Fiesta Hall will serve as the stage for Kol Sephardic Choir’s March 17 performance, which mixes traditional Sephardic music with Flamenco dance. (photo courtesy of Kol Sephardic Choir) (ROSE)

The Kol Sephardic Choir (ROSE) will be gracing the Fiesta Hall stage at West Hollywood’s Plummer Park for a special evening of music and Flamenco dances on March 17.

“Most of the time, when people think of Jewish culture, they think of bagels and cream cheese and lox and gefilte fish, that sort of thing. Those who actually do that are called Ashkenazi, and we’re Sephardic, which means that we have a whole different kind of culture,” choir president Maggie Kapoor said. “We have all the same traditions basically, but our culture is a little bit different because the Sephardic people are rooted in Spain. And they have been in Spain and probably North Africa since the time of the Romans.”

As such, the Sephardic culture and language is a mixture of Jewish, Hebrew and Spanish. The traditional language, Ladino, is at risk of extinction today.

Founded in 1992, Los Angeles’ Kol Sephardic Choir is the only local musical group dedicated to the tradition. The late founder Raphael Ortasse aimed to save the songs he remembered from his youth for future generations.

“He was born in the Sudan and eventually made his way to the U.S., but in his growing up, he always recalled his childhood culture,” Kapoor said. “And so, in 1992, he started up the choir, and he was the sole person funding the choir. It was all his personal money.”

Since Ortasse passed away, Kapoor has transformed the choir into a nonprofit organization.

“We’re trying to make it our goal to keep this Sephardic music alive,” she said. “[We want to] try to preserve this language and this culture. And even maybe revive it a little bit.”

Kapoor said that the Sephardic culture is wholly unique, and that it “wouldn’t be uncommon to find a lot of people interested in belly dancing” in Sephardic spaces.

“It’s very different than we what we usually picture,” she said.

At the concert, the choir will sing songs that Kapoor said have been around for 500 years, but with a modern twist. Much of the performance will be sung in Ladino and Hebrew.

“People will hear new music with a different sound to it,” Kapoor said.

Flamenco dancers from Studio K’Tan will provide added entertainment for the audience, as Flamenco dance directly connects to Sephardic culture’s Spanish roots. A new CD by the choir will be available, as well.

Information about Kol Sephardic Choir and its music can be found at kolsephadicchoir.com.

The event will begin at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. General admission is $25, $20 for children under 12 and seniors, and $15 for West Hollywood residents.

For information, visit kolsephardicchoir.com/shows. Fiesta Hall at Plummer Park is located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.