Music of the Mountains: An Instrumental Ensemble from the Balkans to Northern Greece
Description
A musical tradition born in the mountains and forests, at celebrations and festivals from Serbia and Bulgaria to Thrace, Macedonia, and Epirus, is explored through the structure, rhythm, and improvisation that define it. At Musika Kazania, Fausto Sierakowski leads an ensemble dedicated to the Balkan and Northern Greek traditions.
The workshop is open to all instruments and is structured around two main themes. On the one hand, work on traditional songs and instrumental pieces: collaborative orchestration, finding the right tone for each melody, and building an ensemble where each instrument finds its place. On the other hand, delving into the style of each region—ornaments, variations, tunings—and improvising on this material, with respect for the language of each tradition, but also with the freedom to take it a step further.
This is not merely a repertoire class. It is a shared exploration of the language of a repertoire that lives on through oral transmission and ensemble playing—a space for experimentation and exchange centered on the sound and style of this tradition.
Fausto Sierakowski
Fausto Sierakowski was born in 1988 in Paris and grew up in Rome. In 2009, he earned a diploma in classical saxophone from the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia under the guidance of Alfredo Santoloci, and in 2012, he received a master’s degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory under the guidance of Anthony Coleman, Hankus Netsky, and Frank Carlberg. Alongside his academic studies, he explored the music of the Balkans and Eastern Europe, participating in music workshops led by Adam Stinga (Moldova), Peter Ralchev (Bulgaria), Frank London (USA), Manos Achalinotopoulos, and Socrates Sinopoulos (Greece), and has performed with Nizo and Sercuk Alimov (North Macedonia), Slavic Soul Party (USA), Matt Darriau Paradox Trio, and Errichetta Underground (Italy). In 2016, he moved to Greece to study classical Ottoman music and the oud with Evgenios Voulgaris. Since then, he has been a member of the musical ensembles led by Evgenios Voulgaris, Yannis Dionysiou, Thymios Atzakas, and James Wylie, as well as in several bands, such as: the Fausto Sierakowski Trio (with Panagiotis Kaitatzis and Stratis Skourkeas) and People of the Wind (James Wylie, Alexandros Rizopoulos).