Nani Vazana

Nani Vazana breathes life into the endangered Ladino language, a heritage tongue spoken by Sephardic Jews after the Spanish expulsion of 1492. Originally built on a Castilian Spanish vocabulary, Ladino incorporates Hebrew and many other pan-Mediterranean influences of the Sephardic diaspora. Vazana first learned Ladino in secret from her Moroccan grandmother, as her father forbade the language at home. Her original songs fuse Sephardic fairy tales with contemporary storytelling, the sounds of the marketplace with Flamenco drama.​ Nani Vazana was the 2024 winner of Liet International, known as the "Eurovision of Minority Languages."

Vazana brings a voice with the power of a ship’s horn to a remarkable stage concert that will include — alongside her own ensemble — appearances by the Oregon State University Chamber Choir. After debuting at PRAx, the collaboration will tour to OSU-Cascades and to our sister venue, The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton