Into the Melting Pot

Music and storytelling inspired by the women of medieval Spain.

The Telling are five musicians and an actress who come together to highlight the rich cultural heritage of the Spanish peninsula. The performance is brought together by the author of ‘Beethoven’s Quartet Journey,’ Clare Norburn.

July 1492: the deadline for the expulsion of the Jews is days away. At twilight a Jewish woman lights the lamps and starts up her spinning wheel. It is her last night in Seville. She tunes into voices of a community of Jewish, Christian and Muslim women from across the Spanish peninsula.

Down the centuries, women’s stories of integration and of love, of history and its accompanying racial intolerance have been played out to a soundtrack of plaintive Sephardic songs and historical Cantigas and instrumentals. Into the Melting Pot recreates that poignant tradition.