of the stirring performance by Gerard Edery, Amir Vahab, Ara Dinkjian, Glen Velez, and Barbara Martinez, as they take you through the musical world of Sepharad

 

Gerard Edery (vocals, guitar, saz) Sephardic master of Song, honored with 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) Armenian virtuoso who is considered one of the top oud players in the world.

Barbara Martinez (dancer, vocals, narrator) Flamenco star dancer, singer and actor.

Meg Okura (violin, erhu) highly acclaimed world music, classical and world chamber jazz virtuoso