SALSA BALCANICA

The idea of forming the band was born in 2014 in Croatia, and it took five years to come together in the current line-up. It comes as no surprise that the band plays its own music, given its unique trait of featuring no less than four authors. Darko Sedak-Benčić, who is the creative director of the band and a concertmaster of the Slovenian Radiotelevision  Big Band Orchestra, has a degree in composition and trumpet performance. Luka Žužić, who holds a degree in classical piano and jazz trombone performance, is an award-winning music composer and arranger, known for his creative style of writing. Another distinguished member of the band is Miron Hauser, the conductor of the Croatian Radiotelevision Jazz Orchestra, who holds a degree in trombone performance. Miron’s passion for Latin American music is reflected in his vast knowledge on the subject matter. 

And then there is Sofija Široka, the lead vocalist of the band, who holds a degree in Spanish and Hispanic literature, and is the author of the lyrics to all the songs.When these authors joined forces with some of the best salsa connoisseurs in the former Yugoslav region, the result was a unique international band. 

The extraordinary Lázaro Amed, originally from Cuba, is an astonishingly talented artist and a charismatic performer. Aleš Avbelj is a superb bass and double bass player from Slovenia, whose musicality is apparent not only when he plays his instruments, but is also reflected in his arrangements and compositions. Vid Ušeničnik, another Slovenian musician, who holds a degree in percussion performance, is one of the most sought after artists in the region. And finally, we have Vid Begić, who holds a degree in film directing, but is also an extremely versatile  performer, singer, and dancer.