Homegrown Concert: An Evening of Sephardic Music with the Susana Behar Ensemble

Susana Behar is a Miami-based singer born in Havana to a Cuban family with roots in the Sephardic Jewish community of Turkey. From an early age, she was immersed in the traditional music of her homeland as well as the evocative kantikas in Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) passed down by her grandparents. In 1965 she emigrated to Venezuela, where she eventually started to explore and perform the music of her adoptive country as well as the Latin American and Jewish folklore. She later earned a degree in Biology from the Universidad Central de Venezuela before moving to Miami, where she has lived and performed ever since.

For nearly two decades, Susana has focused her artistic career on the preservation and performance of the Sephardic music. Passionate about the richness of traditional music and its connection to cultural memory and storytelling, she has performed across the U.S., Latin America, Canada, Israel, and Japan. In 2017 she developed and premiered her project ‘Ladino Meets Latino’, incorporating songs from the Sephardic and Latin American musical traditions.

Her work has been featured in award-winning films, radio programs, and collaborative productions, including the Kennedy Center’s celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month in 2024.      

Presented in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month and co-sponsored by the American Folklife Center at The Library of Congress.

The Homegrown Concert Series is part of AFC’s ongoing public programming activities highlighting the fields of folklife, ethnomusicology, oral history, and related disciplines; foregrounding its archival holdings; and fulfilling its congressionally mandated mission.

Free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

Accessible seating is available upon request. Please request ADA accommodations at least five days in advance by contacting 202-707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.