Voice of the Turtle

ABOUT 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 focused our creative energies on Judeo-Spanish (Sephardic) music–-the compelling musical repertoire of the Spanish Jews--the Sephardim. (The language of these songs is often called Ladino, and the community Sephardic). Our primary focus has been on the music preserved by people who identified themselves with their Hispanic heritage.

Concerts of Judeo-Spanish music were a rare occurrence 28 years ago, but by now, literally hundreds of thousands of people-- children and adults--have been introduced to this music by Voice of the Turtle, and by many groups whom we have inspired. We have appeared on many Public Radio broadcasts, and in national and international concerts and Festivals, including appearances in Jerusalem, Madrid, Hong Kong, and Great Britain. We have produced twelve recordings--available through our website (Order).

After so many years of living with these traditions, the musicians of Voice of the Turtle continue to appreciate not only the aesthetic qualities of this music, but the particularly relevant reminder of the value of preserving and protecting cultural traditions of all communities away from their country of origin. These important perspectives are reflected in all Voice of the Turtle concerts, as are the pleasures of working directly with oral traditions

These musical treasures, remembered, created, adopted and adapted during more than 500 years, continue to exert their power over us. We continue to develop new programs and make plans for new recordings.

Welcome to our Website. Please visit us regularly to find out about upcoming performances, recordings, and plans.

OUR NAME

The "Turtle " is actually a turtledove--the symbol of exile, the harbinger of spring and of peace. It is familiar to English speakers as a "turtle" from the King James Bible. (The Hebrew word is tor. Whether a mistranslation, or simply the poetic form of the word, the "turtle" is able to encompass a vast array of images. Our logo--an ancient lyre with a tortoise shell as its resonating box--is decorated by the Star of David and the Islamic crescent, both ancient symbols. Their juxtaposition evokes a significant part of Sephardic history.

NEW OFFERING!

Voice of the Turtle has developed a new program of Sephardic Shabbat musical repertoire. This program is designed to be integrated into existing Synagogue services, in collaboration with the Rabbi and Cantor. For more information, click here.

FOR BOOKINGS
Please contact us directly by email: voturtle@aol.com, with the subject line: “Concert Booking" or call (617) 491-3465