Muzika Balcanica - Lelo Nika Septet

Lelo Nika Septet features original compositions from Thommy Andersson and Lelo Nika as well as music from great masters as N. Paganini, J.S. Bach and other major folklore composers from the Balkans.

The septet will take listeners on a journey of beautiful melodies, strong rhythms, illustrating the possibility to mix folklore music from the Balkans in a very elegant way and with the classical western sound.

Nowadays, audiences and musicians around the world are not familiar with the fact that originally bands from the Balkans consisted of three to eight musicians. Its simplest basis was the string ensemble with two violins and bass, its highest form was the string quintet or sextet, extended by a cimbalom (dulcimer).

For the last 10 years the Lelo Nika Septet has performed as guest soloists with their own music meeting chamber ensembles, orchestras and full symphony orchestras around the world. In fact, Lelo Nika Septet is the only ensemble on absolute highest level which has the lineup with Lelo Nika - the leading accordion player in the world -, the Artos String Quartet from Aarhus, Denmark, a mezzosoprano, cimbalom and bass. Grammy Award Nominee conductor Saul Zaks leads the ensemble.

Lelo Nika, accordion
Thommy Andersson, bass
George Mihalache, cimbalom
Natalia Vartanian, mezzosoprano
Artos String Quartet
Saul Zaks, conductor