Though they sprang from the same Spanish soil, flamenco singing and Sephardic Jewish song could not be more different. Flamenco singing burns with passion and fury, and performances reach an emotional fever pitch. Sephardic singers let the wry tales in the lyrics speak for themselves with reserved precision.

It is the tension between these two musical forms that fires Ventanas lead singer Tamar Ilana, and this tension is the guiding force behind the band’s second album, Arrelumbre.

“I have given up on purity,” laughs Ilana. “I draw on both the story and the emotion, infusing flamenco feeling into Sephardic stories and vice versa.”

Ilana and her trans-Mediterranean ensemble Ventanas fuse passion and intimate dialogue, embracing the varied instrumental and melodic traditions of North Africa, the Balkans, Turkey and Spain to create fresh interpretations and original songs. Oud, baglama, darbuka, and percussive flamenco footwork intertwine with surprising harmony, joy and yearning, and this unusual musical mix garnered the group two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations in 2014 and two more in 2015.

"A group that can get the party going, take you on a whimsical journey and lure you in...a beautiful combination of cultures, languages & instruments superfluously intertwined!" - Pascale Wilmot, Koerner Hall

"Anywhere in the world, this act would entertain." - Marlon Regis, The Huffington Post

"The combination of [flamenco] dancing, guitar and voice is fiery. Add darbuka and it becomes explosive!" - Mark T, fRoots

Showcase Artist: Pacific Contact 2016

Home Base: Ontario