Nava Tehila is a Jerusalem-based ensemble that plays original and traditional Jewish music that energizes and excites its audiences. The ensemble grew out of the shared experience of leading musical prayers in the Nava Tehila community in Jerusalem. Over the past several years we have performed in Israel and throughout the world, in concerts, festivals, conferences and private events.
We specialize in adapting our performance to you and your specific needs and interests. You may invite one of us or the whole ensemble as well as dding extra musicians with whom we collaborate: percussion, violin, flute, cello, ud and nai.
Daphna is a singer, guitarist and a main prayer leader at Nava Tehila. She composes new music to prayers and to poetry. Daphna specializes in musically leading life cycle ceremonies and is active in the area of spiritual care for the ill and dying and in creating heart-to-heart connections between people from different cultures and traditions. Daphna is now involved in leading and organizing Jewish meditation retreats with “Or Halev” in Israel.
Yoel Sykes – Vocals and Guitar
Yoel is a main prayer leader in Nava Tehila and has composed dozens of new melodies to prayers, influenced by a variety of musical cultures. Yoel is a master of improvisation and an extraordinary vocal soloist and guitar player. Yoel studied music at the Center for Eastern Music in Jerusalem and Flamenco guitar in the Fundacion de Christina Heeren school of Flamenco Arts in Seville, Spain. Yoel has just moved to Denver, Colorado to pursue rabbinical studies with ALEPH.
Ruth Gan Kagan – Vocals and Facilitation Ruth is a rabbi and a teacher of Chasidut and Kabbaala. She is the spiritual leader of Nava Tehila community and the creator of the musical-spiritual style that has become identified with the ensemble. In the context of the Ensemble Ruth facilitates the performances, Kabbalot Shabbat, and chant circles, in which she weaves magical journeys of meaning for the participants. At ceremonies and weddings the ensemble includes the musicians only and Ruth joins them only for events in which she lfacilitales the ceremony.
