Martenitsa is back—and this year it’s going to be better than ever. It’s going to be epic!
We’re bringing together some of our favorite local musicians and singers from Orkestar Bez Ime, Mila Vocal Ensemble, Traki Folk Orchestra, and Makam Baklava—all on one stage! Join us for a massive Balkan Dance Party featuring music from Bulgaria, Macedonia, and the surrounding regions as we celebrate spring, Bulgarian-style.
Martenitsa is a musical celebration of the coming of spring and the holiday of Baba Marta (Baba meaning “grandma,” and Marta deriving from the word for “March”). In traditional folklore, Baba Marta is a temperamental old woman whose moods change as quickly as the March weather.
On March 1st, it is customary to exchange and wear martenitsi—red-and-white tokens symbolizing health, luck, and vitality. Wearing these threads is a wish for Baba Marta’s smile and the hope that she will bring an early spring. And as every Minnesotan knows, the end of winter can never come soon enough.
Feel free to join the spirit of the holiday by wearing red and white clothing—the traditional colors of the Martenitsa.
Online tickets will be available soon!
Full dining will be available via Uptown Lobby restaurant.
Parking is available across the street at Seven Points parking Ramp.
About the musicians:
OBI (Orkestar Bez Ime, meaning “orchestra without a name” in Bulgarian), was formed in 2002 to recreate the sounds of the village with a presentation as festive as the music itself. Focusing on Eastern Europe and music of the Rom (“Gypsy”) people, OBI’s repertoire reaches from Albania to Ukraine, with plenty of stops in between. Orkestar Bez Ime is a winner of the 2011-2012 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Performing Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music and a recipient of a 2012 Minnesota Emerging Composers Award from the American Composers Forum.
Twin Cities-based Mila Vocal Ensemble nourishes the human spirit with songs and stories of everyday life, collected from the folk traditions of Eastern Europe and Russia. With powerful voices, meticulous precision, and breathtaking harmonies, Mila evokes a primal response that is at once transporting and relevant.
Based in the Twin Cities, Traki features an outstanding lineup of musicians: Nikolai Georgiev (gadulka), Eric Ray (accordion), Nikola Nikolov (bagpipe), and Tim O'Keefe (drum). Led by Bulgarian native and master gadulka player Nikolay Gueorguiev, Traki honors the deep-rooted traditions of Bulgarian folk music while embracing its vibrant and evolving contemporary expressions.
Makam Baklava is a Minnesota-based Turkish and Balkan band, playing truly sweet songs -- like their namesake -- from that region. With a rotating cast of musicians (bass, cello, clarinet, guitar, oud, percussion, saz, violin, and vocals) Makam Baklava performs Azeri, Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Turkish folk and art songs.
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