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Susana Weich-Shahak
Born in Argentina on June 5, 1938, and a resident of Israel since 1958, Susana Weich-Shahak has built a distinguished career as a scholar, researcher, and educator in the fields of musicology and ethnomusicology. With a PhD in Musicology from Tel Aviv University (1986) and earlier degrees in Musicology and Piano from the Conservatorio Nacional (Buenos Aires) and Tel Aviv University, her academic journey has been driven by a profound interest in preserving and understanding the musical traditions of diverse cultures.
Her groundbreaking PhD dissertation, The Music of Four Indian Tribes of the Peruvian Forest: Yagua, Campa, Mashco, and Orejon, was based on extensive fieldwork in Peru, funded by grants from Tel Aviv University. This early work set the stage for her lifelong passion for field research, a passion that would later be applied to the study of Sephardic musical traditions.
Since 1973, Susana has focused her research on the Sephardic musical heritage at the Jewish Music Research Centre of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her extensive fieldwork has taken her across the globe, including to Sephardic communities in Bulgaria, Belgium, France, Greece, Macedonia, Morocco, Peru, Spain, Turkey, and Israel. Her recordings and documentation of the Judeo-Spanish repertoire have been instrumental in preserving the musical and oral traditions of these communities. These invaluable recordings are meticulously catalogued at the National Sound Archives of the National and University Library, ensuring their accessibility for future generations.
In recognition of her work, Susana has received numerous prestigious grants, including Spanish Ministry of Culture research grants for a comparative study of Sephardic and Spanish Oral Traditions (1992-1997, 2004). Her research on Sephardic music has also led to interdisciplinary projects at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Madrid, further cementing her role as a leading figure in this field. She has worked on projects in Spain, including in regions like Castilla-Leon, Cantabria, Asturias, and Andalucía, as well as collaborating with the Seminario Menéndez Pidal on numerous occasions.
As an educator, Susana has held teaching positions at prominent institutions such as Tel Aviv University, the Music Teachers Seminar, the University of Alcala (Spanish Studies Department in Israel), and Bar Ilan University’s Salti Center for Ladino Studies. Since 2001, she has been a lecturer at Haifa University in the Department of Music. Additionally, Susana has taught and delivered lectures on Sephardic oral traditions at universities and summer courses across Spain, including at the Universidad de Cádiz, Universidad de Zaragoza, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, and in cities such as Jerez, Madrid, and Salamanca. Her recent work includes delivering the opening lecture at the Jornadas de Patrimonio Histórico-Musical in Córdoba, where she explored the Sephardic Romancero.
In recognition of her significant contributions to the field, Susana Weich-Shahak has been honored with a series of prestigious awards, including the Premio Samuel Toledano a la Trayectoria (Jerusalén, 2006), the Premio Europeo Agapito Marazuela de Estudios del Folklore (Segovia, 2013), the Medalla de Honor del Festival “Espiello” de Documentación Etnográfica de Sobrarbe (Huesca, 2014), and the Medalla de Honor del Rey de España, Felipe VI (2016).
With a career spanning over five decades, Susana’s dedication to the preservation, research, and dissemination of Sephardic music continues to shape the study of Jewish musical traditions and enrich the global understanding of Sephardic heritage. Her work not only preserves a musical legacy but also provides valuable insights into the cultural and historical experiences of Sephardic communities worldwide.
