THEATER ARTIST
LEAH SIRKIN
WRITER / Director / Performer
DIASPORA
Music Ensemble
Diaspora plays mostly Sefardic music, (music of the Jews of the Mediterranean) which has roots in the musical traditions of Medieval Spain. The soulful and lively songs are sung in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish). Diaspora also plays music from Greece, Turkey, the Balkans, and Afghanistan. Leah Sirkin (violin and vocals), Steve Brock (tabla and kanjira), and Tano Brock (clarinet, guitar, oud and vocals) are the core members of this family band from San Francisco and Inverness.
Diaspora has been performing at venues and events in the Bay Area and beyond since 2010.
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Leah was raised in a singing, music loving family and started playing violin at age 11. She became more passionate about playing music as an adult and owes her inspiration to music camps she has been attending since 2000, notably the Middle East & Balkan Camps in Mendocino. Leah has performed with the Aswat Arabic Ensemble at the ICCNC, Mills College, La Pena, and the De Young and Asian Art Museums. She also performs with the Silk Road Caravan at events such as the Dickens Fair and the Berkeley World Music Festival.
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Tano is a multi-instrumentalist, recording artist and producer. Born with a sixth sense for rhythm, he grew up attending music camps and began playing darbuka and piano at age seven. Tano's main instruments now are clarinet and sax and he leads the Sarma Brass Band in NYC and Boston. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and is based in LA, where he produces music for a wide range of artists. He performs regularly with La Doña and is on staff teaching the kids' band at the Mendocino Balkan Camp. tanobrock.com
Steve has been playing tabla for 30 years, studying with the master Swapan Chaudhury at the Ali Akbar College of Music. He has been playing and studying kanjira with two South Indian master musicians for the last decade. Steve is also a professional photographer and bookmaker. stevenbrock.com
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