Trio SEFARDI

programs

We draw from the rich heritage of Turkish, Balkan (especially Greece and the former Yugoslavia), Middle Eastern, and North African traditions to create programs that demonstrate the range and depth of Sephardic song. Our programs typically include some songs we learned from our teacher and mentor, Flory Jagoda, the Bosnian-born singer, composer, and National Heritage Fellow, with whom we were privileged to work and perform over many years.

All songs are sung in Ladino, except for a few from Flory’s repertoire that are in the language of Bosnia (formerly known as Serbo-Croatian). While Sephardic music is by nature a singing tradition, much of it made, maintained, and passed along by women, we have always varied our programs with instrumentals featuring bowed and plucked strings and percussion. To highlight the variety of our musical offerings we use instruments from three different traditions; modern guitars; early music instruments such as medieval rebec and renaissance lute, violin and viola da gamba; and ethnic dumbek, riq and Pontic lyra.

The trio has performed in many different settings, from large concert halls, outdoor festivals, synagogues, colleges and museums to small house concerts. We are happy to work with program sponsors to choose repertoire that works best for their audiences and venues.

Photo of 4 Trio Sefardi CDs

Additional Program Offerings

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Flory Jagoda Workshop Trio Sefardi

Musical Tribute to Sephardic Women

Photo: Tradition-bearer and composer Flory Jagoda working with her granddaughter, Ariel Lowell (2016)

Flory Jagoda Workshop Trio Sefardi

School Workshops

Middle and high school students witness a remarkable story of a Jewish woman’s struggle to flee her homeland as the Nazi’s threatened her life and the life of her family.

La Nona Kanta Program by Trio Sefardi and USHM

Multi Media Presentations

Filmed narration by Flory Jagoda alternates with live performances of her music by Trio Sefardi; pictures from the Altarac family archives, animation, and translations of Flory’s songs are also used as part of the multi-media presentation.

La Nona Kanta Program by Trio Sefardi and USHM

House Concerts

The Trio is happy to present house concerts, where music can be heard and appreciated in an intimate setting, the way those who made these songs would have shared them, with friends and family sitting around in a parlor or on a patio. Such programs are less formal, often with some dialogue between the trio and the audience. House concerts are almost always presented without microphones and printed programs; translations are paraphrased and the setlist is sometimes assembled in a more whimsical way. Please contact us if you are interested in a Trio Sefardi House Concert. 

La Nona Kanta Program by Trio Sefardi and USHM

Additional Concert Types

We can also present a wide range of general workshops for public schools, religious school classes, and adults. Topics include:

  • Sephardic History and Culture (a discussion)
  • Hands-on workshops on singing and accompanying Sephardic songs (for singers and instrumentalists)
  • Sephardic holiday songs for Pesach, Hanukah, Rosh Hashanah, and others

Connect with the Trio

To order a CD or
CONTACT the Trio,
please email
Howard Bass directly at
 howardbass7@gmail.com 

Spelling or other correction?

We are aware of spelling inconsistencies on the website and working to conform with accepted Ladino orthography per Aki Yerushalayim, a Ladino newspaper that standardized spelling. Please use the email above to let us know of any needed updates.

Watch Trio Sefardi on YouTube