Susan Gaeta & Gina Sobel

Sephardic ballad singer Gaeta accompanies her new apprentice, multi-instrumentalist and Strathmore Artist in Residence alum Sobel, for an evening of historic ballads and romances passed down through the centuries via the oral tradition. These songs were originally performed by women as they carried out their household duties. Gaeta has mastered the traditional singing style of this unique musical heritage, which she performs along with new compositions from National Heritage Fellow Flory Jagoda. Together, Gaeta and Sobel are carrying on Jagoda’s legacy and bringing this ancient tradition into the modern age.

• Sephardic music originated among Jews in premedieval Spain and picked up influences from Portugal, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Turkey after they were forced into exile in the 1400s.
• Sobel defies categorization. Leader of both a jazz quartet (the Sobel 4tet) and a rock band (Gina Sobel and the Mighty Fine), she is equally proficient on flute, voice, sax, and guitar.
• Gaeta’s grandfather played clarinet in a klezmer band.