Rumelia Collective is a group of musicians who love playing the music of the Balkans and Mideast, as well as many other musical styles from around the world. The group weaves an intricate and mesmerizing blend of contemporary and traditional folk elements in their arrangements.

“Rumelia” comes from the word “Rumeli” meaning “Land of the Romans,” a Turkish word used to describe the Southern Balkan region. The music is unique to the western ear in that it uses odd time signatures (e.g. 5/8, 7/8, 9/8, 11/8), close harmonies, as well as eastern scales and tonalities. Rumelia Collective’s core repertoire is derived from traditional and popular tunes of Albania, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Bulgaria, to name a few.

Rumelia Collective is (from left to right) Alysha Shaw, Sitara Schauer, Nicolle Jensen, and Willa Roberts.