{"id":17671,"date":"2017-09-18T22:47:39","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T05:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=17671"},"modified":"2017-09-18T22:48:34","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T05:48:34","slug":"track-premiere-web-exclusive-interview-sarah-aroeste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2017\/09\/track-premiere-web-exclusive-interview-sarah-aroeste\/","title":{"rendered":"Track Premiere &#038; Web Exclusive Interview Sarah Aroeste"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17676\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-5.jpg\" alt=\"Sarah Aroeste-5\" width=\"660\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-5.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-5-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>TRACK PREMIERE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>Musician:<strong> \u00a0SARAH AROESTE<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h1>Track Premiere:\u00a0 \u201c<strong>La <\/strong><strong>Ketub\u00e1<\/strong><strong> De La Ley<\/strong>\u201d<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/337035100&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>A Ladino\/English song celebrating the holiday of Shavuot, from the new Sarah Aroeste album <em>Together\/Endjuntos<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sarah Aroeste releases the first-ever, all-original bilingual Ladino\/English Holiday album, <em>Together\/Endjuntos<\/em> today. She has created an eclectic collection that combines elements of <em>Bha\u1e45g\u1e5b\u0101<\/em>, rap, cabaret, merengue and even country.<\/p>\n<p>Drawing upon her Sephardic family roots from Spain and Greece, Aroeste has devoted her career to the preservation of Ladino and all it represents. As a composer, singer, and cultural activist, she works tirelessly to articulate the beauty and relevance of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) culture. One of the few composers in the world who writes her own music in the fading medieval language, Aroeste hopes to introduce Ladino music to a new generation. On <em>Together\/Endjuntos<\/em>, she cleverly weaves English and Ladino together through songs that cycle the Hebrew calendar.<\/p>\n<p>Ladino is a centuries-old Sephardic dialect that includes elements of Portuguese, French, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Hebrew and Arabic. \u201cLa Ketub\u00e1 De La Ley\u201d is the only song that\u2019s almost entirely in Ladino, except for two lines in the chorus that are in English.<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Sarah Aroeste to find out why she wanted to do a Ladino Holiday album, and why she feels called to save this fading language.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>SARAH AROESTE <\/strong>Interview<br \/>\nwith\u00a0<strong><em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>magazine publisher,<strong> Merlin David<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Why is this first-ever, all-original bilingual Ladino\/English Holiday album important?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve worked in Ladino for over 15 years and I\u2019m proud of the material I\u2019ve written and performed. At some point I realized there\u2019s only so much of an audience if people have never even heard of the genre. I wanted to write an album incorporating English, so that the <em>Ladino<\/em> could actually have farther reach. When people learn about Ladino they are normally amazed that it exists\u2014a pan-Mediterranean language they had never heard of before? It\u2019s like a hidden treasure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why did you include English?<\/strong><br \/>\nBy including English, my hope is that more people will have access to discovering Ladino. And who doesn\u2019t love holidays. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) In traditional Ladino music, there are certainly some beautiful songs that relate to specific holidays, but there has never been a single collection of <em>non-liturgical<\/em> songs that celebrate holidays. I wanted to write songs that were festive and celebratory\u2014with themes that were universal, no matter the background of the listener. My goal with writing contemporary Ladino music is to be as inclusive and welcoming as possible. Writing a bilingual holiday album just made sense to me.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17674\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste.jpg\" alt=\"Sarah Aroeste\" width=\"660\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>How did your training as a classical opera singer influence your original music?<br \/>\n<\/strong>As much as I\u2019m grateful for my classical training, it also frustrated me that for so long I was stuck in a mode where I was so used to following musical rules. It prevented me from improvising or creating new ideas. It took me a long time to get over that and to make the switch from <em>interpreting<\/em> Ladino music to actually writing it myself. But the training has been invaluable\u2014it\u2019s allowed my voice to be more adaptable and to appreciate incorporating classical traditions into my contemporary writing. It was also when I was singing in an opera house where I first encountered a coach who was an expert in Ladino music. I owe so much to him\u2014the late Nico Castel. In between opera coaching, he would teach me classical Ladino repertoire. It was during that time, 20 years ago now, that I started to realize I loved Ladino music more than the opera. If it weren\u2019t for the opera training with Castel, I might not be where I am today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the new album <em>Together\/Endjuntos <\/em>evolve?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I knew I wanted to write a holiday album. So I sat down one day and made a list of my favorite holidays according to the Hebrew calendar. There are definitely some somber holidays that didn\u2019t make the cut. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) But I picked ones I felt could tell a great story not only for Ladino, but also for me\u2014as a songwriter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of \u201c<\/strong><strong>La Ketub\u00e1 De La Ley<\/strong><strong>\u201d come to you?<br \/>\n<\/strong>The holiday of Shavuot is little known, but it\u2019s actually the holiday to commemorate when the Israelites received the 10 commandments. It\u2019s a hefty one. In Sephardic Jewish tradition, the marriage contract, the <em>ketub\u00e1<\/em>, is also used in association with Shavuot\u2014meaning it\u2019s a marriage contract between the Israelites and the commandments of the Torah. Ley means \u201claw.\u201d I wanted to write a song that was respectful and conveyed the feel of a marriage ceremony. The string quartet and the Spanish guitar give it that reverential, baroque feeling of import.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do I detect of hint of something in there for the Christian?<\/strong><br \/>\nWe wanted to convey a bit of a marriage ceremony feel. I think the baroque feel also has some reverential, Christian-sounding overtones\u2014as it\u2019s a holiday that is often associated with conversion. Ruth, after all, goes along with the Israelites by saying: <em>Your people shall be my people, and your God my God<\/em>. In my bridge, I fashioned those famous lines to be a bit more universal, and wrote: <em>We will go wherever you go<\/em>, meaning <em>we<\/em> will follow where God takes us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who inspired you to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy family. At first it was the family stories I heard\u2014passed down from my grandfather. I grew up knowing I came from a proud Sephardic tradition in which Ladino was the mother tongue. Since it has been fading dramatically, UNESCO lists it as severely endangered, I wanted to find a way to preserve my family legacy in song. That was the impetus\u2014using historical memory and family stories to express my love of my family background. And then I started my own family, and I knew I wanted my daughters to grow up in a world where Ladino still exists. So much of my songwriting since then has been because of them\u2014including a children\u2019s album I wrote for them last year.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17673\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-4.jpg\" alt=\"Sarah Aroeste-4\" width=\"660\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-4.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-4-300x162.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>What initially made you <em>want <\/em>to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve always been passionate about wanting people to know the richness of Ladino tradition. The traditional repertoire is beautiful and unique, but I needed to find a way I could sing the music\u2014in a way that felt natural to me. I wasn\u2019t born hundreds of years ago in the Balkans\u2014I grew up on American 80\u2019s pop. To reach a larger, younger audience with Ladino music, I would have to write it myself\u2014from an authentic place. Once I started writing my own songs, I realized there was so much I wanted to say and tap into.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How is it relevant for us today?<\/strong><br \/>\nJust because it\u2019s an old language, doesn\u2019t mean the themes can\u2019t be relevant today. I found I could most easily express myself by writing in this beautiful language. I\u2019ve written feminist songs based on a 15th century Portuguese heroine of Inquisition times, songs on facing adversity based on an 11th century Judeo-Spanish poet I\u2019ve always loved, and songs about trying to find your way home in today\u2019s globalized world based on the iconic wandering gypsy girl. I wanted to write contemporary songs in this incredible language precisely to show how timeless and universal it is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is your creative process for writing songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m actually a pretty fast songwriter. Once I have an idea in my head, I sit down and get it out on paper. I normally write the lyrics first and then wait for the melody to strike me. When I\u2019m in songwriting mode, it happens fairly quickly. I could go months without writing anything, but when I set my mind to it\u2014I can write 2-3 songs a day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip can you offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nCarry a voice recorder with you\u2014everywhere. I\u2019ll be walking down a noisy, busy street when a melody gets stuck in my head. I\u2019ll whip out my iPhone voice memo and record it right away\u2014to save it for later. You never know when inspiration will hit. Write down ideas as soon as they come to you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which Top 5 Musicians\u00a0inspired you to become a musician?<\/strong><br \/>\nOfra Haza, Bobby McFerrin (one of my first coaches at Tanglewood), Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Yo-Yo Ma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What instruments<\/strong><strong>\/equipment help you write, record or perform?<\/strong><br \/>\nTo write, it\u2019s my iPhone voice memo app. To record: a Neumann mic\u2014it makes everything sound better. To perform: my ancient Flip video camera. I record almost every gig so I can watch later and critique myself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?<\/strong><br \/>\nWell over a decade ago, when I was just starting out, I heard my music on NPR. That was huge for me\u2014validation. It felt like I was being accepted into the mainstream.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17672\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-3.png\" alt=\"Sarah Aroeste-3\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-3.png 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Sarah-Aroeste-3-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your Top 5 favorite albums?<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Graceland<\/em> (1986) \u2013 Paul Simon<br \/>\n<em>The White Album<\/em> (1968) \u2013 The Beatles<br \/>\n<em>Free To Be\u2026 You and Me<\/em> (1972) \u2013 Marlo Thomas &amp; Friends<br \/>\n<em>Transformer<\/em> (1972) \u2013 Lou Reed<br \/>\nEvery album by Jo\u00e3o Gilberto<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us a \u201cpinch me\u201d moment\u2014a time you thought \u201cWow, this is really happening to me!\u201d<\/strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em>I remember being the most amazed 10 years ago when I performed the first Ladino song I ever wrote with the Jerusalem Symphony. It was the first time I had ever sung with a full symphony\u2014and it was my own song. It was the most proud I\u2019ve ever been.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Performing Rights Organization are you with?<\/strong><br \/>\nBMI<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the best advice someone has given you?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Have a side job. Don\u2019t give up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice you\u2019d give upcoming musicians?<\/strong><br \/>\nStick to a vision, work at it and perfect what you do\u2014and people will respect you for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m just starting to work on my next project. Ladino has wonderful sayings\u2014Yiddish zings. I\u2019m collecting the public\u2019s favorite sayings and proverbs in Ladino, and writing songs around them. It will be bilingual again. I\u2019m pretty excited about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.saraharoeste.com\">www.saraharoeste.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TRACK PREMIERE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Musician: \u00a0SARAH AROESTE Track Premiere:\u00a0 \u201cLa Ketub\u00e1 De La Ley\u201d &nbsp; A Ladino\/English song celebrating the holiday of Shavuot, from the new Sarah Aroeste album Together\/Endjuntos Sarah Aroeste releases the first-ever, all-original bilingual Ladino\/English Holiday album, Together\/Endjuntos today. She has created an eclectic collection that combines elements of Bha\u1e45g\u1e5b\u0101, rap, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[9677,9678,9679,5879,6928,9680,9681,9682,7971,9683,9684,9685,8178,9686,9687,9688,991,9689,9690,9691,3117,7266,10161,7566,9692,9693,3010,7978,9694,9695,8811,9696,1857,9697,9698,9699,9700,9701,9014,9702,3818,8995,9703,9704,9705,9706,9707,9708,4022],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17671"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17671"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17677,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17671\/revisions\/17677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}