Editor’s note: Reuven Kapuchinski took the photo.
A mesmerizing Israeli quintet–Sofi & the Baladis–will perform in concert at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, December 8, 2018, at Centennial Auditorium, Sterling High School, Sterling, IL. Tickets, $10 each, are available online at centennialauditorium.org or at the door.
Their concert culminates a week of workshops with students in Sterling, Rock Falls, and Dixon schools, in community locations, and through a public concert celebration at the end of the week. The quintet will also do a residency in Port Byron, IL.
The idea behind the program is to give Midwestern communities, especially smaller and mid-size communities, an opportunity to experience music, language, and culture that doesn’t come through often, if at all.
It is part of Woodlawn Arts Academy’s two-year partnership with Arts Midwest World Fest Concert Tour, which secures four visiting international artists.
Arts Midwest chooses towns that musicians visit. Sofi & the Baladis have enjoyed the snow in Minnesota and Wisconsin, noted their tour guide Eric Smith. The members enjoy access to driving their van, using an international Driver’s License.
Woodlawn Arts Academy, an agency of United Way of Whiteside and Lee Counties, is the sole Illinois partner for the 2017-2019 World Fest Tour. They host these “very well known, touring professionals. They are sought after and tour extensively, doing concerts at home,” Smith noted. He has worked with Arts Midwest ensembles for eight years and joined this tour last fall.
The Israeli performers are the third international group sponsored by Woodlawn Arts Academy. The center pays for lodging and the Welcome dinner. At the end of September 2017, “Manhu” came from China; in April 2018 they hosted “Unni Boksasp” from Norway; Japanese taiko drummers “Ondekoza” will visit schools in February and March 2019.
Sofi Tsedaka (center) is the lead vocalist. This Israeli singer and actress grew up in the Samaritan community and converted to Judaism when she was 20. She became a successful model and star in soap operas and hosted children’s TV shows. She released a few pop singles but currently sings new interpretations of songs from the ancient Samaritan community, as well as work from famous 20th Century Arabic composers. She lives in Tel Aviv, Israel, now, but her vocals are prayers from her native Samaritan upbringing. One of the two she sang during the Welcome Reception was a 4000-year-old Samaritan prayer “of giving thanks for what we have and for the world.” It was an exquisite, melodic passage with the male voices blending in. The second, sprightly prayer was from the prophet Moses. When asked if people would dance to this song, she said “No. You feel the joy inside.” After the singing, Sofi invited everyone to gather around a table in honor of the first day of Hanukkah. She lit two tea light candles on a make-shift menorah. Those who knew the ancient Hebrew lyric sang with her.
Using ancient instruments is challenging for the men, because they are difficult to tune. Music Producer Yaniv Taichman (back left), plays the stringed “oud.” Yannie (Jonathan) Dror (back right), plays wind instruments and “ney,” flutes; he holds a dudek, ram’s horn. Yshai Afterman (front left), handles percussion, including a variety of drums and the “riqq” he holds. He noted, “The frame drum is the most primitive, associated with mystical ceremonies.” Yosef Bronfman (front right), play a “qanun,” which he described as “the grandmother of the piano, with lots of micro tones.”
The Welcome Reception for Sofi & the Baladis was held on Sunday, December 2, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., at Country Inn, & Suites, 2106 First Avenue, Rock Falls, IL. Dinner was served, and the group shared a bit of music. Nine-year-old fourth grader Jocelyn Pink described her years in WAA plays. She sang “I Know You” from “Snow White,” which is the part Jocelyn played in the autumn production.
For more information about World Fest, visit http://artsmidwestworldfest.org/. For more information about the concert, visit http://woodlawnartsacademy.com/events.php.
Funding for Sofi & the Baladis is provided in part by contributions from the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest; Israel Lottery Council for Culture & Arts; Music Port.
Arts Midwest is also generously supported by Illinois Arts Council Agency, Indiana Arts Commission, Iowa Arts Council, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Minnesota State Arts Board, North Dakota Council on the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, South Dakota Arts Council, and Wisconsin Arts Board.