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 “Each time the Sephardic people were exiled, the key to the front door of each family home was carried away by the reluctant travelers... Also carried away was the language and culture of the country that had been home for hundreds of years…”   Susan Gaeta

When the Jews were forced into exile from Spain and Portugal in the 15th century, many settled in the former Ottoman Empire.  They took with them their native language, called Ladino, which is based on old castilian Spanish.  They also took their rich and beautiful music - the lyrical and oral history of the Sephardim. Sephardic music was born in medieval Spain, with canciones being performed at the royal courts. Since then, it has picked up influences from across Spain, Morocco, Argentina, Turkey, Greece and various popular tunes from Spain and further abroad.

Flory Jagoda was born into the Sephardic community in Bosnia.   Through her grandmother, she learned songs that had been passed down in her family for generations.  Flory escaped the destruction of Sarajevo's Jewish community and came to the United States after World War II. Alas, most of the vibrant community of Sephardim did not escape - few remained after the Holocaust,  and the Ladino language is in danger of extinction.   Flory, determined to carry on the unique musical heritage of her people, has become known as "The Keeper of the Sephardic Flame".  

Flory has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a Lifetime Honor by the National Heritage Fellowship and the National Endowment for the Arts for her efforts in passing on the tradition of Ladino music.  In 2002, In 2002, The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities invited Flory to participate in the Master/Apprenticeship program.  She chose Susan Gaeta, an accomplished vocalist and guitarist in her own right, to be her apprentice. 

Susan Gaeta performs nationally as a soloist, as well as a guest accompanist of Flory Jagoda.  She has appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, at the Greater Washington Jewish Folk Arts Festival, the Holocaust Museum and before numerous Jewish and inter-faith communities.   Her CD “From Her Nona’s Drawer” was funded by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, with the intention of preserving and continuing the music of her mentor, Flory Jagoda.   Prior to her apprenticeship with Flory, Susan  spent eight years in Argentina where she performed jazz and both American and Argentine folk music in Buenos Aires. She studied with, and often was accompanied by, classical guitarist Oscar Casares.

The synergy between Flory and Susan is magical.  Both are skilled guitarists and lovely singers.  Flory tells stories and reminisces about her girlhood in Bosnia, her family, and about village and community life that had a rhythm and beauty of its own in days gone by. 

Listen to samples of Flory's Music here.   Click here to hear samples from Susan Gaeta's CD.