Moroccan Jewish Music: A Talk by Dr Vanessa Paloma Elbaz

Free entry, booking required.

Dr. Elbaz' work focuses on the cultural histories of sound in the diasporic regions of 1492’s expulsion, describing how issues of transmission, regeneration and the negotiations of gender and power intersect with sound, philosophy, and belief until today. Focusing on sonic transmission and languages of the Sephardi community and its diasporas as well as the use of music in relating to the national narratives of diversity in both Eastern and Western Mediterranean regions, her research combines ethnography and historical musicology to understand how voice, sound and music affect the long durée in diasporic communities. She is described as “a kind of one-woman roving museum of her own” by The New York Times, and was featured in a 2022 New York Times feature on Judeo Spanish women's music. Dr. Elbaz has also written extensively on Judeo-Muslim relations through culture and public diplomacy of popular music.