From Sanandaj to Essaouira: Journey through Modal Music
Dec 12 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
AN IN PLAIN SIGHT: JEWISH ARTS AND LIVES IN THE MUSLIM WORLD PROGRAM
Join the Magnes for a lecture and performance by Persian/Kurdish-American vocalist and composer Elana Sasson. During the program, she will discuss and perform modal music of Jewish communities from across North Africa and the Middle East. Her presentation will highlight Morocco and Kurdistan as case studies, drawing on archival music recordings along with live performance.
Thursday, December 12, 2024 | 5:30-7:00 pm
In person at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA
If you have any questions about accessibility or require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact us at magnes@berkeley.edu or call us at (510) 643-2526 with as much advance notice as possible.
Elana Sasson is a US born vocalist and composer, fusing the musical traditions of her Persian/Kurdish heritage with contemporary interpretations. Her music oscillates between east and west, ancient and modern, and free rhythm and uptempo grooves. Inspired by the poetry of both mystic and current Persian and Kurdish poets, contemporary jazz harmony, latin rhythms, and the modal melodies of her roots, Sasson aims to create a sonic world of placelessness through her music.
She has trained vocally with master musicians from Iran and Kurdistan, synthesizing her own unique vocal sound and ornamentation. She was a resident at Fabrica Research Center in 2019, holds a BA from UCLA in Design Media Arts, and graduated with distinction for a MM in Contemporary Performance and Production from Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain.
Her performance credits include the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California, Sony Theater in Madrid, Spain, and Fabrica Research Centre in Treviso, Italy. Her music was featured in the film “Tatami” which premiered at the Venice Biennale Film Festival in 2023, and her debut musical project “Golestan” received a shining four star review from Songlines Magazine.
