A Meeting of Worlds: Cultural Crossroads in al-Andalus - Featuring Cantor Ramón Tasat and flutist Eugenia Shiuk
Featuring:
The Middle East Institute, the Embassy of Spain, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, and the Moroccan American Cultural Center are proud to present:
In an age all too often dominated by religious and cultural divides, the historic example of al-Andalus offers a refreshing look at a period where peoples of various religions and ethnic groups lived together and thrived. For over 700 years, this region on the Iberian Peninsula was home to some of the world’s most famous Christian, Muslim, and Jewish artists, philosophers, scientists, doctors, and scholars. This environment of tolerance and exchange produced a vibrant and unique culture, still visible today in the region’s music, poetry, cuisine, and art.
The Middle East Institute, with the generous support of the Embassy of Spain, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, and the Moroccan American Cultural Center, is celebrating the cultural legacy of al-Andalus with a series of events in the Institute’s Islamic Garden. Each event will showcase different Andalusian traditions and arts.
The second program in the series features Ladino Cantor Ramón Tasat, who will perform and discuss traditional Sephardic music, accompanied by flutist Eugenia Shiuk. Spanish drinks and appetizers will be served.
Ramón Tasat is Cantor of Temple Shalom in Washington, DC and President of Shalshelet: The Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music. Trained as a tenor vocalist, guitarist, arranger, and choral conductor, he studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Manuel de Falla Conservatory and received his doctorate in Voice Performance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1995-1996.
Born in Sverdlovsk (now Ekaterinburg), Russia, Eugenia Shiuk studied at the Ural State Conservatoire, where she was the second flute and piccolo in the Sverdlovsk Opera Theatre and also served as the Director of Woodwinds for the Youth Orchestra in Sverdlovsk’s City Palace for Children. Her recent performances include concerts at the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, University of Hartford, and at the Greater Washington Jewish Folk Arts Festival.
