Nani Vazari

Description

In the Strauss Black Box Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center Nani Vazana: A Second Skin Nani Vazana, a millennial Ladino songwriter and one of today’s most compelling voices in world music, brings ancient tradition into the modern age. Winner of the 2024 Eurovision for Minority Languages (Liet International) representing the Netherlands with her original song Una Segunda Piel (A Second Skin), Vazana is redefining the soundscape of Sephardic culture. Praised by BBC Radio 3 for a voice that “transports you from ancient markets to modern jazz clubs in one breath,” Vazana fuses flamenco-inspired vocals, heartfelt piano, and soft choral trombone with contemporary storytelling. Her music revitalizes Ladino—the nearly lost language of Sephardic Jews—while tackling socially resonant themes of migration, gender, and female empowerment. Her album Ke Haber (What’s New) reached #11 on the World Music Charts and #13 on the Music Charts Europe, and her work has been archived in the Library of Congress (USA). Vazana has graced international stages including the Kennedy Center (USA), London Jazz Festival (UK), Montana and Richmond Folk Festivals (USA), Jazz in the Park (Romania), and the Jodhpur RIFF Festival (India), as well as TEDx Amsterdam. Select Honors & Milestones Winner – Eurovision for Minority Languages Liet International (2024) Library of Congress Documentation (2023) PAIS Album Promotion Grant, Israel (2021) SENA Music Production Grant, Netherlands (2020) Arts Council England Premiere Grant (2019) Sephardic Music Award, Spain (2017) Step into a musical journey where the sounds and scents of ancient marketplaces meet the vibrance of contemporary jazz and world music—an unforgettable performance by Nani Vazana.