Exhibition Musical Performance

This performance will take place in person at ISAW.

Registration is required at THIS LINK.

Come join us for an evening performance of traditional Andalusian music and song! Immerse yourself in the spirit of intercultural exchange and the cosmopolitan synergy of Al-Andalus, brought to life by the New York Andalus Ensemble. A large multiethnic, interfaith group that performs in Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, and Ladino, the ensemble is led by Artistic Director Samuel Torjman Thomas, PhD, a professor of ethnomusicology and multi-instrumentalist. The group features lead vocalists, a choir, and instrumentalists performing multiple Maghrebi/Spanish musical styles that blend together the musical traditions of communities who lived together under the caliph's rule. Enjoy being transported back in time through the rich tones of the ensemble, echoing those of the ancient bards of al-Andalus.

“Making meaningful human experiences is what music is all about. Bringing performers and community members together around the illustrious heritage of al-Andalus, seeing the reinvigoration of cultural ties and bonds emerge from musical sharing, is what drives me.”

Samuel Torjman Thomas, Ph.D, is an ethnomusicologist, multi-instrumentalist (saxophone/clarinet, oud, nay, vocals), and bandleader. His performance and research work centers on North African, Middle Eastern, and jazz traditions. Dr. Torjman Thomas teaches music, interdisciplinary studies, and Sephardic Studies at the City University of New York, and is the Director of Musical Arts at the Sephardic Center of Brooklyn. He lectures on a variety of topics, including Muslim-Jewish intercultural exchange in music, philosophy, theology, and poetics; American popular music, jazz history and improvisation; religious studies, diaspora studies, and protest music. He also directs several student ensembles. Dr. Torjman Thomas is bandleader of ASEFA, a pan-Mediterranean ensemble performing in Hebrew, Arabic, and Ladino; the critically- acclaimed North African Jazz fusion project ASEFA-Jazz; and artistic director of the New York Andalus Ensemble, highlighting the cultural heritage of Spain and North Africa through a mission of interfaith and interethnic participation. He has recorded two albums with ASEFA-Jazz – “Asefa” (2005) and “Resonance” (2011) NYAE_SRT_bio.rtf – and three albums with the jazz trio Four Minus One – “At Any Given Moment,” “Live,” and “Split Decision.” Dr. Torjman Thomas
completed a Ph.D in Ethnomusicology at the City University of New York with the publishing of his dissertation Redefining Diaspora Consciousness: Musical Practices of Moroccan Jews in Brooklyn (2014). He has published several articles and book chapters since, on various topics in ethnomusicology and cultural studies.

For Press Inquiries: Hayley Jonas,
info@NewYorkAndalusEnsemble.com, 917-620-4055

This performance is given in conjunction with ISAW's exhibition Madinat al-Zahra: The Radiant Capital of Islamic Spain. Madinat al-Zahra is curated by Antonio Vallejo Triano, director of the Conjunto Arqueológico Madinat al-Zahra, and Eduardo Manzano Moreno, Research Professor at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas in Madrid. The loans are generously granted from the Conjunto Arqueológico Madinat al-Zahra, Museo Arqueológico y Etnológico de Córdoba, Museo de Jaén, Museo Arqueológico Municipal de Jerez de la Frontera, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the American Numismatic Society, and the Hispanic Society Museum & Library.

This exhibition and its accompanying catalogue were made possible by generous support from the Achelis and Bodman Foundation, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Leon Levy Foundation. Additional funding provided by Liz and Iris Fernandez Zimick.

Please check isaw.nyu.edu for event updates.

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