Esma Redzepova & Ansambl Teodosievski

Dance Party & Gala

Saturday, October 16
7:30 - 12:00 pm
Woman's Club of Chevy Chase
7931 Connecticut Ave, Chevy Chase, MD

$30 at the door (cash bar)
children under 16 free

Co-Sponsored by the Embassy of Macedonia

Esma Redzepova, acclaimed "Queen of Romani (Gypsy) Music and Song," and Ansambl Teodosievski from Skopje, Macedonia, present Romani and Macedonian music from the Balkans. Esma and Ansambl have played in over 30 countries, appeared on television, and produced over 30 albums; they won the 1st World Festival of Romani Music in India. Esma has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, most recently in 2002.

This will be a great evening, celebrating the absolute best of traditional Balkan and modern Romani music. In Esma's world, celebration means dance. Our special guest will be dance teacher Sani Rifati, leading dances that evening and teaching an afternoon workshop in the dances of his Roma Community.

Romani Dance Workshop
Sani Rifati & Ansambl Teodosievski
Saturday, October 16
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Woman's Club of Chevy Chase
7931 Connecticut Ave, Chevy Chase, MD
$20 at the door
children under 16 free

Esma is a giant of world music today. She is one of the greatest musical stars of the Balkan countries. Her improvisation skills have been compared to those of Ella Fitzgerald; her voice called "seamless." For forty-five years, she has been performing in the most important venues of the world. She has acted in several movies and is considered the greatest ambassador of the Macedonian Romani culture in the world. Her songs are the musical expression of her love of Macedonia and her Romani roots.

In addition to her stellar performances, Esma is a world-renowned humanitarian. Over the past thirty years, she and her late husband Stevo Teodosievski fostered forty-nine children, training them as musicians and educating them about Romani and Macedonian cultural traditions. Esma has performed more than 2,000 benefit concerts and has been an "Ambassador" of the Roma in all of Eastern Europe; she is also known for her humanitarian work with Romani Refugees from Kosovo.

Esma was named "Woman of the Year" in Macedonia for 2003 and two-time Nobel Peace Prize candidate, will begin the "Voice of Hope" US Tour in New York, in September 2004, with her 5-piece band (trumpet, clarinet, dumbek-drums, keyboard and accordion) the Ansambl Teodosievski. Four of these talented Romani musicians began to play as young children at the famous Teodosievski School of Music in Belgrade, and are now well known all over the world.

Interview with Sani Rifati & Esma Redzepova on NPR's "The World"

Listen to Esma & Ansembl Teodosievski

Proceeds from these events benefit Voice of Roma, a nonprofit organization dedicated to education about, and humanitarian relief of, Roma people in Kosovo and the Balkans.

Download a 8 1/2 x 11" poster for  Esma's Concert (Artwork by Meryl Thomas) Click Here

Download a 11 x 17" poster for  Esma's Concert (Artwork by Meryl Thomas) Click Here

For info on VOR and the "Voice of Hope" Tour, see http://voiceofroma.com/featured/esma_bio.shtml

For the latest on this and other DC events, see
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/weiner.larry/Esma_DC.htm

Last Updated:  Esma - Oct 11, 2004 - 10:45 pm