Stellamara originated in 1994 creating evocative soundscapes that are now considered a new model in contemporary world music. At its core is vocalist/producer Sonja Drakulich and multi- instrumentalist Gari Hegedus. Their music incorporates medieval European, Persian, Arabic, Indian, Turkish and Balkan with subtle electronic textures. The result is a sublime new level of mystery, beauty and depth.
Sonja Drakulich was introduced to Eastern European singing as a teenager and began performing Balkan, Medieval Music and her own compositions at the age of 18. Being of Serbian and Hungarian decent, discovering the songs of Eastern Europe was for her a homecoming. Her continuous interest and study ranges from Medieval European and Persian voice to Turkish, Arabic and Greek and Balkan singing.
She has toured extensively with both Bulgarian and Turkish Ensembles and has produced and engineered several recordings. She is the producer of Stellamara and performs with the ensemble as the lead vocalist, percussionist and hammered dulcimer player. Sonja spends much of her time focusing on the devotional aspect of song and carries with her a passionate and rhythmic style graced with the delicate ornamentations of Eastern melody.
Gari Hegedus began devoting his life to music 25 years ago with the study of Early European, Celtic and Bretagne music. From there he was led east into the intense practice and performance of Turkish classical and Mevlevi ceremonial music.
Gari's repertoire and playing styles span outward from Turkey into Greece and the Arab lands as well as to Iran and India. His main instruments are the oud, violin and saz yet his talent is expressed on many other instruments including the mandocello, sarod and setar.
As a composer and musician, Gari utilizes the various Eastern modal systems called Maqam and has developed the art of improvisation (Taqsim) to a soulful level for which he has become highly recognized.
On stage and in the studio, Stellamara incorporates the talents of percussionists Tobias Roberson and Susu Pampanin, along with upright Bassist Miles Jay.
Their tapestry of sound is complemented with the custom sound design of Christofer K. Original, atmospheric sounds and sonic backdrops are created from mostly their own acoustic sources, such as the yayli tanbur, viola and wind instruments such as the Ney and Zurna. The result of this creation is a sublime new level of mystery, Beauty and depth.
