Orkestina

A cosmopolitan group of musicians. The four players who make up the core of Orkestina come from Bulgaria, Ireland, England, and Spain, and their approach to Balkan music reflects this multi-cultural make-up. Fiddler Colum Pettit from Cork could fool anyone into believing he grew up in the Balkans with his wild Gypsy flair. Londoner Jon Davison's accordion playing has the pulsating swirl of a blender set on puree. Bulgarian Ivan Dimitrov easily handles the gadulka, a 13-stringed fiddle that was originally used to accompany dancing bears.