Lyuti Chushki
Lyuti Chushki means “hot peppers” in Bulgarian and you can’t have a feast without them! The group has been playing for weddings, concerts, festivals, dance parties and feasts since 1997. Lyuti Chushki performs on traditional Bulgarian instruments in modes and rhythms of ancient origin with vocal stylings now world renowned. Learn more at: lyutichushki.com
Valeri Georgiev (Director, kaval)
Valeri Georgiev was born in the village of Nikopol in northern Bulgaria and has been playing kaval since his youth. After completing his studies in Kotel and the Academy of Music and Dance Arts in Plovdiv, Valeri organized and worked with Folk Theater Naiden Kirov and Orchestra Horo in Russe, North Bulgaria.
Tzvety Weiner (vocals)
Tzvety Weiner, from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, was raised in a family steeped in Bulgarian folk music, but she didn’t start singing this music until coming to the States in 1998. Tzvety’s parents are both well-known and highly respected musicians in Bulgaria, and since she began singing here with Lyuti Chushki, she has also collaborated with her parents on CD projects in Bulgaria. In addition, Tzvety sings with the traditional Macedonian band Luk Na Glavata, and with a local women’s group, Slaveya.
Varol Saatcioğlu (gaida)
Varol Saatcıoğlu was born in Edirne, Turkey. At the tender age of 5, Varol was accepted into the prestigious Municipal Conservatory of İstanbul, where he studied music theory and piano performance. After emigrating to the United States, he began studying the gaida (Bulgarian bagpipe) under the expert guidance of Georgi Doichev, former principal soloist with the Filip Kutev Bulgarian National Ensemble. Varol performs with a number of ensembles along the East Coast.
Len Newman (tambura)
Len Newman learned to love traditional music and dance in graduate school. He has traveled, played and danced with friends from Skopje to Telemark, from Crete to California, from Pittsburgh and Plovdiv and Paris to Broadway and points beyond. Len is proud also to perform with Luk Na Glavata, playing Macedonian tambura, and Karpouzi, playing Greek laouto.
Larry Weiner (tupan)
Larry Weiner has been involved with Balkan traditional music and dance since the early 1960s. Principally a dance researcher, he has made numerous trips to Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Hungary to study traditional dance in its native setting. Larry has taught Balkan dance workshops throughout North America and has directed various Balkan music and dance camps for over 40 years. He has played tupan for many years with different Balkan bands in the DC area, and is also an avid collector of music from the Balkans.
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