Emerson Avenue Salons is a 501(c)(3)! More Information Here

DONATE! Watch Salonline 7:30 PM Join Zoom Discussion 8:30 PM Previous Salonlines

If you’re looking for Mounir Mahmalat & Nikola Paskalov,
please click “Previous Salons”

Sunday, April 27, 2025, 7:30 PM

— a “hybrid” event —

Ramón Tasat

voice & guitar

George Peachey

piano

Spanish Nights

Music from the Medieval period, Sephardic music, Zarzuela (Spanish opera) and contemporary music.  Themes covering war, love, loneliness and the terrible Spanish Civil war.

Poems by Antonio Machado, Miguel Hernandez, Rafael Alberti and Joan Manuel Serrat

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ramón learned Ladino, the language of the Sephardic people, at his grandmother’s knee; his style reflects the rich history and drama of this extraordinary culture.

Trained in five different countries, Ramón has studied at the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary, the Manuel de Falla Conservatory of Music and the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Doctorate degree in Voice Performance. His Doctoral dissertation is entitled: “The Cantillations and Melodies of the Jews of Tangier, Morocco”

Ramón Tasat is the hazzan of Tiferet Bet Israel (TBI) in Blue Bell, PA. Until recently he was the hazzan and founder of Shirat HaNefesh (Song of the Soul), Kensington, MD.

Ramón is also the musical Director of Kolot HaLev, a Jewish Community choirinthe Greater Washington areaandthe past president of Shalshelet: The Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music.

Serving Jewish congregations since the age of 18, Ramón has expanded the horizons of their liturgical practices by introducing the reading of Torah and other sifre kodesh chanting with te’ame haMikra of different communities from around the world. He has also composed music extensively, research and arranged Jewish music for mixed choir as well as instrumental ensembles. As a musicologist Hazzan Tasat introduces largely unknown piyyutim from the Jewish global village.

Ramón sings in Hebrew, Ladino, Spanish, Italian and English, and specializes in Sephardic music.

Dr. Tasat has toured Europe with world-renowned Dr. Robert Shaw, and he has participated in international festivals on both sides of the Atlantic. His most notable appearances include: the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the Israeli Embassy, the Italian Consulate in New York City, Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, Harvard University, Saint Cére, France, Siena, Italy, Helsinki, Finland and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

In addition to television and radio appearances, Ramón has been the recipient of numerous awards including First Place at the Montpelier Cultural Arts Center’s Recital Competition and a National Endowment of the Arts Grant. In 2022 Ramón has been selected to join the Maryland State Arts Council’s Arts in Education Teaching Artist Roster.

Hazzan Tasat offers a wide spectrum of lectures, workshops, and programs. These range from “A Concert for Peace” to “Lullabies in Jewish Tradition,” and ““Echoes of Sefarad” to “The Music of Modern Israel.”

ramontasat.com 

https://www.youtube.com/c/RamonTasat

https://msac.org/directory/artists/ramon-tasat

Pianist George Peachey has enjoyed a varied career as a vocal and instrumental collaborative artist, and as soloist both in recital and with orchestra. Critics have called him “an exemplary accompanist” who plays with “sensitive expertise.”

He has performed at The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, The Phillips Collection, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and The Organization of American States. As a chamber musician, he has been guest artist on the National Symphony Chamber Music Series, and has performed with the Sunrise String Quartet and the Washington Music Ensemble. His recordings on compact disc include music of Samuel Adler with former NSO Concertmaster William Steck, with whom he also performed as a member of the Stratford Chamber Players. As guest artist on Jerome Barry’s popular Embassy Series, he has performed at the embassies of France, Austria, Germany and Switzerland, among many others.

In his role as vocal accompanist, he has worked with The Washington Opera, The Vocal Arts Society, and The Maryland Opera Society, and for many years served as studio accompanist to renowned baritone Todd Duncan. Mr. Peachey has also recently expanded his musical activities to the internet, where his recordings of German Lieder accompaniments are available on many popular music websites. He received his musical training at the Catholic University of America where he studied with Thomas Mastroianni and Fernando Laires, and at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Austria where he was a pupil of Michael Krist.

https://www.peacheypianist.com

If you’d like to receive Emerson Avenue Salon invitations, you can add yourself to the invitation list HERE.

---