Fanfare Zambaleta (roughly meaning crazy street party with brass) is a ten piece Balkan Brass band specializing in spirited music of the Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek and especially the Romani people. Combining a love of the classic brass bands of the past with the modern sounds coming out of the Balkans, Fanfare Zambaleta brings an irresistible blend of old and new to get you dancing!

The band is directed by Gregory Masaki Jenkins (alto sax, clarinet) and features Joey Friedman (alto sax), Noah Levitt, Peter Bonos and Max Miller-Loran (trumpets), Rachel MacFarlane, Adam Waite, and Brendan Mauro (mid horns), Evan Stuart (sousaphone) and Ivan Velev (percussion, vocals).

Filip Filipov was born in Varna, Bulgaria and has been a musician since he was a child. At just 6, he was taken by his sister to the Children's Orchestra at the Macedonian House in Varna. There he began to quickly stand out as a tapan player competing with other yung musicians and performed in his first concert that same year.

At the age of 11 he was invited by Maria Staneva, choreographer of the Bulgarche Ensemble, to join his first international tour. He performed all across Western and Eastern Europe over the next several years. During his military service Filip played in the Army Ensemble in Sliven first as a tapan player and later as an accordionist. After his service Filip joined the Varna Ensemble and also performed in many other wedding orchestras including Aksakovska Group, Orchestra Kabile, Orchestra Panorama and many more, playing accordion and keyboard. He also formed his own wedding orchestra and performed throughout Bulgaria. Filip also performed with various bands in many restaurants and clubs while performing Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek music. He has a DC out of his work and often appears on television playing many of his compositions.

While living in Denmark, Filip found like- minded musicians and joined the Orpheus Balkan Ensemble while continuing to promote Balkan music. He also had the honor of playing with the virtuoso Nedyalko Nedyalkov and his trio. Filip's music workshops and performances have taken him to Germany , England, Scotland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic and Brazil. Last year he had the opportunity to perform across the US while accompanying Jaap Leegwater on his dance tour and this year he returns to the US again to teach, perform and play for various dance groups. Don't miss this talented superstar!

Orkestar Unbound features bandleader Will Cope, Anastasia Barkett on violin, Asaf Ophir on woodwinds, Yağmur Ali Çoskun on strings, vocalist Emily Saletan, Janie Cowan on bass, and Dan Auvil on drums. They will be playing music from the Balkans (and a bit beyond) from lyrical and gentle to rockin'!

Tips/Donations:
PayPal: ophir.asaf@gmail.com or PayPal.me/asafophir
Venmo: Asaf-Ophir
Zelle: 1harp1girl@gmail.com

Sinovi Tamburitzans, formed in the fall of 1980, perform traditional tamburitza music of Croatia and beyond. The group was born out of the Seattle Jr. Tamburitzans for which it served as the music combo for the dance section of SJT. The group consists of two brothers, Tom and George Jovanovich (Brac and Bugarija) and their sons, Nick (brac) and Jake (bass). Lead singer is John Morovich (brac and accordion). They are often joined by Tim Jovanovich on Cello and Steven Mataya on brac.

The group has performed extensively in the Pacific Northwest and California and nationally regularly participating in Tamburitza Extravaganzas since 1981.

Sinovi specializes in the becar style of tamburitza music popular in the turn of the century Croatian American immigrant communities. The group has a large reportoire of traditional Kolo dances and popular Croatian songs.

We are excited to welcome Bulgarian virtuosos Petar Usmifkata Aleksiev (gajda, from Chicago), Angel Dobrev (gudulka, also Chicago), Valeri Georgiev (kaval, from Washington DC), and Filip Filipov (accordion, from Bulgaria) to Balkanlia. They'll form a band from our friends in the Bay Area Dan Auvil and Will Cope.

Tip Jar:
PayPal
Venmo: cope-a-cabana
Zelle: usbankTheCopes.com