ABOUT VOICE OF THE TURTLE 
Beginning in 1978, the original four members of Voice of the Turtle, Derek Burrows, Lisle Kulbach, Jay Rosenberg and Artistic Director Judith Wachs, focused their 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). Their primary focus was the music preserved by people who identified themselves with their Hispanic heritage.
Following the untimely death of Judith in 2008, the group became temporarily inactive, Derek living in Mexico, Lisle and Jay continuing to reside in Boston. The three surviving members reconvened occasionally to perform, but the geographical distance between the three was prohibitive. Beginning in 2011, however, Lisle and Jay have been joined by Sephardic singer and composer, Ian Pomerantz, and the tradition lives on!
Concerts of Judeo-Spanish music were
a rare occurrence 30 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.
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.
FOR BOOKINGS Please contact us directly by email: voturtle@comcast.net, with the subject line: “Concert Booking" or call (617) 524-6295 |
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Judith Wachs (1938-2008) Founder and Artistic Director |