Bonita Nahoum Jaros

Mezzo-soprano vocalist and founder of "Los Tanyaderos Ensemble" has an extensive background in the areas of performance and Linguistics.

A romance linguist and folklorist, Bonita holds two master's degrees and is considered an expert in the language, folklore, and music of Sephardim. From her grandfather she learned the family's kantigas (songs) and romanzas (ballads) brought from Spain during the Jewish expulsion in 1492. From this expulsion to the Ottoman Empire, the language and culture of Spain was preserved, and Sephardim survived.

Her singing has depth and range, and she brings with it an interpretation of the stories of the Diaspora. She trained at the Juilliard School of Music, Cornell University, California State University, Fullerton and is currently working on her doctorate at Clarement Graduate University.

Educator

Professor at Santa Ana College, Bonita has many honors, including the Distinguished Faculty Award, the Professional Achievement Award, the Publications Award and the Curriculum and Instruction Award from Santa Ana College; The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce Teacher of the Year Award, NISOD Award, The Orange County Teacher of the Year Finalist Award, and The Community College League of California Vision Award.

Bonita teaches language and culture. She is also chair of the Curriculum and Instruction Council, the Secretary/Treasurer of the Academic Senate and the Co-Chair of the Accreditation Committee. She is well known at the college for singing concerts celebrating diverse themes as well as end-of-the-year celebrations.

Performer

Bonita has lectured and concertized throughout the United States and abroad. She has appeared on television and radio programs, has sung under the batons of George Cleve and Karel Husa, and has been a featured soloist with the Oratorio Society of New York, the Bronx Opera, The Long Beach Opera Guild, The Huntington Beach Library Concert Series,The Orange County Philharmonic Society, The Barclay Theater, UCLA, and Skirball Cultural Center.

Bonita has also appeared at many international arts organizations and academic associations such as the American Sephardi Federation and the American Association of Higher Education. Author and performance poet Lee Mallory says of one of Bonita's international concerts, "A renowned mezzo-soprano with great emotional impact and an authentic interpretation of a myriad of themes."