About Rumelia
Rumelia, photograph by Matthew Morrow
“Bringing you the exotic and delightful sounds of the Balkans.”—Founded in 2010, Rumelia (RumƐli’ə) is a group of women putting a new spin on music from eastern Europe, a region generally known as the Balkans. 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 (5/8, 7/8, 9/8, and 11/8) as well as eastern scales (maqamat) and tonalities. Rumelia’s repertoire is derived from traditional and popular tunes of Albania, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Bulgaria, to name a few.
Download a PDF of Rumelia′s Press Page (updated 2013-11-20).
Testimonals
“Mesmerizing traditional Balkan gypsy folk music with nimble contemporary elements. ‘Lost & Found’ is filled with twinkling solemnity carried throughout by the trio’s odd time signatures and sultry, slinky vocals, making its listener beg for a hookah, a strong Turkish coffee and an impromptu dance party.”
—Talia Kosh (For more information, visit http://www.santafe.com/article/best-santa-fe-albums-of-2013#sthash.LHOtCcQM.dpuf)
“I just listened to “Lost & Found”—This is an astoundingly good album and I’ll make sure it gets a bunch of spins.”
—Matthew Finch, musical director of KUNM, 89.9 FM, Albuquerque, NM
“Your CD sounds great, very precise, and full of Balkan energy, art, soul,
and emotions.”
—Raif Hyseni, Albanian accordionist, Caldwell, NJ
Venues
A sample of venues and events where Rumelia has performed are listed below.
- Abby Theater, Durango, CO
- Albuquerque Folk Festival, Albuquerque, NM
- Balkan Night Northwest, Seattle, WA
- Blue Monk Nightclub, Portland, OR
- BODY, Santa Fe, NM
- Center for Contemporary Arts, National Museum of Women in the Arts & Meow Wolf/Due Return, Santa Fe, NM
- East European Folklife Center, Rock Hill, NY
- International Folk Art Museum, Balkan Handsprings, Santa Fe, NM
- International Folk Art Market, Santa Fe
- Natural History Museum, The Tiger’s Wife book signing, Santa Fe, NM
- Odd Fellows Hall, Santa Fe International Folk Dancers, Santa Fe, NM
- Santa Fe University of Art and Design, Santa Fe, NM
- Santa Fe Reporter, AHA Emerging Arts Festival, Santa Fe, NM
- Santa Fe Railyard Performance Center, Santa Fe, NM
- School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, NM
- Scottish Rite Temple, Santa Fe, NM
- Renaissance Fair at Las Golondrinas, Santa Fe, NM
- Taos Plaza
- Tara Mandala, Pagosa Springs, CO
- World Music Festival, Marble Brewery, Albuquerque
Contact
Explore Rumelia’s website to hear audio samples, watch performance videos, read artist bios, see a listing of shows, and more.
www.rumeliamusic.com • rumelia.music@gmail.com • facebook.com/rumelia.music • (505) 795-9145