Annual Gala Concert "Canciones de Sefarad"
An Evening Honouring Sephardic Musical Heritage
On 10 December 2025, the Sephardic Early Music Sextet came together for a special concert titled Canciones de Sefarad, a journey through Sephardic songs and melodies from the Hispanic diaspora. The performance brought to life traditional, festive, and religious Judeo-Spanish music, celebrating a rich cultural heritage shaped by centuries of migration and exchange.
Organised by the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation (IYMF) in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy in Belgium, the concert was held within the framework of Europalia Spain. The evening highlighted Spain’s unique musical legacy and its enduring influence across the Mediterranean world and beyond.
Through five musical suites, the Sephardic Early Music Sextet paid tribute to the preservation of Sephardic musical traditions. Their repertoire included love songs, festive and liturgical melodies, and popular compositions from regions where Sephardic communities settled after the diaspora, notably the Maghreb, the Middle East, and the Balkans.
The concert took place in the prestigious Royal Library of Belgium and welcomed more than 200 guests, including representatives from Belgian and European institutions, supporting enterprises, and interested audiences. Several speeches took place from Christian Salez, CEO of Europalia; Tada Bastida, Cultural Adviser of the Spanish Embassy in Belgium; and Lodovico Folin Calabi, Officer-in-Charge of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels. All speakers emphasised the importance of intercultural dialogue, diversity, and cultural transmission in today’s world. Marianne Poncelet, Vice-President of the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, then introduced the Foundation’s work in the fields of art education and social inclusion, before presenting the musical concept of the evening and its broader cultural significance.
Following the concert, guests were invited to a reception held in the Salle Galerie of the Royal Library, offering a space for exchange and reflection after an evening dedicated to music, memory, and shared heritage.
A big thank you to all our partners:
