David’s Harp is a Philadelphia-based ensemble specializing in Jewish music from Turkey, Greece, and the Middle East. Led by Joseph Alpar, the group performs music of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish communities with a focus on revealing cultural and religious interactions between Jewish and non-Jewish worlds. With repertoire drawn from Ottoman court music, Sephardic pizmonim, Ladino folk songs, Turkish fasıl music, and Greek rebetiko, among other genres, David’s Harp reveals the fluidity and blending of diverse musical ideas.
In the spirit of peace and friendship, David’s Harp is dedicated to keeping this rich artistic heritage of musical exchange alive. Since its inception six years ago, David’s Harp has given standing room only concerts at the Center for Jewish History, Drexel University, Yale University, the Penn Museum, Swarthmore College, the CUNY Graduate Center, and other venues in New York, Philadelphia, and New England. The ensemble will record its first album this year.