When I went to the Israel Jazz and World Music Showcase last November, I was lucky enough to hear a set by Victoria Hanna at the Yellow Submarine in Jerusalem. Her brand of vocal performance art was striking—she builds song structures out of ancient Hebrew letters, lavishing attention on each component of sound whether she is rapping in Aramaic or spinning in her fearless soprano. The audience was charmed by her stories of growing up in an Orthodox household imbued with a love and respect for old texts and the power, even magic, they contain.

—Laura Evans, Director of Music Programs, Engagement, and Education