Enjoy Skalerika de Ora a Sephardic wedding song, sung by Voice of the Turtle Enjoy three Passover songs sung by Voice of the Turtle Read also about the meaning behind the name Voice of the Turtle.

Since 1978, the original four members of Voice of the Turtle, Derek Burrows, Lisle Kulbach, Jay Rosenberg and Artistic Director Judith Wachs, have dedicated their energies toward studying and presenting the beautiful and compelling musical repertoire of the Spanish Jews

Concerts of Sephardic music were a rare occurrence when they began twenty-one years ago. Since then, many thousands of people — children and adults — have been introduced to this music for the first time through Public Radio broadcasts, concerts and eleven recordings. These musical treasures, remembered, created, adopted and adapted during 500 years, continue to exert their power.

 

Click on a selection below to hear an interview with Judith Wachs, Artistic Director of Voice of Turtle, conducted in March 2000 by JHOM Managing Editor, Jennifer Turvey. Abridged transcript of interview If you don't already have the Real Audio plug-in for your browser, you can download the free RealPlayer from Real Networks in order to hear the broadcast

The Music
1. Judeo Spanish music
2. The evolution of Sephardic music

The Group and its Artistic Director
3. From English teacher to professional musician
4. Founding Voice of the Turtle
5. A musical and aesthetic passion for Sephardic music
6. Finding the music: working from the oral tradition
7. Finding out which instruments were used to play the songs
8. Contemporary as well as medieval and renaissance instruments
9. Arranging the music from the oral tradition: the creative process
10. How the group works
11. Performing for Sephardic communities
12. The name Voice of the Turtle
13. Cultural mission — keeping the 'keys' to the tradition
14. Upcoming projects — Purim album and a collection of medieval Spanish ballads

View and/or order Voice of the Turtle recordings