Jill’s Current Dedicated Concert Programs

 

  Here you’ll find summaries of the various dedicated concert programs that Jill currently presents. This is meant to assist those who are organising and advertising concerts on her behalf.

 

 

 

 

 Las ’Streyas de la Manyana:
Sephardic songs in Ladino

 

Jill collaborates with a violinist/violist in a program of mainly traditional songs in Judeo-Espagnol, interlaced with Baroque music under Spanish influence. Ringing the changes between all the possible vocal and instrumental combinations -- with guitar, violin, viola and percussive instruments -- they present a tapestry of lyric, rhythm and melody that flows straight from the heart.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

Illumination from Fabritio Caroso's dance manual Il Ballarino, 1581

 

Both Sides the Pond:
traditional & contemporary Irish & American songs

 

The result of a special request by a house-concert host, this program gives Jill an opportunity to present some of her favourite American songs from her childhood, interlaced with a variety of traditional and contemporary Irish songs that she has also loved for a long time. As she puts it, this is “a trip down my memory lane.” She intersperses the songs with commentary about the social and historical contexts of the songs, making connections you might not have thought of. Be ready to sing along! A delightful evening.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

Illumination from the Spanish manuscript Cantigas de Santa Maria, written in the 13th century

 

 

 Per Amore Cantare: Between Heaven and Earth

 

Jill presents here some of her favourite medieval and Renaissance songs from many lands around the ever-fascinating subject of love. Among the myriad facets of earthly affection, she also offers aspects of spiritual love, from both the Christian and the Jewish traditions. Here she mixes a cappella singing with varied accompaniments on her lap-harp and other instruments. A stunning experience of another world.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

Illumination from the Spanish manuscript Cantigas de Santa Maria, written in the 13th century

 

 Crossroads: Echoes of Spain

In this fascinating program, Jill presents music from Spain or of Spanish influence, beginning with medieval texts little known outside Jewish communities, and songs from the well-known Christian manuscripts Llibre Vermell and the Cantigas de Santa Maria. She continues by exploring the rich spectrum of Spanish song through its magnificent flowering in the Renaissance, through to its deeply-felt stamp on Sephardi song of more recent centuries.

 

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

Medieval illumination

 

 The King’s Well

 

Jill showcases her own songs and settings of poems in several languages (English, Ladino, Hebrew and French). While she has sung several of these songs in past concerts, this is the audience’s opportunity to hear this introspective side of her repertoire in an integrated program. Whether accompanying herself on guitar or harp, or singing a cappella, Jill allows the audience a glimpse into her very heart as she sings about family and friends, and the journey of her soul. Her choice of poetry from a wide range of times and places offsets these private vignettes in a variety of moods. This is a moving experience.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

 

Medieval woodcut: the influences of the planet Venus; from the block-book The Planets, Heidelberg, 1470-75

 

 Love’s Shining Circle:

 

This program demonstrates Jill’s abiding affection for and interest in poetry and old ballads. Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Moore, William Butler Yeats and John Masefield are among the poets represented from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The ballads, including pieces in French and Ladino, date from the Middle Ages through to more recent times. Some of the tunes are traditional, while others have been set more recently by singers around the world. Jill’s new harp arrangements for several of the pieces encapsulate the emotions often hidden between the lines of these time-honoured texts. Never fear, however: some of these songs actually have a happy ending! A magical evening.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

 

Medieval woodcut: detail from the Augsburg Psalter from Ratdolt, 1494

 

 

 The Voice of the Wanderer:

 Traditional Jewish Music from Around the World:

 

For several years, Jill has been researching Jewish songs from around the world. This program reflects her journey, from the traditions of such dispersed communities as Poland and Rhodes to Morocco, Kurdistan and Israel; from the para-liturgical to the secular; from the poetry of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi and Bialik to her own musical settings and compositions; in Hebrew, Ladino, Yiddish, Aramaic, Arabic and Kurdish, Jill takes her audience on paths of Jewish heritage that they have never trodden before.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

 

Medieval woodcut; a detail from Horae, published in Paris by Dupré for Vérard in 1489-90

 

 Calling Card:

 

Jill presents a taste of the several genres of music that she sings -- a unique combination of traditional music from various cultures (but especially British Isles/Celtic and Sephardi), medieval song, her own songs and her settings of other people's poetry. This set also demonstrates Jill’s deep interest in various languages and cultures, with the songs that she sings in English, Ladino (Judeo-Espagnol), Latin, Hebrew, Welsh, Scots Gaelic and Old Provençal. She takes her audience on a journey through a wide range of experiences and emotions that leaves them moved and enriched.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

 

Medieval woodcut depicting the month of November; a detail from Sarum Horae, published in Paris by Pigouchet for Jean Richard in 1494

 

 Winter Song:

 

Jill meditates on the ways in which people entertained themselves -- and each other -- on those long, cold winter nights in the days before electricity. She takes the audience on a journey from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the dark sides of human nature to hope and promise. While the main focus of this program remains in the British Isles -- including its Celtic communities -- it also covers a variety of other cultures. From letters to ballads; from poetry to gossip; from a 1,000-year-old song to recently-penned folk-style songs by some of the finest contemporary songwriters, this is a delightful experience.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

 

 Shining Star, Hear My Call!
Tradition and ritual in the British Isles:

 

 Originally conceived for the prestigious Abu Ghosh Vocal Festival outside of Jerusalem, this program shows the extent of Jill’s musical immersion in the culture of the British Isles. Singing mostly in various Celtic languages (Gaelic, Scots Gaelic, Welsh & Manx Gaelic) -- but with a few songs in English -- Jill introduces her audience to an exciting and moving array of musical styles, from para-liturgical chant to songs about daily activities. On this enchanting journey we meet innocent country girls, ardent lovers, hard-working labourers, and religious figures, as we learn of different beliefs (Christian, Pagan and Jewish) in different locales around the British Isles. To accommodate those who are happy to hear only Celtic-language songs, Jill has adapted this program as The Celtic Heart.

To see a record of where these related programs have been performed, click here......

 

 

Medieval woodcut; a detail from Officium B V Mariae,published in Venice in 1493

 

 Roses & Briars:
Images of women in medieval & traditional song:

 

Jill introduces her audience to a remarkable variety of women -- some you might want for your daughter-in-law, and others you would not want to meet in a dark alley on a dark night. Lacing her program with humour and humanity, she presents different images of women from the past millennium in songs from the Middle East to North America: songs true and fantastic, spiritual and earthly, and spanning time, place and cultures in a rich, thought-provoking mélange.

To see a record of where this program has been performed, click here......

 

 

Jill continues to prepare other programs. The one nearest readiness, at the present, is an all-Irish program [title: And a Soft Rain Falling]. Also in the pipeline: a program of medieval and traditional music from the Jewish and Christian traditions with the well-known Czech singer and violinist Jiří Hodina; an all-Italian program (medieval to early Baroque) with Israeli lutenist Bari Moscovitz-Seidelman; a companion program to Roses & Briars about the different images of men in traditional music [title: Rogues, Rakes & Renegades]; an all-Scots program [title: A Hint of Heather]; an international Christmas carol program [title: Songs For a Winter’s Night]; another about the sea [title: Companioned By the Sea], an all-medieval program spanning many countries [working title: Secret Journeys] and a project that will present medieval music and poetry from Spain, Italy and England (don’t hold your breath for this one: it’s going to take years to prepare!).

Watch this page for further details.

 

Medieval woodcut; a detail from Sarum Horae, published in Paris by Pigouchet for Jean Richard in 1494