Group Information
Planina – Songs of Eastern Europe | Performing Group
Planina is a group of 10-18 singers from the Denver-Boulder area who sing music from Eastern Europe, including songs from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine, and Rom (Gypsy) traditions. Though mostly not of Eastern European heritage, we share a fascination with the varied musical styles and vocal techniques of these traditions. We sing many songs a cappella and also accompany ourselves on traditional instruments (balalaika, dumbek, hurdy-gurdy, riqq, tambura, tupan) as well as modern ones (accordion, mandolin, guitar).
Founded in 1988 as Planina Balkan Women’s Choir (“Planina” means “mountain” in the southern Slavic languages) and a mixed chorus since 1999, the group performs about 14 times per year — in concert, at festivals, at community centers, corporate and private parties, and more. The group has produced three CDs and a cookbook, and has taken three group trips to Bulgaria (1998 and 2005). Please visit our website, planina.org.
We are occasionally seeking new members; please contact us if you’d be interested in auditioning to sing with us.