Chubritza International Folk Band (chubritza.com) from Arcata, CA plays a wide variety of Balkan and international music. The band has a longstanding passion for tamburitza music and music of the former Yugoslav republics. Chubritzans Rick Kruse (bass), Craig Kurumada (prim), Linnea Mandell (bugarija), Derek Shaw (brac) will be collaborating with John Morovich, Michele Simon, and Bill Cope to provide tamburitza/kolo music for the 2022 Kolo Festival. Chubritza plays frequently for a wide variety of dances, festivals, and cultural events including the Tamburitza Extravaganza and the San Francisco Tamburitza Festival. The band has also recorded 2 CDs, (Spice of Life and Opsa!). John Filcich, Kolo Festival founder, now lives near Arcata, and the Chubritza musicians are very appreciative of his ongoing mentorship.

Website/Social Media: Website, Facebook

Tips and Donations
Venmo to Linnea-Mandell

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! They've learned from some of the greats including Demiran Ćerimović, Džambo Aguševi Orkestar and Nizo Alimov (of Kočani Orkestar) and are bringing that inspiration to the streets of Oakland, San Francisco, and beyond!

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).

San Francisco Bay Area born and raised, Gregory Masaki Jenkins is a professional musician and educator who is known for his skill and passion for the music of the Balkans as a clarinetist, alto saxophonist, and vocalist. He was first exposed to this music through his parents, longtime Balkan Folk Dancers. At age 13, he attended his first workshop at the EEFC's Balkan Music & Dance Camp in Mendocino, discovering his passions for Greek music and Balkan Brass. He has since become an instructor there directing the Kids Band initially and teaching Greek Ensemble, Rebetika Ensemble, and Beginner Band in recent years. Other teaching experience includes Lark Camp (since 2015), Kolo Festival, Zambaleta and balkanalia!

Greg was a founding member of Brass Menazeri and can currently be seen with the Greek folk and laika band Helios, American/Latin/Balkan band Istanbul Connection, the Turkish pop band 4arti1, and directing the Balkan Brass Band Fanfare Zambaleta. He has been a featured performer with Stellamara, Inspector Gadje, Janam and past projects include Agapi Mou, MWE among many others. He has also been in demand at FDF, a yearly competition where he often plays Northern Greek/Macedonian Brass for local church dance groups.

His teachers/mentors include Michael Ginsburg and Christos Govetas, and has since studied with some of the great bandleaders of the Balkans including Ferus Mustafov and Džambo Agušev. Balkan Brass Ensemble is open to all instruments and sheet music will be provided.

Orkestar Unbound features multi-instrumentalist bandleader Bill Cope, Asaf Ophir on woodwinds, 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:
Venmo to @Cope-a-cabana

Sinovi Tamburitzanzs, 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.