Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal at the Starry Plough presents
Ionela Guzic with Orchestra Euphonos (10pm to midnight)
Taraf de Akácfa (8-10 pm)
Saturday, March 15
$20 general/$15 students. Show starts at 8 pm. Doors open at 7 pm. All ages before 10 pm. 21+ after 10 pm. Food, beer and wine available from the bar until 10 pm.
Ionela Guzic is a talented young singer and a rising star in the world of Romanian traditional music. She has performed with many iconic musicians from Romania and Moldova. Born in Targu Jiu, Romania has received numerous awards at national and international folk music competitions. Her albums and music videos have received with widespread acclaim, was featured on many radio and television stations in Romania, and helped launch Guzic’s international career, including tours in the United States.
Orchestra Euphonos is a Bay Area-based Eastern European folk and klezmer band, performing traditional music from Moldova and Romania. Their performances are joyous occasions filled with wild takes on old favorites, group improvisations, and more than a few opportunities to dance. Guzic first met with Orchestra Euphonos in early 2018 and will finally collaborate again after many years!
Ionela Guzic – voice, Peter Bonos – trumpet, Zina Pozen – accordion, Asaf Ophir – clarinet, Leo Peringer – bass, Ivan Velev – percussion & Marco Ghezzo – violin
Taraf de Akácfa (from Budapest, Hungary)
An evening of Romanian and Moldovan folk music performed by Lulu Starr on violin, Ion Curteanu on cimbalom, Dmitri Gaskin on accordion and Ari Munkres on double bass.
Taraf de Akácfa performes the rich repertoire of Romanian folk music with distinctive interpretations and dynamic arrangements. They focus on the complex, southern Romanian style, Lăutarească, and incorporate a variety of traditional music from Moldova, Transylvania and the Balkans.
Taraf de Akácfa was created in 2014 by traveling street musicians who met in Budapest, Hungary, in an international collective house on Akácfa street. The founding members of the group came from the United States, Sweden, Hungary and France, and eventually chose to stay in Budapest, where they experienced constant musical inspiration and could share their common passion for Eastern European and Balkan folk music. Their current musical repertoire is predominantly centered around Romanian lăutarească, Moldovan and Transylvanian folk music, and they also include a variety of folk music from the Balkans. While the formation of the band has changed and now the majority of the current members are native Hungarians, one thing has always remained; the shared curiosity and enthusiasm for this complex and dynamically rich traditional music. Taraf de Akácfa mixes the different musical and cultural backgrounds of its members, while tastefully blending different styles of folk music with innovative ideas and arrangements. They honor the sources and traditions which they draw upon, all while adding their own unique interpretation and style. Over the years, the members traveled throughout Romania, Moldova and Hungary, researching the origins of the songs which they play. They have had the opportunity to learn from the some of the greatest folk musicians, most notably those of Taraf de Haidouks as well as Marcel Râmba, who heavily influenced their current repertoire. In 2016 the band recorded their first self- titled album in Budapest. In 2018 their second full length album “Trei Focuri” was recorded at Pheonix Studio in Diósd, Hungary.
Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal 