"East of the River" is a musical project of Nina Stern and Daphna Mor. Internationally renowned recorder soloists Mor and Stern have appeared playing as a duo with groups as varied as The New York Philharmonic and world music group Pharaoh's Daughter. Their latest performances together have included appearances as soloists in Carnegie Hall and with St Luke's Orchestra at the Mostly Mozart Festival. In this band they collaborate with leading Classical and World musicians including Yo Yo Ma's "Sillk Road Ensemble" percussionist Shane Shanahan, virtuoso kanun player Tamer Pinarbasi and Balkan violin sensation Jesse Kotansky. their new CD- Levantera includes traditional music from the Balkans, Armenia, the Middle east and and Medieval Western Europe, arranged and interpreted by the musicians. The members of the ensemble have separately recorded and performed with artists as Yo Yo Ma, Philip Glass, Jordi Savall, Sting, Natalie Merchant, Aerosmith, Simon Shaheen, Glen Velez and many others. The combination of these foremost musicians from classical, jazz and world music backgrounds, creates the unique blend that is "East of the River". Testimonial from live performances: East of the River offers an incredible range and depth in their music. From lyrically haunting melodies to frenzied dances and everything in between, their performance captivated our audience and left them wanting more. Their virtuosity and creativity created an experience that was eclectic, emotional, educational, exquisite, and most importantly, enjoyable! Gary Viebranz, Penn State Erie's 'Logan Series' presenter East of the River’s performance at the Indianapolis Early Music Festival 2012 was an unqualified success. Each a stunning virtuoso in his or her own right, the members of the group played together in a spirited, expressive, and exhilarating fashion. The ensemble playing was superb and their sheer joy in performing together was infectious. The music, coming from many traditions and styles - all with ancient roots – told a cohesive story. From a haunting ancient Armenian lament, to a breathtakingly virtuosic Bulgarian dance - the performance was captivating and thrilling. I have rarely seen our audience so engaged and enthusiastic, giving the ensemble multiple standing ovations. East of the River was a marvelous and fresh addition to our concert season. Mark Cudek, Artistic Director, IEMEA "Levantera" Ghaetta is one of fifteen estampies from a manuscript in London’s British Library (MS Add. 29987) – an extraordinary collection of Italian virtuoso solo dances from the late 14th century. Originally written for one melody instrument, the version performed on “Leventera” debuts an original arrangement of the work for two recorders, kanun, jaw’s harp, and percussion. Kanun Taksim is an improvisation by the great kanun player, Tamer Pinarbasi. Lamma Bada is written in the Samai Thaqil rhythm (also called Samai for short). The song is a Muwashah - an Arabic poetic form, as well as a secular musical form originating in Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Frame Drum Solo is an improvisation by the amazing percussionist, Shane Shanahan. The two-part Petrone, also known as “Retrove”, originates from the Robertsbridge Codex, a mid-14th century English manuscript containing six anonymous instrumental pieces, believed to be the earliest surviving music written for keyboard – here performed on two recorders. It is one of the earliest examples of written counterpoint. Meh Khosk Unim Iltimazov is a hauntingly beautiful song written by the Armenian poet and asugh (troubadour) Sayat Nova. Born as Harutyun Sayatyan, he adopted the name Sayat Nova meaning "Master of Songs" in Persian. Sayat Nova was an itinerant musician who sang and played the kamancheh, a bowed stringed instrument used in the classical music of Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Sayat Nova is considered to be one of the most important poets of his time. His compositions became part of Armenian oral tradition and were sung throughout the centuries. Sammai Hijaz The Samai is a composed instrumental piece comprised of four sections (khana, pl. khanat), each followed by the refrain (taslim). The Sammai uses the 10/8 rhythmic mode (called samai thaqil) throughout the taslim and the first 3 khanat. The 4th khana, which precedes the last refrain, is typically composed in 3/4.This sammai was written in the Hijaz mode (maqam) by the Syrian oud virtuoso, Abdel Rahman Jabakji who died in 2003. Longa Nahawand The Longa is a lively instrumental piece of Turkish/Eastern European origin, usually in simple 2/4 meter. The form of the Longa is similar to the rondo, consisting of two to four couplets (khanat) with a recurring refrain (taslim). This Longa is written in the Nahawand mode (maqam). Kozarica kolo A Balkan circle dance in 2/4 time. Sirto Syrtos or sirtos is the name of a group of traditional Greek folk dances. Along with the Kalamatianos, they are the most popular dances throughout Greece. Both are line dances and use the same dance steps, but the Syrtos is in 2/4 or 4/4 meter whereas the Kalamatianos is in 7/8 time. Krivo Sadovsko Horo A distinctive feature of Balkan folk dance music is asymmetrical or compound meters with various combinations of “short” and 'long” beats. Krivo Sadovsko Horo (horo means dance) is in 13/8. Cveta moma ubava is a Lesnoto – a line dance, usually in 7/8 time, from Macedonia. This particular Lesnoto is often sung. The lyrics to the song are: “Cveta, the beautiful girl, sheds bitter tears, and asks herself, “Why, Dimcho, don’t you come to see me? Didn’t you tell me, Dimcho, that you would love me truly, only me? I’m sending you a gift, you madcap, come back to me! Pull your cap down over your eye, wink at me, raise your cap so I can see you. I’m burning up for you! I wait for you every day, to see you near me. I’ll go take another love if you don’t come! Come, Dimcho, come this evening, lordy, but I’m burning up for you!”