The Yearot Ensemble weaves polyphonic female a cappella singing with liturgical poems from the Israeli tradition. Well-known poems such as “Yedid Nefesh,” “Adon Olam,” and “Lecha Dodi,” which have accompanied the Jewish life cycle for hundreds of years, are combined with folk melodies from the Balkans and the Middle East, inspired by the mysteries of the Bulgarian voice, the polyphonic singing of northern Greece, Georgian singing, and Sufi music from Turkey. The works are played on a variety of folk wind and percussion instruments, and the combination of these with a cappella singing creates a multi-dimensional sonic experience. Jewish sacred song is re-emerging not as an ancient memory, but as a living musical tradition that resonates with the evolving reality of the Jewish people. The ensemble will host the musician and composer Meira Segal, who plays ancient wind instruments, bagpipes from Bulgaria and Galicia, as well as the Turkish ney flute, which she learned to play in Sufi communities from the Mevlevi order in Turkey.
Maayan Tzafrir artistic direction and musical arrangement | Maayan Tzafrir vocals | Michal Tamari vocals | Meital Rachmin vocals | Yanush Horvitz accordion | Nur Bar Goren percussion | Meira Segal Balkan wind instruments
Photo: Amnon Barnea
2025 International Oud Festival
6–13 November, 2025
