Saturday, February 2, 2008

There will be a presentation about the History of Tamburitza music and its Romani (Gypsy) influences by Mark Forry at 4PM on Saturday , and a panel discussion with T-Troma at 1PM on Sunday.

A block of rooms at a special group rate has been allocated at Four Points by Sheraton, near SF airport for Friday, Feb 15th - Sunday, Feb 18th. Call 800-368-7764 for reservations

PERFORMERS:

St. Anthony's Tamburica Orchestra Croatia
St. Anthony's Tamburica Orchestra "Croatia" of Los Angeles was founded in 1960 by Josip Bachman, a master tamburas and director from Osijek. Since then, generations of musicians have addressed themselves to Mr. Bachman's challenging and exciting repertoire: excerpts from Croatian opera and classical music, excerpts from Croatian musical theater, compositions for tamburitza orchestra, and arrangements of Croatian folk songs and dances. Under the leadership of Thomas Yeseta, director since 1978, the orchestra also performs regularly for services at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, including Tom's own liturgical composition, Hrvatska pucka misa (Croatian Folk Mass).

Dalmacijo Singers
The Dalmacijo Singers, one of the groups existing under the umbrella of the Croatian American Cultural Center, have been delighting audiences since 1986. This choral ensemble has performed in various concerts, ethnic festivals, family gatherings, and Church of Nativity functions. With many of the member's family ties linking to the Dalmation Coast, their repertorie consists mostly of songs from different parts of Croatia. They fill out their repertoire with songs from Slovenia, Bosnia and other Balkan countries.

T-Rroma
T-Rroma is a band that formed out of the 2001 World Music Festival in Chicago. There were a few of us that wanted to perform some gypsy music, so we assembled some people that enjoyed playing that type of music. Our first appearance was at the Hot House, an international venue in Chicago. We enjoyed a nice reception from our audience and were asked to perform there again.

T-Rroma is made up of second and third generation Croatian-Americans who are helping to maintain the tamburitza tradition in this country.

Sidro
Sidro, formerly known as Blue Adriatic, is one of Northern California's favorite Croatian Tamburitza Orchestras. For over 20 years, Sidro has been performing throughout California, accompanied San Jose's Koraci Folklore dance group in Croatian Folklore Festivals throughout Canada, and fused Tamburitza music with rock'n'roll when recording on Nenad Bach's, "Thousand Years of Peace".

We specialize in Dalmatian songs, although we do have a versatile repertoire including songs from Bosnia and Hercegovina, Slavonija, and other regions of Croatia. We are firm believers that practically any song can sound good on the Tamburitza. So, we have been know to do versions of popular rock, pop, and even techno songs.

The Slavonian Traveling Band
The diverse sound and repertoire of The Slavonian Traveling Band crosses all boundaries and speaks for tolerance and hope. The popular eight member ensemble, The Slavonian Traveling Band, blends traditional Bosnian, Sephardic, Roma (Gypsy), Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian music with original songs in the American folk tradition. The acoustic ensemble sings haunting sevdalinkas (Bosnian for "blues"), ballads in traditional harmonies, and represents a newly emerging "California-sevdah" style of music. The band's program blends traditional music with original songs influenced by American spirituals, blues, and story telling traditions, and makes a real time moving connection to the diaspora and the culture of the Balkan peoples.

Founded in 1986, the Slavonian Traveling Band performs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as a tamburitza orchestra typical of the Balkan region. This type of band takes its name from a family of lute-like stringed instruments called tamburitzas which come in different sizes, shapes and numbers of strings. The Band also plays instruments found on the Dalmacian coast of Croatia, including the mandolin, mandola, and guitar. As the Band's repertoire features Macedonian and Romany (gypsy) music, they often include the sax, harmonica, and dumbek (drum).

The Slavonian Traveling Band has performed at the Copia Cultural Center in Napa, Seattle Folk Life Festival, Tamburitza Extravaganza in Reno, San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, Oakland's Festival of the Lake, La Pena, Mills College, Hertz Hall, Croatian American Cultural Center, and at many ethnic picnics and weddings.
Since the fall of 1993, the Slavonian Traveling Band has organized several multi-media performances under the title "Ivo's Diaspora Cabaret" as a direct response of the members and their followers to events happening in the Balkans. These venues continue today as a place for Bosnian refugees in the Bay Area to find renewal of their culture in their new American homeland.

Novi Stari Tamburasi
Novi Stari Tamburaši is composed of a group of friends who enjoy playing tambura music from Croatia, especially music from Slavonija. Several of the members have been playing the tambura for over 50 years, which provides a wealth of experience for the group to draw upon. The group meets regularly in Mountain View, CA to rehearse and to learn contemporary songs being currently composed in Croatia. Although the primary objective of Novi Stari Tamburaši is to play for their own enjoyment, the group does play occasionally for local Croatian affairs and private parties. Their motto is: Dok je pjesme, biće duša mlada!

Koraci Croatian Folk Ensemble
In the Croatian language, Koraci means steps, an allusion to both the steps one takes when dancing and the strides one has to make when climbing from one level to the next.

Our groups receive weekly instruction in dance and voice, part of a school-year-training season that prepares them for our annual performances.

Koraci is a non-profit organization, completely funded by donations and fundraising by the ensemble.

SCHEDULE:

Saturday 2/16

Main Hall & Bar
4PM Workshops by Mark Forry and T-roma TBD Videos TBA
7:30PM Tam Jam
8PM T-Rroma
9PM Koraci dancers
9:30PM T-Rroma

Sunday 2/17

Main Hall & Bar
1PM Tamburitza music panel T-Roma, Mark F.
2:30PM Novi Stari
3:00PM Dalmacijo
3:30PM T-Rroma
4:15PM Tommy Yeseta
5:00PM Slavonian Traveling Band & Novi Stari
5:45PM Sidro T-Rroma
6:30PM T-Rroma & Sidro
7PM Tommy Yeseta
7:30PM T-Rroma +all

ENJOY!