Spirituality

For me spirituality is a deeply personal experience that is between me and the Higher Power, whatever that may be. It is fascinating to me that as I get older I become more interested and curious about my Jewish heritage. Now that is not to say that I have become a religious zealot, but I have found a need to explore my roots and the culture of the Jewish people. This is what has drawn me, in part, to studying and performing Sephardic music. Not only is the music rich in tradition and history, but also rich in its melodic structure and blending of worlds. Maybe it can even be said--very loosely--that Sephardic music was the beginning of world music, since it combined styles of the Muslims and of the Jews and then later of the different countries where the Sephardim were displaced. The more I study Sephardic music and its origins, the more fascinated I become with the world as it was, the sharing of ideas, of music, of traditions. This is not to say that the "Golden Age" of Spain was all attar and roses, but it definitely shows worlds colliding together to create a body of rich artistry.