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Anniversary Concert to Showcase Music of Spanish Jews

What language is over 500 years old, and includes words of Hebrew, medieval Spanish, Arabic, Slavic, Greek, French, and Turkish origin?

The answer is Ladino, the language of the Sephardic Jews.

When can choral music lovers bask in the lush, vibrant melodies of these Sephardic Jews?

The answer is Sunday, May 16, 2010.  Sharim v’Sharot, central New Jersey’s select Jewish choir, will present its “Tenth-Anniversary Concert:  A Sephardic Celebration” at

3 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Student Center on Rider University’s Lawrenceville campus.

The anniversary concert will showcase the rich musical heritage of Sephardic Jews, descendents of the Jews who lived on the Iberian Peninsula from before the first century until their expulsion in 1492.  Cantor Murray Simon of The Jewish Center of Princeton will be the featured tenor soloist.

Sharim v’Sharot was founded in 2000 by its music director, Dr. Elayne Robinson Grossman, a renowned lecturer on the music of the Jewish people.  According to Grossman the Sephardic Jews, in their migrations throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Holland, England, and the Americas, preserved their music and also absorbed the musical elements of their host countries.

“When planning for our Tenth Anniversary Concert,” Grossman explains, “I wanted to link Sharim v’Sharot’s milestone with another milestone in the Jewish World.  I learned that one hundred years ago, in 1910, the government of Spain offered to repatriate Jews of Spanish descent, also called Sephardim.”

One of the missions of Sharim v’Sharot, which means “People of Song,” is to educate the general public about Jewish music.  To that end, the choir has performed at synagogues, churches, public libraries, universities, and adult communities.

“Every time we perform,” reflects Grossman, “we represent Jews who live and lived across the centuries and continents.”

Choir president Dr. Stephen Cohen notes that Sharim v’Sharot has worked with other choirs such as Princeton Pro Musica, and even presented a concert on the influence of the United States Constitution on Jewish music.

Members of the choir, which holds its rehearsals at Rider University, hail from all parts of central New Jersey, as well as Pennsylvania.  “One of the things I love most is the process of working on a song,” relates choir member Stacy Wolf of Princeton.  “Elayne conveys a passion for the spirit of the music.”

To instill the joy of Jewish music in the younger generation, the choir hosts an annual song-writing contest.  The awards for the Third Young People’s Jewish Song-Writing Contest will be presented at the May concert, and some of the winning compositions may be performed by the choir that afternoon.

The anniversary concert will also feature choir alumni joining the current singers on stage for renditions of some of the choir’s favorite musical pieces of the past decade.  Choir

alumni interested in participating may contact the choir at 609-371-9036 to arrange rehearsal time.

Tickets for the May 16 concert will cost $7 in advance, and $10 at the door.  For concert ticket reservations or information, please call 609-896-1790.