Composing for Fanfare Ciocărlia

Fanfare Ciocărlia is a twelve-piece Balkan brass band from the Roma village of Zece Prăjini in northeastern Romania. Fanfare Ciocărlia is regarded as Europe’s most successful Roma ensemble, with musical roots in the Romanian folk styles Sîrba and Hora, and all members of the band are Roma. Since launching their international career in 1997, Fanfare Ciocărlia have played more than 2,000 concerts in over 70 countries, celebrating their 20th anniversary with a world tour in 2016.

Their 2021 album It Wasn’t Hard To Love You is a musical ode to the band’s legions of fans, the latest chapter in the story of a big band from a small village that wants to put smiles on people’s faces and looks forward to many more nights of thrilling concerts. On It Wasn’t Hard To Love You, I composed and arranged the song “Bus Bus” together with my long-time friend and the band’s percussionist, Benedikt Stehle.