Tinanai – Romanian Folklore
Tinanai is a celebratory interjection expressing joy and excitement. The band Tinanai brings together four musicians from Belgium, Israel, the US and Romania, united by their love for traditional Romanian and Roma music (Lăutărească). The group skillfully blends the authentic formula of a taraf with a fresh, modern approach to the Romanian and Roma repertoire. Focused on this rich musical heritage, Tinanai offers audiences an eclectic journey through the distinct sounds of this Eastern European region with their wide range of emotions, weaving regional musical idioms with contemporary twists.
Come and sing along with us—no prior knowledge of the lyrics is needed, just Tinanai!
Emanuela Mândrila (born in 1994) is Romanian, born in Humorului. Her lifelong passion for folklore has led her to explore extensively the music and culture of her homeland and neighboring countries. As a child, she won numerous awards, including the Trophy of The National Festival Vară, Vară, primăvară (Sibiu, Romania, 2012), the Trophy of The International Contest Muzica pentru toţi (“Music for Everybody” – Baia Mare, Romania, 2011), 1st Prize at The Festival Cânt şi joc pe Hârtibaci (Agnita, Romania, 2011), 2nd Prize and the Special Prize “Gruia Stroia” from Radio Romania at The National Music Festival Mamaia (Constanța, Romania, 2010), and 2nd Prize at The Traditional Music Festival Natalia Șerbănescu (Tulcea, Romania, 2011). She has worked with a variety of ensembles and orchestras, including En Chordais (Greece), Ajvar (Germany), as well as orchestras such as the Lăutarii Orchestra (Moldova), Transilvania Orchestra (Romania), Cindrelul – Junii Sibiului Orchestra (Romania), and the National Folklore Radio Orchestra (Romania). Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Byzantinistics at the University of Munich.
Ira Shiran (°1984) was born in Israel and has been living in Berlin for nearly ten years, where he works as a freelance musician. Shiran’s accordion playing focuses on Balkan music and the music of the Sinti and Roma. To master this demanding style, he traveled through the Balkan countries, attending lessons and workshops led by some of the best in the genre. In addition, he has performed both solo and as a member of orchestras with several Israeli symphony orchestras. He has also been active in theater, participating in productions at HaBima, the National Theatre of Israel, and Yiddishpiel, the Israeli National Yiddish Theatre. Shiran has composed pieces for accordion, songs, theater music, and has created orchestral arrangements.
Nicolaas Cottenie (°1983) is Belgian and lives in Leipzig. He initially studied Oriental languages and culture at the University of Ghent. This opened his eyes to the richness, but also the complexity, of intercultural communication, which today forms the focus of his work as a musician. After studying jazz violin at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, he focused on Eastern European musical styles such as klezmer, Romanian music, and Greek music. He is the artistic director and composer of the ensemble Halva and is active in various ensembles and projects. In the past, he was a researcher at the University of Leuven (Belgium) and an artistic researcher at the Antwerp Conservatory of Music. Over the years, he has won several awards, including at the Venice Film Festival, the Dutch Film Festival, the Bubbe Awards in São Paulo, and the Moshe Beregovski Awards.
Hans Bilger is a musician, sound engineer, and biologist from Brooklyn, New York. The eldest child of a classical singer and a science writer, he spent his childhood playing American folk and country gospel in a family band. In the summers, he went to jazz camp, collected insects, and dissected mice at his aunt’s cancer research lab. After completing his B.S. at Yale University in 2016, Bilger moved to Austin, Texas, where he became a sought-after sideman and session bassist. His debut solo album, Meridian, was released in 2019 by Good Child Music. Bilger has been composer-in-residence for Brooklyn-based dance company Cora Dance since 2017. In 2020, he moved to Berlin, where he continues to perform in the jazz, folk, experimental, and Middle Eastern music scenes.
