Sephardic Music: Medieval Roots

PERFORMER BIO

Dr. Judith R. Cohen is a performer and ethnomusicologist specializing in Ladino Sephardic songs, as well as in medieval and traditional music. This includes Balkan, Portuguese, Yiddish, and French Canadian, pan-European balladry as well as songs from Crypto-Jewish regions of the Portuguese-Spanish border. She has done pioneering ethnomusicological research with both the Crypto-Jews and with local Cigano (“Gypsy”) groups in Portuguese villages. Judith currently teaches on the faculty at York University Department of Music.

Dr. Judith Cohen

Is Sephardic music medieval? Do these well-known and cherished songs date back to before 1492, when Jews, Muslims and Christians shared Iberian space literally and figuratively? In this fascinating presentation, Dr. Judith Cohen takes us on an exploration of what is - and isn’t - known about the music and musical life of the communities in medieval Spain, and how they interacted. This PowerPoint with intriguing audio-visual examples and live musical illustrations will captivate you.