Saturday 14 & 21 October
8pm – 11pm
Farouk’s Olive – 711 High St, Thornbury
$10 Full / $7 Conc
The little sibling of Opa! Bato, Opa! Seko has a familial repertoire of traditional Balkan and Gypsy tunes spanning musical riches across vast space and time. Comprising an irregular line up of unpredictable members you never know who you’ll get, but not what you’ll get, which is always great music! Opa! Bato is the only ‘Trubacki Orkestar’ (trumpet orchestra) in Australia. The band performs authentic contemporary Balkan brass music from the rich traditions of Serbia, Macedonia and beyond. Since the early 1800s, this music has accompanied major events in the life of these regions, with its energetic rhythms, soaring melodies and wild Turkish-influenced improvisations. Dushan Mitrovic, a composer and performer originally from Serbia/Czech Republic, formed Opa! Bato to showcase the unique fusion of European and Oriental influences in this music. This event will showcase the contemporary Balkan Brass music as heard at the biggest brass band music festival in the world, namely the Dragacevo Assembly in Guca, Serbia.