Join Zoë Aqua, Dmitri Gaskin and Misha Khalikulov for an evening of traditional village music from three unique Eastern European Cultures: Transylvanian, Polish, and Ashkenazic Jewish. The three musicians, joining together in a supergroup, have devoted their careers to mastering the music of these cultures, far-off in both place and time. If there’s one thing consistent between these different cultural styles, it’s that each is hyper-regional. Through the concert, we will travel on a journey from village to village across the Carpathian Mountains, hearing the music each has to offer. The concert will also feature a number of the group’s original compositions in these styles.
Zoë Aqua (violin) recently completed a 2-year stint in Cluj, Romania on a Fulbright studying Transylvanian folk music. While there she recorded the album “In Vald Arayn”— new compositions inspired by traditional music, developed in collaboration with Romanian and Hungarian musicians.
Dmitri Gaskin (accordion) performs around the world with Yiddish singer Anthony Russell in the duo “Tsvey Brider,” most recently in a program of Black and Jewish music with the Louisville Orchestra. Tsvey Brider released their album Kosmopolitn in 2022.
Misha Khalikulov is a cellist and music educator from San Francisco. He received a degree in Cello Performance from UCLA. For the past 15 years, he has performed a wide variety of styles, recorded on over 40 albums with many diverse artists, and toured internationally with several groups in Europe, North America, and Asia.