TRENDAFILKA

Biography

Trendafilka is a New Orleans–based vocal ensemble devoted to traditional and contemporary polyphonic folk music from Eastern Europe, particularly the Balkans, Baltics, Caucasus, and Eurasian Steppe.[1][2][3] Founded around 2016, the group grew out of a shared desire among local singers to explore communal singing traditions and ancient ritual repertoire in a modern context.[1][3][4] The ensemble takes its name from the Balkan wild rose, symbolizing both its regional focus and the delicate yet resilient character of its sound.[1][2] Originating in New Orleans—another culture rich in public ritual and seasonal celebration—Trendafilka quickly became a fixture in the city’s folk and world-music scene, performing at venues and festivals while building a dedicated audience for polyphonic vocal music.[2][5]

Comprising about eleven vocalists, Trendafilka performs songs from Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Serbia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Greece, and Georgia, typically arranged in three to five independent vocal lines that interweave consonance and dissonance.[1][2][3] Their repertoire includes springtime and harvest songs, work-party (sedyanka) songs, and winter ritual pieces, often presented as conceptually unified programs that trace the cycles of the year and human experience—grief, love, loss, humor, and magic.[1][2] The group sings exclusively in polyphony, emphasizing non‑hierarchical textures in which multiple melodic lines coexist on equal footing, inviting listeners to follow several melodies at once.[2] Under the artistic direction of founder Lou Carrig, who has conducted ethnographic research on Balkan song and polyphony, Trendafilka has released at least two studio albums, including Under, Over and For the Olives (2024), helping to bring European village and ritual singing traditions to new audiences in North America.[1][2][5]

As an ensemble, Trendafilka’s legacy lies in its role as a cultural bridge between Eastern European folk traditions and the vibrant musical life of New Orleans. Its members—such as Anais Adair, Renee Anderson, Lou Carrig, Ruby Corbyn‑Ross, Annalisa Kelly, Grace Kennedy, Maria Rowinska, Elisabeth Stancioff, Phoebe Vlassis, and Eleanor Warner—bring backgrounds in folk, choral, brass band, and experimental music, enriching the group’s sound and outreach.[1][2] By collaborating with local institutions, drawing on academic research, and maintaining close ties to diaspora and village traditions, Trendafilka contributes to the preservation, reinterpretation, and contemporary performance of polyphonic singing, ensuring that these historically communal practices continue to evolve in today’s global music landscape.[1][2][6]

Fun Facts

• The name "Trendafilka" comes from the Balkan wild rose, reflecting both the ensemble’s regional focus and its blend of delicacy and strength.[1][2]
• The group’s album For the Olives is designed as a calendar concept album, with twelve tracks each corresponding to a different month and tied to seasonal and ritual traditions across Eastern Europe.[2]
• Director and founder Lou Carrig spent a year on a Fulbright scholarship in Bulgaria studying ritual song in the traditional Slavic calendar, research that informed the detailed liner notes and repertoire choices for For the Olives.[2][1]
• Ensemble member Phoebe Vlassis drew on her childhood summers in Corfu, Greece, for the title track “Kaliora Na Houn I Elyes” (“Wishes to the Olives”), which connects the album’s seasonal theme to her own ancestral roots and to the Greek polyphonic group Pleiades.[2]

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Misha Kachkachishvili - Two-time Grammy-winning producer of Trendafilka’s album For the Olives (For the Olives (Trendafilka, 2024)) [Around 2024 album production[2]]
• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation - Institutional supporter helping fund production of For the Olives (Funding support for For the Olives) [Pre-release period leading up to November 22, 2024[2]]
• Threadhead Cultural Foundation - Funding partner contributing to the album’s realization (Support for For the Olives) [Pre-release period leading up to November 22, 2024[2]]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Ergen Deda (Under, Over)
2. Chichovite Konye (For the Olives)
3. Devoiko Mari Hubava (Under, Over)
4. Oi Na Ivana Na Kupala (For the Olives)
5. Zaspalo E Chelebiche (For the Olives)
6. Slanchitse Milo, Mamino (Under, Over)
7. Vdova (Under, Over)
8. Oi Mori Kavale (Under, Over)
9. Ederlezi (Under, Over)
10. Kaval Sviri (Under, Over)

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz