Nanilo sings rich vocal arrangements of Yiddish, Sephardic and Eastern European folk songs. Singing in the tradition of lineages of women’s group singing, the duo lifts up the complex harmonies of these musical traditions entwined in the simple joys of singing together. In performance, Nanilo offers translation and storytelling of all the songs they sing, illuminating the real life struggles and longing embedded in the lyrics of the songs. Journeying through Bosnian ballad songs, Yiddish lullabies, Hebrew devotional and festival tunes, and Ladino songs of longing and loss, the duo makes connections between their own journeys learning this music and the ways that music has traveled with communities of people across borders and time. Nanilo invites audiences to draw connections to their own families’ stories of immigration, heritage, and roots, and uses music as the key to unlock doors of understanding.
