Zlatna Mountain
Zlatna Mountain brings the vibrant sound of the Balkans to life with a dynamic 8-piece ensemble from Vancouver. Drawing on Macedonian and other Balkan village and city traditions, the band weaves distinctive Balkan and Ottoman-Turkic scales and rhythms into songs of heartbreak, desire, bustling city streets, countryside labour, war, and spirited nights in the tavern.
Expect an evening of music and storytelling, and don’t be surprised if you’re invited into a simple dance or two. The concert is played in two 40-minute sets with a short break in between.
The musicians
Kristina Zalite (tapan, vocals) drives the band with the thunder and snap of the Macedonian tapan, layering two-handed polyrhythms with additional vocals. She has studied in Macedonia with maestros Stefce Stojkovski, Bajsa Arifovska Dimistrova and Trajce Ristov, and trained locally with Brenna McKrimmon, Dragi Spasovski and Demiran Cerimovic. Kristina dances with the Gradina Serbian folklore dance group.
Greg Valou (guitar, tambura) is a Vancouver-based composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer whose work bridges progressive, heavy, experimental and global musical traditions. Best known as a founding member of the acclaimed New Age Doom, he brings his 12-string acoustic guitar and Macedonian tambura to Zlatna Mountain for rhythmic drive and harmonic texture, and the occasional unhinged solo.
Ingrid Valou (flute, vocals) adds texture and vibrancy to the band’s sound. Her voice, flute and bass flute have appeared on recordings spanning indie folk, progressive rock, world fusion and video game music. With roots in Hong Kong and Vancouver, Ingrid is also a metalsmith, writer, printmaker and cultural spaces advocate.
Kate Gerson (clarinet, gajda, kaval) has played Balkan music for over 30 years, studying at the annual Balkan Music and Dance Workshop in Mendocino, California, and with accomplished Greek musicians. When not practising architecture, she plays with Grupa Dunbarov, Musiki Parea and the Turkish Choir Ensemble Vancouver.
Sara Hajduk (vocals) is a soprano completing her final year of a Bachelor’s in Opera at UBC. Coming from a Serbian-Ruthenian background, she grew up surrounded by Balkan music and has performed at Greek Days and Serbian Days for a number of years.
Carmen Rosen (vocals) is a singer with a rich alto voice, active in Vancouver’s creative community for four decades. She has sung, recorded and toured with Elektra Choir and with Zeellia (Ukrainian Slavic soul music), and is an award-winning visual artist and the founder of Still Moon Arts Society.
Denis Franck (riq, daf, dumbek), originally from France, has played percussion and frame drums for thirty-five years, studying with masters Glen Velez, Ganesh Anandan, Carlo Rizzo and Ibrahim Jaber, and developing his own cross-cultural musical vocabulary.
Kyle Hagen (bass) is a bassist and educator based near Vancouver who has recorded and performed in North America and Europe, with the Lache Cercel Roma-Jazz Ensemble, the Roma music and dance ensemble Parno Drom, and many more.
More about the band: zlatnamountain.ca
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Zlatna Mountain brings the vibrant sound of the Balkans to life with a dynamic 8-piece ensemble from Vancouver. Drawing on Macedonian and other Balkan village and city traditions, the band weaves distinctive Balkan and Ottoman-Turkic scales and rhythms into songs of heartbreak, desire, bustling city streets, countryside labour, war, and spirited nights in the tavern.
Expect an evening of music and storytelling, and don’t be surprised if you’re invited into a simple dance or two. The concert is played in two 40-minute sets with a short break in between.
The musicians
Kristina Zalite (tapan, vocals) drives the band with the thunder and snap of the Macedonian tapan, layering two-handed polyrhythms with additional vocals. She has studied in Macedonia with maestros Stefce Stojkovski, Bajsa Arifovska Dimistrova and Trajce Ristov, and trained locally with Brenna McKrimmon, Dragi Spasovski and Demiran Cerimovic. Kristina dances with the Gradina Serbian folklore dance group.
Greg Valou (guitar, tambura) is a Vancouver-based composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer whose work bridges progressive, heavy, experimental and global musical traditions. Best known as a founding member of the acclaimed New Age Doom, he brings his 12-string acoustic guitar and Macedonian tambura to Zlatna Mountain for rhythmic drive and harmonic texture, and the occasional unhinged solo.
Ingrid Valou (flute, vocals) adds texture and vibrancy to the band’s sound. Her voice, flute and bass flute have appeared on recordings spanning indie folk, progressive rock, world fusion and video game music. With roots in Hong Kong and Vancouver, Ingrid is also a metalsmith, writer, printmaker and cultural spaces advocate.
Kate Gerson (clarinet, gajda, kaval) has played Balkan music for over 30 years, studying at the annual Balkan Music and Dance Workshop in Mendocino, California, and with accomplished Greek musicians. When not practising architecture, she plays with Grupa Dunbarov, Musiki Parea and the Turkish Choir Ensemble Vancouver.
Sara Hajduk (vocals) is a soprano completing her final year of a Bachelor’s in Opera at UBC. Coming from a Serbian-Ruthenian background, she grew up surrounded by Balkan music and has performed at Greek Days and Serbian Days for a number of years.
Carmen Rosen (vocals) is a singer with a rich alto voice, active in Vancouver’s creative community for four decades. She has sung, recorded and toured with Elektra Choir and with Zeellia (Ukrainian Slavic soul music), and is an award-winning visual artist and the founder of Still Moon Arts Society.
Denis Franck (riq, daf, dumbek), originally from France, has played percussion and frame drums for thirty-five years, studying with masters Glen Velez, Ganesh Anandan, Carlo Rizzo and Ibrahim Jaber, and developing his own cross-cultural musical vocabulary.
Kyle Hagen (bass) is a bassist and educator based near Vancouver who has recorded and performed in North America and Europe, with the Lache Cercel Roma-Jazz Ensemble, the Roma music and dance ensemble Parno Drom, and many more.
More about the band: zlatnamountain.ca