Event | Concerts and Performances Nani Noam Vazana: Ladino Singer, Musician, Composer

Noam “Nani” Vazana is one of the only artists in the world who writes and composes new songs in the endangered Ladino (or Judeo-Spanish) language, a very archaic form of Castilian Spanish spoken by Sephardic Jews living mostly in Israel, the Balkans, North Africa, Greece, and Turkey. Ladino, which traveled to these areas with Jewish communities expelled from Spain in 1492, is very nearly extinct in many places.  Nani's work captures the spirit of this ancient, matriarchal language and culture and propels it into the 21st century with socially pertinent lyrics addressing themes such as migration, gender, and female empowerment. Nani's soundscape is a bridge between tradition and modern life, capturing the sounds and smells of the marketplace and fusing them with surprising instrumentation and raw vocals reminiscent of flamenco. 

Nani's album "Ke Haber" ranked #13 on the European World Music Charts.  She represented the Netherlands at the EU Music Festival in Vietnam and has performed all over the world, including at the Kennedy Center, BBC Radio 3, the London Jazz Festival, and the Jodhpur RIFF festival in India. The NPO network in the Netherlands, where she now lives, released a mini documentary about her musical work.

Nani is a professor at the London Performing Academy of Music and the Jerusalem Music Academy. She chairs the Amsterdam Artist Collective and founded Why DIY Music and Nova Productions.

This event is supported by the Hispanic Cultural Society.

Online Homegrown Concerts premiere on the Folklife Today Blog.