37th Annual Berklee International Folk Festival
Berklee International Folk Festival
Image courtesy of the artists
Berklee’s 37th International Folk Festival, directed by Christiane Karam and Vessela Stoyanova, brings together the college’s diverse community for a performance featuring various traditional musical cultures from around the world, performed by Berklee students and special guests.
This year's featured musical traditions come from Portugal, India, China, Cuba, Turkey, Hungary, and Scandinavia, to name a few.
THE MUSIC OF THE BALKANS
Led by Maša and Jakob
Balkan medley:
Jutros mi je ruža procvjetala (Petar Tanasijević)
Zrejlo je žito (Traditional Folk, Prekmurje - Slovenia)
Performers:
Maša Vujadinović, Voice, Podgorica - Montenegro
Jakob Kobal, Accordion, Šentjošt nad Horjulom - Slovenia
THE MUSIC OF SCANDINAVIA
Led by Sammy Wetstein
Himlens Polska (Traditional Finnish)
Norsken (Pehr Abrahamsson Hult Alcén aka “Hultkläppen”)
Performers
Raphaella Hero, Fiddle, Berkeley California - United States
Clara Rose, Fiddle, Vancouver - Canada
Anika Thomas, Fiddle, Seattle Washington - United States
Sammy Wetstein, Cello, Simsbury Connecticut - United States
THE MUSIC OF CENTRAL INDIA
Led by Reeshabh Purohit
Vaatevar Kaate (Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande)
He Suranno (Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki)
Performers:
Reeshabh Purohit, Vocals – Pune, India
Rushabh Parasnis, Tabla – Satara, India
Akash Nandakumar, Manjira – St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Guest Artists:
Hirak Modi, Harmonium – Mumbai, India
THE MUSIC OF CHINA
Led by Mariya Pan
Driving The Donkey (Traditional Folk / Yuan Yang)
Performers:
Sarah Liu, Guzheng, GuangDong - China
Jane Wang, Dizi, HangZhou - China
Quan Bian, Drums/Percussion, YanCheng - China
Yuxin Wu, Gehu, Shanghai - China
Wuyi Zhang, Ruan,Hangzhou - China
Ziyi Gao, Pipa, Shanghai - China
Kaixin Hou, Drums/Percussion, Beijing - China
Guest Artists:
YaZhi Guo, Guanzi (From He Bei), Hong Kong
THE MUSIC OF JEWISH EASTERN EUROPE TRADITIONS
Part 1- Led by Chava Levi
Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen
Written and composed by Abraham Goldfaden
Performers
Chava Levi, Voice/ Michigan, United States
Akiva Jacobs, Bass/ Massachusetts, United States
Rebecca Mac, Violin/ Massachusetts, United States
Mattias Kaufmann, Accordion/ Massachusetts, United States
Part 2- Led by Romi Mor
Haben Yakir Li - lyrics from the Hebrew Bible; Jeremiah 31:19
Melody: Samuel Malavsky /(Arrangers Romi Mor and Lior Houminer)
Performers:
Romi Mor, Voice/ Tel Aviv, Israel
Nishant Shekar, Voice/ Mumbai, India
Rakel Saranga, Voice/ Istanbul, Turkey
Viktória Stachová, Voice/Slovakia
Lior Elad, Voice/ Tel Aviv, Israel
Shaked Levy, Voice/ Tel Aviv, Israel
Amir Halevi, Voice/ Ram-on, Israel
Michal Nissimoff, Voice/ Tel Aviv, Israel
Noa Evron, Voice/ Kiryat Ono, Israel
Ella Shalev, Voice/ Kfar Saba, Israel
Maayan Levavi, Voice/San Francisco, United States
Dor Kaminka, Voice/ Kfar Saba, Israel
Shira Bartov, Voice/ Zoran, Israel
Chava Levi, Voice/ Michigan, United States
Lior Houminer, Acoustic Guitar/ Ramat Gan, Israel
Guy Gottesfeld, AcousticGuitar/ Tel Aviv, Israel
Ori Menashe, Clarinet/ Ein Carmel, Israel
Isaiah Smith, Double Bass/ Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
Stefanos Athinaios, Percussion/Athens, Greece
THE MUSIC OF PORTUGAL
Led by Sofia Almeida
Estranha Forma de Vida (Fado Bailado) - Composed by Alfredo Marceneiro and poem by Amália Rodrigues
Lá vai Lisboa - Composed by Raúl Ferrão and poem by Norberto de Araújo
Performer:
Sofia Almeida, Voice - Madeira Island, Portugal
Guest Artists/ Performers:
Manuel Leite, Portuguese Guitar - São Miguel Island, Portugal
Viriato Ferreira, Classic Guitar - São Miguel Island, Portugal
THE MUSIC OF IRAN
Part 1: Music from the Kurdish Region- Led by Ali Arshi
Ghamgino Del Pashiwem (Aliasghar Kurdestani/Ali Arshi)
Performers:
Ali Arshi, Tar and Voice – Tehran, Iran
Niki Bakhtiyar, Qanun –Tehran, Iran
Taba Khademi Kalantari, Acoustic Guitar – Tehran, Iran
Mehrpouya Daneshvar, Clarinet – Zanjan, Iran
Mahshad Golzarian, Voice – Mashhad,Iran
Stefanos Athinaio, Percussion – Athens,Greece
Part 2: Music from the Southern Region- Led by Mahya Hamedi
Neymeh Khani (Sea shanty)
Performers:
Mahya Hamedi, Voice/Djembe, Tehran-Iran
Bahar Badieitabar, Oud, Tehran-Iran
Mehrpouya Daneshvar, Clarinet, Zanjan-Iran
Mahshad Golzarian, Voice, Mashhad-Iran
Niki Bakhtiyar, Qanun/voice, Tehran-Iran
Shabnam Nourishirazi, Voice, Tehran-Iran
Ourania Toli, Voice, Arta-Greece
Mirtini Oikonomou, Voice, Athens-Greece
Stefanos Athinaios, Percussion, Athens-Greece
THE MUSIC OF APPALACHIA
Led by Catfish in the Sky
Jerusalem Ridge (Bill Monroe/Kenny Baker)
Performers:
Sho Humphries, Ukulele/Austin, Texas
Owen Miller, Cajon/Hamilton, Massachusetts
Ruth Shumway, Fiddle/Charlotte, North Carolina
Sammy Wetstein, Cello/Simsbury, Connecticut
THE MUSIC OF TURKEY AND THE JEWISH SEPHARDIC TRADITION
Led by Rakel Saranga
Suzan Suzi- Turkish folk song from Diyarbakir region/Rakel Saranga
Durme Durme- Traditional ladino lullaby/ Rakel Saranga
Performers
Rakel Saranga,Voice/ Istanbul, Turkey
Fatih Acun, Bağlama/ Kayseri, Turkey
Samuel Sjostedt, Duduk/ Rutland Massachusetts, United States
Stefanos Athinaos, Percussion/ Athens, Greece
Romi Mor, Voice/ Tel-Aviv, Israel
Michal Nissimoff, Voice/ Tel-Aviv, Israel
Chava Levi, Voice/ Michigan, United States
Viktoria Stachova, Voice/ Slovakia
THE MUSIC OF NORTH AND SOUTH INDIA
Led by Nandini Samanta and Shivaraj Natraj
Shyama bina (shi-ama bi-na)- Raag Puriya Dhanashri- Anonymous
Vadera (pronounced Vaa-day-Rah)- Raag Panthuvarali-Swami Tyagaraja (Thyaa-ga-raa-jah)
Performers:
Nandini Samanta- Hindustani Classical Vocals, New Delhi, India
Shivaraj Natraj- carnatic Vocals, Bangalore, India
Rushabh Parasnis- Tabla, Satara, India
Guest Artists:
Subramanian Lakshminarasimhan, Mridangam, Chennai,India
Pranav Swaroop, Violin, Bangalore, India
THE MUSIC OF HUNGARY AND THE BALKAN ROMA TRADITION
Led by Anna Kornis
A Csitári Hegyek Alatt (Hungarian Folk Song)
Performers:
Anna Kornis, Voice/Budapest,Hungary
Edward Björkman, Guitar/Halmstad, Sweden
Spencer Bubula, Violin/Minneapolis, Minnesota
Marianna Matyja, Cello/Poznan, Poland
Ederlezi (Traditional Folk Song)
Arranged by Lucas Alvarado, Wayland, Massachusetts
Performers:
Anna Kornis, Voice/Budapest, Hungary
Edward Björkman, Guitar/Halmstad, Sweden
George Fulton, Clarinet/Seattle, Washington
Joey Du Bois, Trumpet/San Carlos, California
Stephen Guerra, Trombone/Staten Island, New York
CJ Vallone, Tenor Saxophone/Centerville, Ohio
Navid Alibabaie, Alto Saxophone/Alexandria, Virginia
Ben Romanow, Tuba/Boston, Massachusetts
Quincy Bunn, Cajon/San Diego, California
Cam Igo, Tupan/Boston,Massachusetts
MUSIC FROM THE AFRO-CUBAN TRADITION
Led by Aitana Poey
MEDLEY BATÁ:
Latopa a Eleggua (Traditional Folk)
Aggeré a Ochosi (Traditional Folk)
Chachalokafun a Oshun (Traditional Folk)
MEDLEY RUMBA:
La Última Rumba (Ignacio Piñeiro/ Carlos Embale)
Ponte pa’ lo Tuyo (Geovani del Pino)
Performers:
David Antonio Rosado Ortiz, Batá Iyá & Congas/ , Puerto Rico
Yandy García Palacio, Batá Itótele & Congas/ La Habana, Cuba
Mauro Tena, Batá Okónkolo & Congas/ La Habana, Cuba
Danny Castro, Percussion/ San Isidro, Costa Rica
Anna Álvarez, Voice/ La Habana, Cuba
Stephanie Acosta, Voice/ Bogotá, Colombia
María Victoria, Voice/ San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela
Oscar Rojas, Voice/ Monterrey, Mexico
Renato Siebert Cepeda, Voice/ Concepción, Chile
Christian Caballero, Voice/ Lima, Perú
Estefanía Núñez, Voice/ La Habana, Cuba
Aitana Poey, Voice/La Habana, Cuba