Yoel ben Simhon & Sultana Ensemble

Sultana Ensemble Yoel Ben Simhon leads and directs this middle-eastern fusion ensemble. Together with a talented group of multi-ethnic musicians, Ben Simhon explores the music of the Morrocan Jews in through Hebrew piyutim and Haketia (Ladino) melodies, along with song wonderful new original arrangements. Yoel Ben-Simhon says, "Sultana was the name of my grandmother, a very inspirational figure in my life, who was born in Mogador, Morocco. As a verb, saltana means 'to dominate' or 'to govern' and of course sultana means Queen." Sultana also means 'sublime', the enjoyment communicated by a performer to the audience through the artistic and technical mastery of the instrument or voice.

Hear the music: Yigdal
Booking inquiries: sephardic@j-arts.org