Ilana Eliya (born April 24, 1955 in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

) is an Israeli singer of Kurdish descent.

Biography

Ilana Eliya's family was originally from Iraqi Kurdistan and immigrated to Jerusalem shortly after the founding of Israel. In her childhood, she was heavily influenced by the musical and poetic career of her father. She heard

Kurdish music Kurdish music refers to music performed in the Kurdish languages and Zaza-Gorani languages. The earliest study of Kurdish music was initiated by the renowned Armenian priest and composer Komitas in 1903, when he published his work ''" Chansons ku ...

Early on and became interested in music. As a teenager, there was no opportunity for her to do a music education in East Jerusalem. Therefore, her parents sent her to the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

, where she sang

aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

s and studied scripture. She was focussing on Jewish religious music at that time. Soon after, she began her studies in ethnology and became increasingly interested in her Kurdish roots. At the latest after the death of her father in 1988, her interest in Kurdish music intensified, which is led her to begin her musical career at the age of 37.

Music style

Ilana Eliya's style is a mixture of ethnic music, Kurdish

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

and Israeli world music. She often sings

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

al Kurdish songs in a new way with some affect of Israeli music scene, and for this reason, her style has formed a special feature in Kurdish music. Because in the style of Eliya and her band,

orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the c ...

al and western styles flow into each other and Kurdish and Israeli musical influences can be recognized in her work. The latter is reminiscent of the old Jewish Ashkenazi community, which someday have been located around the mountain Ararat (today in the settlement area of the Kurds).

Musical creation

In 1992 Eliya released her first solo album called "Jabaliyo" (from the Kurdish-Arabic word Cebel, which means "son of the mountains"). The special feature of this album is that all songs were recorded accompanied by classical

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

s and not reworked. Many of her recited songs are rooted in Kurdish folk music and are interpreted with her new style. Eliya's songs include

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

messages such as freedom of Kurdistan and the emancipation of women, and still other songs are about love and joy of living, which are particularly evident through her voice and singing.

Albums

* 1992 - Jabaliyo * 1996 - Ilana Eliya

Performances

* Participation in several projects of Israeli filmmakers, u. A. by Mark Kopytman and Father General. * Concerts in the US and Europe ( Jewish Festival Krakow in 2010 and Brooklyn Academy of Music).

References

External links

Longing for Zion, dreaming of Kurdistan (Interview with Ilana Eliya).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eliya, Ilana 1955 births Living people Kurdish women singers 20th-century Israeli women singers 21st-century Israeli women singers Israeli folk singers Kurdish Jews Kurdish-language singers of Israel