ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question: From what sources did Ayelet Rose Gottlieb draw the inspiration for her latest work Shiv’a?

Ayelet Rose Gottlieb is a composer and musician who was born in Jerusalem. She is one of the four members of the singing group Mycale, which was commissioned by composer John Zorn to arrange, perform and record selections from his “Book of Angels: Masada Book II”.

As a composer, she is an explorer of sound and seeker of musical adventures. She draws on jazz, Middle-Eastern and Jewish music for inspiration, and her innovative approach to composition and improvisation has led her to collaborate with some of the leading musicians of our time, including Zorn, Bobby McFerrin, the ETHEL string quartet, Anat Fort and Joe Lovano. She has performed at numerous venues and festivals internationally.

In her latest project, Shiv’a, Ayelet takes another leap as a composer, as she presents a set of music created for an instrumental ensemble. In this recording, released on vinyl, Ayelet is accompanied by the ETHEL string quartet and percussionist Satoshi Takeishi .She joins as a vocalist only to perform the final movement, “Epilogue: Mahsan Yashan (An Old Shed)”

Ayelet currently lives in Vancouver, Canada, with her husband and three children. She spoke with us about her life, music and this latest project.