Led by the World-Renowned Sephardic Music Expert Dr. Hazzan Ramón Tasat
An all-day workshop and concert led by Dr. Hazzan Ramón Tasat. Dr. Tasat specializes in the Sephardic tradition among other areas of expertise within Jewish music, and is the founder of the Shalshelet Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music that seeks to build bridges within and outside the Jewish community by exposing wider audiences to innovations in Jewish religious music. Dr. Tasat is the Hazzan for the newly-established congregation Shirat Ha Nefesh (Song of the Soul) in Chevy Chase, MD. He is also the founder and director of the Kolot Halev (Voices of the Heart) community choir. Dr. Tasat is also the author of numerous books and CD productions.
For: Singers who wish to obtain a deeper knowledge of Judeo-Muslim-Christian music in the Sephardic tradition and who wish to expand the power, depth and spirituality of the voice through practice of music with meaningful and grounded historical roots. This applies to all singers, professional and non-professional, cantors, choir leaders, and individuals seeking a vibrant spiritual path.
What you will experience: You will learn about the rich inter-denominational history and medieval roots of Sephardic Music. You will study the characteristics of this music, and you will practice ways to both recognize and produce this unique music genre. Time for practicum in smaller groups to learn these techniques will be allotted so that you leave with a new way of working with your own voice and your own spiritual approach to the music.
Cost of the workshop: $250. Includes lectures, coaching, written materials, concert and a CD.
Students (please bring id): $180.
Auditors: $150 includes written material and concert only.
Concert ticket: $20.
Payment: by check or PayPal.
Contact: ramon.tasat@verizon.net Registration: www.ramontasat.com
Schedule of the Day (Subject to Change)
9:30-10:00 AM Registration, coffee and bagels, Distribution of Materials
10:00-10:45 AM Sephardic Music- Introduction
The first session sets the historical context and establishes the necessary base for the study and learning of Sephardic music. The history of the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula including Spain and Portugal is truly remarkable. Their story began sometime in the seventh century and continues through today. Sefarad, the beloved Spain, embraced a large Jewish community that lived in peace with her Muslim and Christian brethren for more than a thousand years. In 1492, the Spanish monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon and Castile, decreed the expulsion of the Jewish people. Since then the Sefaradim (Heb. Jews of Spanish origin) settled around the Mediterranean Sea, the Balkans, in North Africa and in other areas of the Ottoman Empire. Their descendants have maintained their distinctive heritage for five centuries while absorbing some of the characteristics of their new places of residence.
11:00-12:30 PM Practicum – Sephardic Liturgical Music
The goal throughout the day is to provide amateurs and professionals alike with musical material that everyone can sing and learn from. In particular, Hazzan Dr. Tasat will cover some recently discovered rare melodies of the Sephardic community. Hazzan Tasat will also identify liturgical selections that participants might like to introduce during religious and spiritual occasions and that are, by and large, eminently participatory. Music teachers within the Jewish community may be interested in Judeo-Spanish songs to enhance their repertoire, including for Friday night or Saturday morning Shabbat services, and for other significant events, such as commemorations or celebrations of students or congregants. Musicians interested in exposure to the wide variety of Sephardic musical traditions with exceptional cultural variety will learn how to incorporate Sephardic elements in their creation of vocal music. Singers and musicians of all backgrounds will be exposed to melodies of rare beauty and exciting rhythms that are often largely unknown to the larger community. These melodies can often be arranged successfully for a variety of musical ensembles with voice, instrumentation and percussion.
12:30 – 1:00 PM Lunch (bring your own, or buy nearby)
1:00 – 2:15 PM Master Class for Professional and Amateur singers
The purpose of this session is to enable the group to learn from others, and to expand even further your understanding of Sephardic techniques and methods. Participants will be encouraged to perform a short Sephardic piece in their repertoire with the goal of receiving valuable feedback. Registrants will be requested to inform the organizers in advance so that adequate time is allowed to schedule for those who wish to participate as a performer.
2:30 – 3:15 Practicum – Judeo-Spanish Music
Dr. Tasat will discuss the Jewish life cycle according to the Sephardic tradition with abundant musical examples. The purpose of this session is to bring the day to a close with a deeper understanding of the religious framework in which music plays an essential role. From baby-naming and birth ceremonies to weddings to death and mourning, each life cycle creates an opportunity to unite a community through song. Dr. Tasat will illustrate how the Sephardic tradition interprets these life cycle events with music as spiritual foundation.
3:15 – 3:30 PM Conclusion
4:00 – 5:00 PM Concert by Hazzan Dr. Tasat at the Cell Theater
(open to the public)
5:00 – 5:30 PM Discussion, Q&A
