About
Saray Iluminado explore poetics of ruptured heritage through their interpretations of traditional Sevdah from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sephardic Jewish music and Nela Trifkovic’s original compositions.
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​​Saray Iluminado is known for its distinctive performance style that blends borders of music and story-telling rituals, intimately uniting the musicians and audiences in an act of creative participation and exchange. They draw on a number of existing traditional and modern references, mixing them with their own diasporic Australian creative voices.
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The group was originally formed late in 2013 by the Bosnian-Australian vocalist and composer Nela Trifkovic with multi-instrumentalists Ernie Gruner and Kelly Dowall. Irine Vela and Dan Witton joined the group in 2016, completing the line-up. ​
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Saray Iluminado has performed at various national venues and festivals, including regular shows at the Melbourne Recital Centre and fortyfivedownstairs theatre in Melbourne's Flinders Lane, shows at the MONA FOMA and a curated performances at the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Canberra and the Hobart Synagogue.
Projects
Saray Iluminado Femme
Saray Iluminado Femme is a trio derivative of the ensemble SARAY Iluminado. They explore contemporary, diasporic reimagining of Sephardic Jewish Romances and Sevdalinka songs. Read more
With Israel Aloni
Songs of Love & Exile is our collaborative debut work with movement artist Israel Aloni straddles borders of acoustic traditional music and movement performance. Read more
Sarajevo Haggadah
A live performance about the illuminated Jewish manuscript that now also stands as a symbol of hope, peace and reconciliation in the Balkans and throughout the world. Read more
Saray Femmes Trio
Saray Iluminado Femme is a trio derivative of the ensemble SARAY Iluminado. They explore contemporary, diasporic reimagining of Sephardic Jewish Romances and Sevdalinka songs. Similarly to the five-piece version of SARAY Iluminado, the Femme Trio creates a playful sound-field for the musical musings of its members, welcoming musicians who come together in love and respect of each other’s musical and cultural traditions.
The Femme Trio made their European debut at the Sicilian traditional music circuit in August 2019. SARAY Iluminado Femme currently are members of the Resonant Heart collective. Between memory and possibility, hope and history, between protest and reconciliation, the potential for our ascension is rooted deeply in the songs, stories, food and coffee rituals of our grandmothers, their grandmothers and the ones before them. The songs we (re)sing/(re)play and the stories we (re)tell are the replanted roots and reimagined dreams for an individually united sense of a better tomorrow.
Collaborations with Aloni
Songs of Love & Exile is our collaborative debut work with movement artist Israel Aloni. This work straddles borders of acoustic traditional music and movement performance, articulating a poetic, contemporary reimagining of complex diasporic ways of being in the world. View it here: Saray Iluminado feat. Israel Aloni
Israel Aloni is an independent choreographer, educator, performer, writer, provocateur and cultural entrepreneur. Their choreographic work has been presented around the world. They have been continuously developing a powerful artistic voice which transcend boarders and truly captivates the audience.
They commenced their collaboration with SARAY Iluminado early in 2020, attending a single band rehearsal in early March, before the first Melbourne lockdown. Over the course of 2020 the collaboration continued through virtual discussions and meetings.
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As a performer for nearly two decades, Aloni created and performed a vast repertoire of globally acclaimed choreographers such as Sasha Waltz, Mats Ek, Wim Vadekaybus and Club Guy And Roni to name a few. In 2018 Aloni initiated and directed Tr.IPP which was a unique pathway in Melbourne, Australia which mentored and fostered artists in the dawn of their career.
Currently, Aloni is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of ilDance, an independent contemporary dance organisation based in Gothenburg, Sweden; the architect and international project manager of International Contemporary Dance Collective (iCoDaCo) which is co-founded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
Sarajevo Haggadah
A live performance about the illuminated Jewish manuscript that now also stands as a symbol of hope, peace and reconciliation in the Balkans and throughout the world.
This collaboration between Dr Eli Tauber, the Director of the Haggadah Association and the Cultural Advisor of the Sarajevan Jewish Community, and Saray Iluminado sheds light on the (hi)story of the Haggadah from its birth in Barcelona through to its turbulent yet resilient re-settlement in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. A poetic work about reconciliation, humanity and hope, this event is for everyone from families to lovers of music, theatre, history, activism and live performance. ​
Workshops
SONGS FROM THE ROSE GARDEN
Introduction to Sevdah and Sephardic Jewish Romances
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Accompanied by her colleagues Irine Vela and Kelly Dowall, Nela Trifkovic leads dynamic vocal workshops introducing you to Sevdah, the traditional vocal form from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sephardic Jewish Romances (secular women’s songs).
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Nela offers a range of levels for her workshops, crafting sessions for open levels, beginners, advanced professional musicians or community enthusiasts.
Her workshops commence with introductory sound production drills and language coaching exercises , focusing on texts of the song lyrics. These are followed by the exploration of grooves and rhythms from the repertoire through interactive physical exercises and body percussion. Finally, we delve into the melodic and harmonic lines of the studied songs. For more information and to have a workshop crafted for your group, team, festival or occasion connect with Nela.