Fortuna creates a sound that feels less like a performance and more like an excavation of the soul. Her music is a rich tapestry of Sephardic Jewish tradition, woven with the threads of medieval Ladino, Hebrew, and Latin. It is deeply atmospheric, often utilizing the natural acoustics of sacred spaces to create a sense of timelessness and reverence. The presence of Benedictine monks or children's choirs adds a communal, almost ritualistic weight to her crystalline soprano.
What truly distinguishes her is the scholarly depth behind the artistry. She doesn't just sing old songs; she inhabits the history of the Mediterranean diaspora, blending Middle Eastern percussion with Western chamber arrangements. The result is a sonic bridge between 15th-century Spain and contemporary Brazil, marked by a delicate balance of sorrow for what was lost and joy for what has been preserved.
Start with 'Caelestia' to hear the breathtaking intersection of Jewish and Christian liturgical music. It is a masterclass in cross-cultural harmony that manages to be both intellectually stimulating and emotionally grounding. For a more traditional folk experience, 'Cantigas' offers a beautiful entry point into the specific melodic structures of the Sephardic world.
Fortunee Safdié Joyce (born c. 1958), known professionally as Fortuna, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter of Sephardic Jewish background, and a researcher of the Sephardic tradition since 1992. Fortuna was born in São Paulo, Brazil. She has been studying the Sephardic repertoire since 1992. Fortuna has recorded seven CDs and one DVD since then. She has worked on a number of occasions with the Choir of the Monastery of the Monks of St Benedict in São Paulo, and with the Guri Choir, composed of children and adolescents in the city. Fortuna sings mainly in Hebrew and Ladino, a language used by Sephardi Jews who inhabited the Iberian Peninsula until the fifteenth century, at which time they were expelled by the Catholic Monarchs and scattered through several countries of the Mediterranean basin.
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