IYMF Annual Concert

10 December at Royal Library of Belgium

The International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation is pleased to present its Annual Concert organised in partnership with the Embassy of Spain in Belgium, in the framework of Europalia Spain. This concert “Canciones de Sefarad” will take place on 10 December at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels.

The concert combines Sephardic songs and melodies from the Spanish diaspora with traditional Judeo-Spanish festive and religious songs. The rich heritage of Sepharad—the Jewish name for the Iberian Peninsula—has over the centuries mingled with various musical and linguistic traditions. The ensemble will pay tribute to the preservation of the Sephardic musical heritage. They will perform five suites, love songs, festive and liturgical melodies, and popular compositions from regions where Sephardic communities went on to settle, such as the Maghreb, the Middle East and the Balkans.

This concert is not only a musical offering but also a tribute to cultural coexistence and intercultural dialogue through the centuries.

The concert will be introduced by high-level keynote speakers and will feature a prestigious ensemble.

Sephardic Early Music Sextet, In 1994, a shared passion for medieval music led to the creation of Música Antigua under the direction of Eduardo Paniagua, one of Spain’s leading figures in the revival of early music. The ensemble brings together renowned vocalists and instrumentalists, performing with faithful reproductions of historical instruments to recreate the soundscape of medieval Spain. Their repertoire spans Christian, Sephardic, and Andalusian traditions, offering a unique musical dialogue between cultures. Over the years, the group has produced an extensive discography and received numerous prestigious awards for its artistic excellence and contribution to cultural heritage.

Sephardic Early Music Sextet directed by Eduardo Paniagua is formed by: