Sephardic Journeys
A composition examining questions of diaspora and migration, as they influence many journeys. Our goal is to raise awareness of the current migrant crisis through music, connecting Jewish, Arabic, and Christian musical themes. We are developing applications of "Sephardic Journeys" that are focusing on helping displaced children integrate into a new culture through music. Additionally, we are focusing on how this music can help refugees in multiple ways -- through anxiety management and community building, as we develop ways for the composition to be used as a tool for learning about other cultures and their own.
Performances include the Mankato Symphony Orchestra in May 2017.
Watch Ittai Shapira perform excerpts from Sephardic Journeys' Movement 1 and Movement 3.
Watch Ittai Shapira discuss the inspiration for Sephardic Journeys in dialogue with neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, philosopher Laureen Park, and anthropologist Natasha Zaretsky (2017). Here, we see a focus on healing by integrating our similarities and differences through a dynamic musical thread.
Music available here.
Co-Commissioner:
Krueger Foundation
Supported by:
Victor Herbert Foundation
Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund
Special Thanks:
One to One Global
Grasshopper Global
In Memoriam:
Constance Krueger
David Kleiman, Heritage Muse