A forgotten language to a revival: Nani Vazana helps revive Ladino through songs.

Eurovision for Minority Languages winner, Nani Vazana, comes to the Arcata Playhouse to play a concert on Tuesday February 24th. With a tour of 30+ shows in the USA and Canada, Nani is building a bridge between the past and the future, celebrating her Sephardic heritage while bringing Ladino to the spotlight.

"A voice that transports you from the ancient markets of Morocco to a modern London jazz club in one breath.” -BBC RADIO 3

Nani Vazana celebrates her Sephardic heritage with beloved traditionals but also, uniquely, with original Ladino songs of her own. “I play Ladino because when I look at the past, I see the future.” she told Songlines magazine.

A millennial Ladino singer-songwriter, she hopes to inspire the audience to connect to their own roots. She is one of the very few who writes original music in Ladino, the ancient language of Sephardic Jews.

Building a bridge from the past to the here and now, Nani sings the beloved Ladino traditionals that feature passion, love, cooking, family, and even fairytales. These songs are filled with drama and yearning, sadness and happiness. Her original Ladino songs touch on millennial themes like migration, woman empowerment, and gender, revisiting tradition from a contemporary view point.

An irresistible stage presence with warm and versatile flamenco vocals, soft choral trombone and haunting piano, Nani captures the sounds and scents of the marketplace, propelling an almost extinct culture into the 21st century.