Celebrating 15 years of
Sharing the sephardic
musical tradition
Trio
Sefardi
Trio sefardi,
a northern Virginia-based ensemble, performs traditional songs of the Sephardim, the descendants of Jews exiled from Spain in 1492.
Their repertoire draws on the song traditions of Sephardic communities from the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, and North Africa, with a special emphasis on traditional and original songs they learned from their mentor, Bosnian-born singer/composer, and 2002 National Heritage awardee Flory Jagoda. The trio has performed extensively at prestigious East Coast concert venues, festivals, synagogues, and Jewish community centers since forming in 2010.
Our tribute to Flory Jagoda is here!
Our mentor and honorary Nona (grandmother), the Sephardic singer/composer Flory Jagoda, passed away in January in 2021, and we’ve honored her memory with Rikordus, a new recording featuring 18 songs that she loved, many of which she wrote and two that she sings lead on.
Listen to two of our favorites!
Un Kavritiko:
A nonsense song for Passover with Flory, her grandchildren, and bells and whistles galore.
La Tore (also known as La Serena):
“In the sea there’s a tower, in the tower there’s a window, in the window there’s a maiden who calls to the sailors.” This is one of the most popular songs in the Sephardic repertoire, performed here by Susan with bass viol and lute accompaniment.
“Trio Sefardi’s beautiful harmonies and skilled accompaniment movingly translates the joy and soul of the lost world I remember so well. Along with my own family, I am proud to call them my musical heirs.”
FLORY JAGODA
TRIO SEFARDI PROGRAMS
la nona kanta
A celebration of the life of Flory Jagoda (1923—2021), a 2002 National Heritage Fellow, in her own words, with live music by Trio Sefardi.
Presented in collaboration with the National Institute for Holocaust Documentation at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
custom concerts
The trio has performed in many different settings, from large concert halls, outdoor festivals, synagogues, colleges and museums to small house concerts. 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
Shabat Services
The trio can enhance your Friday evening and Saturday morning services with Sefardic songs for Shabat and adjacent holidays. We can also meet with Hebrew school classes, teach them a few songs, and talk about Sefardic history and culture.
Interactive workshop: the key from spain
A young people’s interactive workshop based on the book, The Key From Spain, written by Debbie Levy about the life of Flory Jagoda. The Trio weaves songs throughout the reading of the story and invites discussion with a variety of age groups from K-8.
Please contact us if you are interested in this workshop.
musical tribute to sephardic women
Photo: Tradition-bearer and composer Flory Jagoda working with her granddaughter, Ariel Lowell (2016)
learn more About the trio
Trio Sefardi members combine extensive experience with jazz and folk music, early music, as well as the influence and inspiration derived from working and touring extensively with Flory Jagoda.
Connect with the Trio
To order a CD or
CONTACT the Trio,
please email
Howard Bass directly at howardbass7@gmail.com
The Sefardim
The Sefardim, the Jews of Spain, lived on the Iberian Peninsula for fifteen centuries. Expelled in 1492 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the Sefardim settled in North Africa, the Middle East, France, Italy, and parts of northern Europe, but were welcomed most warmly in the Ottoman Empire. In exile the Sefardim maintained their language, Ladino, and their oral culture. Songs were passed down through the generations, usually by women, and new songs were composed about love, loss, daily life, holidays, and history.