| Born in Buenos
Aires, Cantor Dr. Ramón Tasat 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, he received a doctorate in
voice performance from the University of Texas at Austin. His doctoral dissertation is entitled “The Cantillations and Religious Poems of the Jews of Tangier,
Morocco.”
Cantor Tasat has toured Europe with world-renowned Dr. Robert Shaw
and has participated in international festivals on both sides of the
Atlantic.
Dr. Tasat has appeared in numerous opera productions including “Le Nozze di Figaro,” “Il Impressario,” and “La Traviata,” and has drawn worldwide critical as well as
audience acclaim. After attending Ramón’s “Cantata Ebraica”
concert, Rabbi Samuel Weintraub remarked, “Ramón Tasat is a gem. He sings with passion and true bel canto technique. I was also impressed by the
seamless weaving of the operatic and Jewish liturgical traditions.”
His most
notable appearances include the Kennedy Center Concert Hall; the Israeli
Embassy; the Jewish Music Festival of Berkeley, California; The Limmud
Conference in the UK, Saint Cére, France; Siena, Italy; Helsinki, Finland;
Barcelona, Spain; and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.
In addition to television and radio appearances, Dr. Tasat 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. Dr. Tasat’s lectures, workshops, and programs
range from “The Music of Modern Israel” to “Echoes of Sepharad.”
Ramón’s
numerous recordings include Fiesta Sefarad, Trees cry for rain, Teshuva, Kantikas di amor i vida, a series of Sephardic duets together with the
celebrated singer Flory Jagoda and his most recent, Yom She Kulo Shabbat. He has published several music books on
Jewish subjects.
Cantor Ramon
Tasat has agreed to become the cantor of Shirat HaNefesh (Song of the Soul),
an emerging Jewish congregation in southern Montgomery County, MD.
Ramón Tasat is also the Director of the Cantorial School at the Academy for Jewish Religion, musical
advisor of the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Music Festival, board member of the
American Friends of Neot Kedumim and the president of Shalshelet: The
Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music.
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