Herdeljezi Festival 2015

Voice of Roma presents

18th Annual California Herdeljezi Festival

featuring SAZET BAND
New York's high-octane Macedonian Romani band Saturday May 2, 2015 - Croatian Cultural Center
60 Onondaga Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94112
on Alemany Ave - three blocks from Balboa Park BART station

celebrate Romani (Gypsy) culture and learn about the struggle of Roma to combat discrimination

Schedule Bios and background Sponsors Map Press release

HERDELJEZI: the traditional Romani (Gypsy) spring holiday of renewal and fertility. The California Herdeljezi Festival draws attention to the ongoing struggles of Romani people around the world, strives to counter negative stereotypes, and supports efforts by Roma to rebuild and maintain their communities, improve their lives, and strengthen their international voice and visibility.

3:00-4:30 pm - Romani singing workshop with Ferdi Demir of Sazet Band

4:30-6:00 pm - Romani instrumental workshop with members of Sazet Band

6:15-7:15 pm - Panel discussion on Romani culture, music, history and human rights with Kosovo Romani activist and dance teacher Sani Rifati and Carol Silverman, Professor at the University of Oregon

7:30-8:30 pm - Romani dance workshop with Sani Rifati

8:30 pm - Dance party with live music by Sazet Band

Bulgarian/Balkan food by Hristo Kolev - available for purchase.

TICKETS:
Singing Workshop: $20
Instrumental Workshop: $20
Dance party with Sazet: $20 advance, $25 door (includes admission to the panel discussion at 6:15pm and the Dance Workshop at 7:30pm)
Festival Pass: $60 (includes admission to all three workshops, the panel discussion and the party)
or phone 1-800-838-3006

Sponsors

Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and the NYU Initiative for Romani Music:

Details and Background

SAZET BAND

Sazet band an eight-piece Romani band from New York City comprised of musicians from Macedonia, was formed in 2011 under the leadership of clarinetist Sal Mamudoski and saxophonist Romeo Kurtali. The band performs what it describes as a "New York City-style" of Romani music: traditional folk music from the Balkans mixed with influences from classical, jazz, funk, and fusion styles of Western music. Sazet Band performs frequently for weddings and other community celebrations, and has appeared as part of the annual New York Gypsy Festival and at Golden Festival, New York's largest Balkan music event.
The members of Sazet are Sal Mamudoski, clarinet; Romeo Kurtali, sax/clarinet; Remzi Demo, keyboard; Nenad Kamo, guitar; Kurte Kurtali, drums; Amdi Seyfedinov, dumbek/percussion; Ferdi Demir, vocals.
YouTube channel website

SANI RIFATI & CAROL SILVERMAN
Sani Rifati is a Rom from Kosovo who immigrated to the United States in 1993, co-founding Voice of Roma three years later. Rifati has taught at many international dance camps and festivals. Panelist and Voice of Roma Board Member Silverman is an activist and scholar of Romani music in Eastern Europe. Her book Romani Routes: Cultural Politics and Balkan Music in Diaspora (2012) won the book prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS PROJECT

This year�s Herdeljezi Festival is the sequel to a two-day conference at New York University, Beyond Gypsy Stereotypes: Voicing Romani Pluralities, April 24-25. Bringing together academics, activists and performers, day one of the conference will conclude with a dance party led by Sazet Band and dance workshops led by Rifati. The conference at NYU is organized by the Initiative for Romani Music in conjunction with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and Voice of Roma.

"Few Americans know that one million Roma reside in America today, that Roma are the largest minority in Europe today and that Roma have a rich and varied culture in spite of centuries of discrimination. Furthermore, festivals of �Gypsy Music� are often stereotypical fantasies geared toward exoticism. Voice of Roma�s Herdeljezi Festival, on the other hand, places the music in its cultural and historical context." (Carol Silverman)

VOICE OF ROMA

The mission of Voice of Roma is to promote and present the rich cultural heritage of Roma that dates back over a thousand years through festivals, workshops, performances and educational presentations. Voice of Roma also works to heighten awareness of human rights issues faced by Roma in today's world, and to support efforts by Roma to (re)build and maintain their communities, and to improve their lives.

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