Xenos
Program
The program will be announced during the performance.
About the artists
Xenos bring you the music of traditional celebrations in the Balkans: sounds of the gaida & tulum (bagpipes), zurna (double reed pipe) and davul (large drum), ancient instruments found in different forms around the globe. Anne and Rob Bester of Hobart have spent decades absorbing the music of Eastern Europe, bringing the ancient and the modern melodies and songs to the Western ear.
The members of Xenos are Anne (saxophone, vocals, bagpipes, zurna), Rob (percussion, bass), Sabine (trumpet, vocals), Alister (accordion, clarinet), and Dave (keyboards, trumpet).
Mother and daughter Anne and Sabine front the band with their distinctive blend of voices, singing songs of love and death in Roma (gypsy) language. Anne’s saxophone solos translate heart-wrenching stories of the Roma, unveiling another world, alongside the band’s rhythmic invitation for dancing.
Formed in 1989 and based in Zürich for six years, Xenos immersed themselves in the urban music of the Balkans, focusing on the enchanting wedding music of Macedonia and Bulgaria. They played over 400 concerts in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Greece and Romania, all the while mastering the genuine sounds of this region.
On their return to Australia, Xenos became a staple source for authentic dance music of the Balkans, and they were embraced by the Macedonians, Roma, Greeks, Turks, Kurds, and the wider Australian community.
Thirty-one years later, and they have toured to numerous parts of the world to take part in festivals, weddings, school shows, dances, and concerts. Some highlights have been Woodford Folk Festival (musical directors for the final “Fire Event” 2002/3), Womad Reading, Womadelaide, Festas Viva Loures, National Folk Festival, Glastonbury International Dance Festival, Findhorn International Dance Festival, and Musica Viva in Schools. They have produced six albums: My Mother Said (1993), New Moves (1997), Tutti Frutti (2001), Fire In The Feet (2001), Cirikli (2004), Florinalia (2008). Tutti Frutti was an ARIA awards finalist in 2001.
Xenos have recently run workshops and played for Tablelands Folk Festival Cairns, and Cygnet Folk Festival. They are currently based in Hobart, playing various events around Tasmania.