Aromas of Sefarad by Paco Diez & Guo Ke

Artists Paco Díez and Guo Ke present a recital of Sephardic repertoire, lyrical ballads, and songs that the Sephardim have passed down through generations in worldwide diaspora, with Hazzan Isaac Azose as special guest.

About Paco Díez

Born into a family of farm-workers in the heart of Castille, singer and multi-instrumentalist Paco Díez was raised to feel and to think in the manner of the rural world in which he lived, at a time when folk traditions were beginning to disappear. He is celebrated today as one of the major exponents of both the Spanish Romancero and Sephardic music, as well as the traditional music of Castilla y León. Recognized in 2007 by Autoridad Nacional del Ladino for his work in performing and diffusing Sephardic music, he is the recipient of numerous awards in Spain and France, including the Medaille d’Argent et Palme, awarded in Paris in 2017.

About Guo Ke

Guo, Ke (郭可) is a PhD candidate in music education with a cognate in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, school of music, and adjunct professor at South Seattle College.
She was born in Wuhan, China, and studied applied mathematics at UCLA for her B.S. degree. She obtained her Master of Science from Stanford University and Master of Music from San José State University. Before pivoting into music education and performance, she worked in the consulting and tech industry.

Her research in world music education and ethnomusicology has covered topics in both Chinese music and Sephardic Jewish music. As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, she is also active in concerts, and has offered individual concerts as well as collaborative concerts in the U.S. and across Europe. Currently focusing on the topic of teaching music in diaspora, she is excited to conduct future field research as a music educator and an ethnomusicologist in the Iberian Peninsula, Israel, Turkey, and other countries around the Mediterranean sea.