An Evening of Sephardic Art Song
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Sidney Krum Young Artists Concert Series
Co-sponsored by American Sephardi Federation In Person:Admission: $15 Zoom Livestream:Admission: Free |
This lecture-recital aims to raise awareness about a unique and rich vocal repertoire within the Western classical medium, one that also offers a window into Sephardic culture and history. In this two-part event, Dr. Lori Şen will present an overview of the history, language, and culture of Sephardim, the development of the Sephardic art song genre, and its musical elements and stylistic features. Zoë Johnstone Stewart (guitar) and Andrew Stewart (piano) will join Lori for the recital portion and will present a variety of songs for voice and guitar, and voice and piano by Alberto Hemsi, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Lazare Saminsky, Joaquín Rodrigo, Joaquín Nin-Culmell, Manuel García Morante, Yehezkel Braun, Jose Antonio de Donostia, Daniel Akiva, Matilde Salvador, Ulrike Merk, among others.
The Sidney Krum Young Artists Concert Series is made possible by a generous gift from the Estate of Sidney Krum.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
About the Performers
Turkish mezzo-soprano and Fulbright alumna Dr. Lori Şen is a distinguished performer and scholar, acclaimed for her expertise in vocal literature, pedagogy, and voice science. A leading authority on Sephardic Art Song, she pioneered the cataloging of Western classical settings of Sephardic folk songs and developed a Ladino diction guide for singers. Through captivating recitals and scholarly lectures, she has illuminated the rich tapestry of Sephardic Art Song for audiences worldwide. With a background in physics, she uniquely bridges art and science to explore the singing voice, combining artistic sensitivity with scientific curiosity. Dr. Şen is Assistant Professor of Vocal Pedagogy at Shenandoah University and serves on the voice faculty of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. For more info: www.lorisen.com
Zoë Johnstone Stewart is a performer and educator in the Baltimore area. She is a founding member of the Atlantic Guitar Quartet, and her recent solo engagements include a performance with the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Annapolis Chorale, Marlow Guitar International, the Naval Academy Band Recital Series with oboist Emily Madsen, and as part of the Baltimore Classical Guitar “Made In Baltimore” concert of new works for guitar. She is currently Chair of the Preparatory Guitar Department at the Peabody Institute, Director of Fret Fest and Summer Guitar Intensive, instructor of Guitar Pedagogy at Peabody Conservatory, and in 2023 received the Preparatory’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
Hailed as “a singer’s dream” by Gramophone Magazine, pianist Andrew Stewart has given thousands of performances across a wide spectrum of musical genres, with extensive work in the Mid-Atlantic region as well as in New York, California, Italy, Ireland, and Greece. He is on the faculty at Goucher College, the Peabody Preparatory, and the St. Paul’s Schools, and is a longstanding accompanist for Maryland Opera. He was the accompanist at Temple Shalom near Washington, D.C. from 2009 to 2022 and is currently the music director at Har Sinai – Oheb Shalom Congregation in Baltimore. Discography and further information at andrewstewartpiano.com.