Sephardic Music for Voice & Instruments
This workshops will explore the wonderful genre of Sephardic Jewish music, with its many varied flavors and styles from the Eastern European, Rom, Near and Middle Eastern traditions, among others. Utilizing techniques of improvisation, playing with modes, rhythm, harmonizing and accompaniment, we’ll strive to understand this music from the inside out. This workshop is designed for both instrumentalists and vocalists. The ability to read music is not necessary, just bring big ears and a sense of adventure!
About Shira Kammen
Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Shira Kammen, has spent well over half her life exploring the worlds of early and traditional music. Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and various other traditional styles are her wheelhouse. She has performed and taught in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Israel, Morocco, Latvia, Russia and Japan, and on the Colorado, Rogue, Green, Grande Ronde, East Carson and Klamath Rivers.
Shira has worked with students in many different settings, among them teaching summer music workshops in the woods, coaching students of early music in such schools as Yale University, Case Western, the University of Oregon at Eugene, and working at specialized seminars at the Fondazione Cini in Venice, Italy and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. She has played on a number of movie and television soundtracks when weird medieval instruments are needed. The strangest place Shira has played is in the elephant pit of the Jerusalem Zoo.