Mazal Bueno: A Portrait in Song of the Spanish Jews
The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble and Ansche Chesed in partnership with the American Sephardi Federation present:
Mazal Bueno: A Portrait in Song of the Spanish Jews
The program was created 1992 for National Public Radio (NPR) to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. It was presented on Ladino Day in February 2025 by the American Sephardi Federation and The Sephardic Foundation on Aging.
Julie Benko, Broadway star of Funny Girl and Harmony, joins the Grammy-nominated Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn, and guest artists to present Mazal Bueno: A Portrait in Song of the Spanish Jews. The narration, by Jane Mushabac, is dedicated to the memory of her grandmother, Djoya Mushabac (1877-1958), from the Dardanelles in Turkey. Djoya is portrayed by Julie as she introduces 25 exquisite Ladino songs depicting Sephardic life from birth, courtship and marriage to family life, death, and Shabbat.
Monday, 26 October at 7:00PM
@Ansche Chesed Synagogue
251 West 100th Street, NYC
The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble:
Linda Lee Jones, soprano; Eric S. Brenner, countertenor Paul Greene – Dennis, bass; with Alex Guererro, and Leo Dworsky, tenors; Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn, mezzo-soprano & Adam Good, oud, guitar; Robert Eisenstein, bowed strings and recorder; Ronen Itzik, percussion
Guest Artists:
Shirei Chesed Community Choir, Natasha Hirschhorn, Music Director
Narration Script: Jane Mushabac
Western Wind Music Director: Linda Lee Jones
Western Wind Producer: Wiliam Zukof
Since 1969, the GRAMMY nominated Western Wind has devoted itself to the special beauty and variety of a cappella music. The New York Times has called them, “A kaleidoscopic tapestry of vocal hues…” The Ensemble’s repertoire reveals its diverse background – from Renaissance motets to Fifties rock ’n’ roll, from medieval carols to Duke Ellington, from complex works by avant-garde composers to the simplest folk melodies. Visit them at