The Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal at the Starry Plough presents

Balkan Ensemble Meraklii
Rumen Sali Shopov Birthday Celebration with Édessa, Ivan Velev, Hector Bezanis and more
Saturday, July 18

Doors open at 7 pm; Show starts at 8 pm
The Starry Plough Pub, 3101 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA
Tickets: $25 general/$20 students
All ages before 10 pm. 21+ after 10 pm. Food, beer and wine available from the bar until 10 pm.

Bay Area-based Balkan Ensemble Merkalii & Rumen Sali Shopov pick you up and spin you around with their energetic Balkan and Romani dance tunes.

Rumen “Sali” Shopov is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and director of Balkan Ensemble Merkalii. Raised in the vibrant Turkish/Muslim/Romani neighborhood of Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria, he was immersed in Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek, Turkish, Serbian, and Romani music, and also served as concertmaster of the Bulgarian folk ensemble Nevrokop. Since emigrating to the US in 2001, he has performed and taught in numerous Bay Area venues as well as international music camps and has received support from ACTA and the Berkeley Civic Arts Commission.

We will feature sequence of short sets dedicated to Rumen, including the following groups and performers:

Édessa is a Bay Area-based acoustic ensemble renowned for playing traditional and highly ornamented folk music from the Balkans and beyond. The band is famous for bringing the rich history of Balkan border music to life. Édessa explores a deep repertoire of border music—a fusion of styles born from intersecting cultures, shifting borders, and traveling musicians across Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia.

Ivan Velev plays tapan and kaval, like his spirit: joyous and playful. He’s also a charismatic Balkan folk dance leader. Originally from Bulgaria, he brings a deep love and connection to Eastern European music and dance traditions and always makes it FUN! He will perform an opening set, joined by Hector Bezanis on tbulgarian gaida