Širom

Three musicians, over twenty instruments and boundless imagination.

The Slovenian band Ŝirom turns the stage into an open laboratory during their performance. Surrounded by their vast and highly diverse set of instruments the three musicians seem to select their instruments spontaneously.

Will it be the balafon or the banjo or the one-string bass? Watching is already exciting, and hearing the music makes for a still greater experience. The three Slovenians are gifted with a seemingly boundless imagination that enables complete musical changes within seconds. A quiet melody may turn into a cacophony, as if a punk band has entered the rehearsal room of a chamber music ensemble. You may even feel you are suddenly in the Far East, only to sense you journeying through the Deep South of the United States the next moment.

While the music takes you everywhere and changes continuously, the musicians are intensely concentrated. The music of Ŝirom combines attention, great listening and imagination. Rather than following a printed map, the musicians find unexpected directions that make for an experience never heard before.

Formation

Iztok Koren – banjo, three-string banjo, percussion, balafon, glockenspiel, bass drum, miscellaneous objects
Ana Kravanja – violin, viola, ribab, cümbüş, balafon, ngoma drum, zurna, various objects, vocals
Samo Kutin – lyra, balafon, one-string bass, frame drum, brač, gongoma, zurna, miscellaneous objects, vocals