Jewish Federation Las Cruces & El Paso: Trio Sefardi

The Jewish Federation of Las Cruces and El Paso is pleased to announce a special weekend concert series with Trio Sefardi, April 5-7, 2024.

Trio Sefardi (Susan Gaeta, vocals/guitar; Tina Chancey, viola da gamba, Renaissance violin, Pontic lyra, rebec; Howard Bass, lute/guitar) is dedicated to bringing the vibrant past into the living present and to continuing the musical traditions of those who created and sustained Sephardic song traditions over the centuries.

The trio draws on experience in folk music and jazz (Susan), early music (Tina and Howard), and the influence of their mentor, the Bosnian-born Sephardic singer/composer Flory Jagoda, a 2002 National Heritage Fellowship honoree. The trio has performed at the Kennedy Center, at the Center for Jewish History and the Greek Jewish Festival in New York City, at the National Gallery of Art, annually at the Washington Folk Festival, and at Lisner Auditorium as a featured group in the Washington Revels production, “Andalusian Treasures.” In 2019, they appeared at the prestigious Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., and in the same year, they presented the premiere of “La Nona Kanta: The Remarkable Life of Flory Jagoda,” in South Windsor, Connecticut, with support from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Our region has three different opportunities to enjoy and learn about this rich musical history:

Friday, April 5, there will be a concert at Temple Mount Sinai at 6:000 pm. This program includes Friday night services highlighting Jewish liturgical and holiday melodies of the Sephardic tradition. It will be followed by a dinner and talk back with the Trio.

On Saturday, April 6, a concert at 8:30 pm at the Sunset Parlor near downtown El Paso will highlight new and traditional music from the Balkans, Turkey, and North Africa.

We wrap up the weekend with “La Nona Kanta: The Remarkable Life of Flory Jagoda" presentation on Sunday, April 7 at 11:00 a.m. in Las Cruces. This multimedia program combines filmed interviews with Flory (from the documentary "Flory's Flame"), live music performed by the trio, animation, maps, still images, and spoken narration.

The trio has produced three CDs: Sefardic Celebration (2011), Kaminos (2016), and La Yave d’Espanya (2019), all available for purchase after Saturday and Sunday concerts. Tickets to all shows can be purchased here or at www.jfedeplc.org/events/triosefardi