Dafna is a singer and a music teacher from Jerusalem, recently arrived in Sweden. Together with her mother, Baghdad-born singer Suad, Dafna performs Iraqi classics alongside her own compositions. She is invited regularly to give concerts, workshops and talks in Britain and in Europe, offering songs from the Middle East region in Hebrew, Arabic and Judeo-Spanish.
In her talks, Dafna discusses music and culture in the Middle East, especially within Jewish communities from Arab countries. They may include topics such as the interaction between Jewish and Muslim musicians, women’s songs, religious and secular repertoires.
Dafna draws on her previous 3 years’ work at the National Sound Archive of Israel. She has studied for five years at The Center for Middle Eastern Classical Music in Jerusalem and has a master’s degree in music from SOAS, University of London.
Session 1: Jewish songs (A workshop)
The workshop is open to everyone, beginners and experienced singers alike. Instrumentalists are welcome, too! (max. participants: 30)
Session 2: Music in Judeo-Arabic communities (a talk).
I will talk about music traditions of Jewish communities from the Middle East region, will sing 2 or 3 songs, show some photos and play some recorded music, too.