ABOUT THE BAND

Şerefe (pronounced “Sheriff A”) is a group of musicians based in Boulder, CO, who play music from the Balkans and the Middle East. An ensemble varying in size from a trio to a small orchestra, they have been performing at concerts and dance parties in the western US since 1996. Şerefe (named after a Turkish drinking toast “to your honor”) dearly loves this music and devotes significant time and energy to it. The repertoire consists of large numbers of Greek, Turkish and Arabic songs, as well as smaller numbers of Bulgarian, Macedonian, Bosnian, Rom, Albanian, Hebrew, Persian and Armenian pieces. Şerefe plays mixed repertoire shows, but also frequently plays entire evenings of songs from just one of the cultures mentioned for weddings, festivals, etc. Core members include Jesse Manno on Bouzouki, Baglama, Ud, Flutes, Vocals and percussion, James Hoskins on Cello, Gadulka, Zurna and vocals, and Zahara on Percussion. They are most often joined by Beth Quist on vocals/Santoor, Julie Lancaster on vocals/accordion and Paul Brown on Bass.  Members of Şerefe often perform with touring artists from these musical cultures, such as Latif Bolat, Zevk Ensemble, and Rachid Halihal. To receive better notice of upcoming Şerefe activities please join our Google group.