Aviva Chernick – La Serena – Album cover

"...a great antidote for the current state of the world."
— Midwest Record

Album art – Photo by Paul Wright, Design by CGM // Download Image

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"Chernick’s vocals are pure in expression and unencumbered…
A wonderful collection of meaningful tunes that will leave your heart longing for more. La Serena, the central piece on the album, is a stunning heartfelt tune that seduces with its pure vocal expression."
— Ivana Popova, Wholenote Magazine

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Nominated for the 2021
Canadian Folk Music Awards
(World Music Album of the Year)

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ABOUT AViva

Aviva Chernick and the Fab Colab ensemble, March 2022
Aviva Chernick and the Fab Colab ensemble // Photo by Cassandra Popescu // Download Photo

As an award-winning singer, and teacher of voice and meditation, Aviva Chernick brings movement, song, and story to each and every offering. Aviva sings in Hebrew, Ladino, and English, and her soulful, soaring vocal sound arises from a training and aesthetic that desires to be unencumbered by any particular style. She was the first Canadian to be awarded a Virginia Folk Life apprenticeship to continue study with ‘American National Treasure’ and Sephardic musician Flory Jagoda whose music she celebrates in La Serena. As a founding member and lead singer of the Canadian World Music group Jaffa Road, and while leading her own ensembles, Aviva has toured across Canada, the United States, Israel, Brazil, and most recently, as a guest of the Canadian Ambassador to the UAE at Expo in Dubai. Aviva is also trained in the Cantorial Arts and as a meditation teacher through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. She leads the meditation and singing community in Toronto called neySHEV.

Aviva’s solo and collaborative recordings have garnered nominations and awards including Canadian Folk Music Award (CFMA) nominations for her albums La Serena (2020) and When I Arrived You Were Already There (2012), JUNO nominations for both of Jaffa Road’s albums  Where The Light Gets In (2012) and Sun Place (2010), a CFMA Award for Where The Light Gets  In and a CFMA nomination for The Huppah Project’s Under the Canopy (2009).  Aviva and her co-writers from Jaffa Road won the John Lennon International Songwriting Contest Grand Prize for their rendition of “Lo Yisa Goy”, a prayer for peace. She was co-writer for “Ana El Na” which received an industry nod from OCFF (Ontario Council of Folk Festivals), winning the prestigious “Songs From the Heart” award.

Aviva Chernick
and the La Serena Quartet

La Serena is brought to life in concert by Aviva on vocals, accompanied by singing partner Maryem Tollar (vocals, riq), Demetri Petsalakis (oud, guitar, keys), Naghmeh Farahmand (daf and darbuka), and Waleed Abdulhamid (bass).

Aviva Chernick with La Serena Trio — Joel Schwartz, Justin Gray, Naghmeh Farahmand

This is Nona Flory.

Studying the Balkan Ladino tradition with Flory Jagoda was one of the major inspirations for this album. Flory passed away on January 29, 2021.

Read Aviva's tribute to her dear mentor:

Remembering Flory Jagoda
Flory Jagoda

THIS WEEK:
ALBUM RELEASE CONCERTS

Monday, September 16, 2019 — 7:30pm
Or Shalom Congregation — London, Ontario
Doors open at 7pm

Tickets

Thursday, September 19, 2019 — 8pm
918 Bathurst — Toronto, Ontario
Doors open at 7:30pm

Tickets

Join Aviva and her quartet: Justin Gray (bass and bass veena), Joel Schwartz (electric and resonator guitar), and Naghmeh Farahmand (Persian percussion), with guests Ernie Tollar (winds), Maryem Tollar (vocals).

Aviva Chernick — live in concert at 918 Bathurst

LIVE SHOWS

Aviva Chernick and La Serena Quartet

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 • 7:30PM • Wood Terrace
Wednesday, August 23, 2023 • 7:30PM • Atrium O'Brien

National Arts Centre
1 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Canada
Free Admission

Singer and bandleader Aviva Chernick brings movement, song, and story to every offering. Reimagining traditional Judeo-Spanish folk music with intimacy and emotional range, Aviva and her band bring this musical legacy into the present.

Aviva’s soaring vocals in Ladino, as well as Hebrew, Yiddish and English, combine with the musical talents and vocals of the accompanying band: the textural, reverberant guitar, oud and keys of Demetri Petselakis (Greece), the deep grooves of Waleed Abdulhamid (Sudan) on bass, the virtuosic Persian hand percussion of Naghmeh Farahmand (Iran) and the sublime vocal harmonies of Maryem Tollar (Egypt).

Limited seating available. Please bring a chair to enjoy an evening of music and entertainment.  

MORE INFO

"There is drama and mystery in the awakening and unwinding of each melody."
— Paul Corby, Roots Music Canada

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generously supported by:

Canada Council for the ArtsOntario Arts Council
WEBSITE BY CGM
Photo below by Paul Wright // Download Image
Justin Gray, Aviva Chernick, & Joel Schwartz playing music and feeling festive