Sunday, March 5, 2023- 4pm
$15 youth, $20 Senior/Student, $25 general admission
Tickets available through Eventbrite
An evening of soul-wrenching ballads, high-energy wedding dances and village-style tunes from Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East.
The name of the ensemble (in Romanian) refers to the sweetness and the sorrow of life, and is at the same time a playful reference to the cimbalom, a distinctive Eastern European instrument and member of the family of the hammered dulcimers, which is prominently featured in this ensemble.
Featuring Balder ten Cate, cimbalom; Sergiu Popa, accordion; Noemy Braun, cello and Faisal Zedan, percussion.
Your safe enjoyment of this wonderful music is our first priority! All artists, guests, and staff must be fully vaccinated and boosted for Covid 19 in order to attend. We will ask for proof of vaccination at the door. At this time, we are also requiring an N95, KN95, or double mask be worn, properly covering nose and mouth, throughout the performance.
Join us in person OR by live-stream!
WE GUARANTEE ALL OF OUR PERFORMERS A MINIMUM FAIR WAGE - thanks to people like you.
Artist Profiles:
Born into a musical family, Balder ten Cate grew up in the Netherlands but was steeped in eastern European music from a young age. He studied Romanian music with cimbalom master Giani Lincan, as well as, after moving to California in 2008, music from the Balkans with Rumen Sali Shopov. Currently, Balder splits his time between Amsterdam and the San Francisco bay area.
Sergiu Popa (accordion) was born in Moldova. From a young age, he studied traditional folk and Roma (Gypsy) styles with his father, Ion Popa, himself a well-recognized Gypsy accordionist in Moldova. Over many years of playing alongside his father at weddings, he also became familiar with Jewish, Turkish, Russian, Serbian and Bulgarian styles. After studying at the Conservatory of Moldova and moving to Montreal in 2002, Sergiu immersed himself into Middle Eastern, North-African, Jazz, Latin traditions, blending these styles together seamlessly. He has performed with many of the great names in Eastern European and Balkan music, such as Dan Armeanca, Carmen Piculeata, Fanfara Ciocarlia, Vadim Kolpakov, and Petar Ralchev.
Born in 1989 in St-Imier, Switzerland, Noémy Braun began to learn cello at the age of five. She first developed a background in chamber music, but later diversified her playing by incorporating Balkan and Slavic traditions. Noémy currently lives in Montreal, where she collaborates on multiple projects in classical, contemporary, jazz and music from different regions of the world. A great improviser, she is active on the musical scenes of Canada and Europe.
Faisal Zedan was born in Lebanon and raised in Syria. He teaches and performs Arabic, Middle Eastern and North African styles of percussion with emphasis on Arabic classical percussion. He has been involved in teaching Arabic music both locally and internationally. The drums he plays include Derbakki, Riqq and frame drums. He's a member of different music groups in the San Francisco bay area, ranging from Arabic, Turkish, Greek, Armenian, Balkan, North African and Central Asian styles.
