Music, dance, food, wine, spoken word performances, and craft shows with a view!
Poster photo by Mihaela Noroc ("The Atlas of Beauty")
If you’re in the nation’s capital on July 9-10, join us rain or shine for a boisterous, colorful, appetizing, super fun ROMANIAN WEEKEND AT THE WHARF, which celebrates the great Romanian-American friendship with a two-day extravaganza for all senses featuring live music, traditional dances, craft shows, exhibitions, and wine & food sampling.
Dedicated to the 25th anniversary since the launch of the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the United States of America, the Romanian Weekend is organized by the Embassy of Romania to the United States and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York together with the Maramureș County Council and The Wharf, with the generous support of Banca Transilvania / Transylvania Bank.
"The Embassy of Romania and New York’s Romanian Cultural Institute team up for a two-day celebration of Romanian arts, food and drink at The Wharf, with a particular focus on Maramures County, which borders Ukraine." - The Washington Post
"Travel no further than The Wharf this weekend to be transported to Romania. At Romanian Weekend at The Wharf, you’ll find craft exhibits, traditional music and dancing, food sampling, and wine from the southeastern European country." - DC-ist
"Get to know a new culture and enjoy a Romanian weekend! The Embassy of Romania, along with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and others are coming together to host this unique event on the District Pier." - WUSA9
PROGRAM - Free admission
All events are taking place on the District Pier of The Wharf (101 District Square SW, Washington, D.C. 20024)
ON STAGE:
Saturday, July 9, 12 PM – 9 PM
12 PM – Welcome to the Romanian Weekend at THE WHARF
12:15 PM – Folk music and dances from Maramureș County by “Transylvania” Ensemble
1:00 PM – Romanian traditional dances by Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble
1:45 PM – Folk music and dances from Maramureș County by “Transylvania” Ensemble
2:15 PM – Spoken word performances by Domnica Rădulescu and Adela Sinclair, presented by Bucharest Inside the Beltway
3:00 PM – Concert by Ana Everling Trio (Chicago-based Moldovan vocal musician Ana Everling, joined by Luiz Everling on percussion and Brazilian master Edinho Gerber on guitar)
3:45 PM – Folk music and dances from Maramureș County by “Transylvania” Ensemble
4:15 PM – Spoken word performances by Cristina A. Bejan and Elena Secotă, presented by Bucharest Inside the Beltway
4:30 PM – Romanian traditional dances by Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble
5:15 PM – Folk music and dances from Maramureș County by “Transylvania” Ensemble
6:00 PM – Concert by Ana Everling Trio (Chicago-based Moldovan vocal musician Ana Everling, joined by Luiz Everling on percussion and Brazilian master Edinho Gerber on guitar)
7:15 PM – Urban folklore concert by Corina Sîrghi & Taraful Jean Americanu (Shaun Williams aka Jean Americanu - accordion, Laurențiu Feraru - violin, Ciprian Răducanu - double bass), joined by special guest Nicolae Feraru, cimbalom virtuoso and NEA National Heritage Fellow
8:15 PM – Rap/trap concert by Tehno-Vrăjitoarele (Techno-Witches) Niko G. & Kali
Sunday, July 10, 2:00 PM – 8:30 PM
2:00 PM – Welcome to the Romanian Weekend at THE WHARF
2:15 PM – Folk music and dances from Maramureș County by “Transylvania” Ensemble
2:45 PM – Spoken word performances by Domnica Rădulescu and Adela Sinclair, presented by Bucharest Inside the Beltway
3:00 PM – Romanian traditional dances by Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble
3:45 PM – Folk music and dances from Maramureș County by “Transylvania” Ensemble
4:15 PM – Spoken word performances by Cristina A. Bejan and Elena Secotă, presented by Bucharest Inside the Beltway
5:00 PM – Romanian traditional dances by Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble
5:25 PM – Romanian community moment dedicated to the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse, organized by Romanians of DC
5:30 PM – Folk music and dances from Maramureș County by “Transylvania” Ensemble
6:15 PM – Urban folklore concert by Corina Sîrghi & Taraful Jean Americanu (Shaun Williams aka Jean Americanu - accordion, Laurențiu Feraru - violin, Ciprian Răducanu - double bass), joined by special guest Nicolae Feraru, cimbalom virtuoso and NEA National Heritage Fellow
7:30 PM – Rap/trap concert by Tehno-Vrăjitoarele (Techno-Witches) Niko G. & Kali
IN THE TENTS:
Saturday, July 9, 12 PM – 6 PM & Sunday, July 10, 2 PM – 6 PM
Dancing at the Barn. Join the round dance! – Dance workshops
The Potter's House. Spin the potter’s wheel! – Pottery demonstrations with Daniel Leș
Our Story Carved in Wood – Wood carving demonstrations with Petrică Codrea
Folk Costumes. Does tradition fit you? – Folk costumes exhibition
Maramureș Photo Booth. Let time freeze and say cheese! – Photo opportunity
Visit Maramureș, Gateway to Romanian traditions! – Learn more about Romania & plan a visit
The Taste of Romania. Europe’s map in one bite! – A selection of Romanian foods
The Joy of Romanian Wines. Drinkable happiness! – A selection of gorgeous wines to try and buy
Romanian Literature in America – A showcase of recent books by Romanian-American authors & spoken word performances curated and managed by Bucharest inside the Beltway (BiB)
The "Transylvania" National Folk Ensemble, based in Baia Mare, Maramureş County, was founded in 1959 in order to capitalize on the rich millennial folk traditions of the Romanian people, preserved from generation to generation in an unaltered form to the present day.
The ensemble fully fulfills its important mission through performances of high authenticity and spiritual value presented all over the world. Together with the traditional music and dances, the ensemble also brings on stage a true spectacle of costumes from Maramureş County and manually produced jewelry. The "Transylvania" National Folk Ensemble proudly represents Romania to international fairs and exhibitions bringing with them wherever they go the fascinating universe of the Romanian village and its manifold artistic expressions.
Founded in 2011, Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble is a D.C.-based multi-ethnic folk-dance group that has become well-known for its authentic performances of Romanian traditional dances. The all-volunteer group performs dances from all regions of Romania and includes both performers of Romanian origin and people who, without having Romanian roots, are nevertheless fascinated with Romanian culture and tradition. During our event, you can watch Carpathia perform a variety of Romanian dances such as Alunelu’, Rustem, Geamparale, and more.
Ana Everling is a Moldovan singer living and working in Chicago. She is known for her impressive vocal range, multilingual and stylistic versatility, and dramatic expression style. Ana will present a selection of music predominantly from Bessarabia, the Republic of Moldova (such as doinas and party music), but also Bossa Nova from the Romanian jazz scene of the 70’s. Ana will be joined by Brazilian master Edinho Gerber on guitar and Luiz Everling on percussion, who bring novelty and their unique brilliance to the Eastern European styles of music, by mixing it with their own, authentic Brazilian, African-influenced grooves.
Corina Sîrghi & Jean Americanu' Taraf
Corina Sîrghi, backed by the traditional all-acoustic taraf (ensemble) led by Shaun Williams aka Jean Americanu on accordion and featuring virtuoso lăutar (fiddler musician) Laurențiu Feraru, cimbalom virtuoso Nicolae Feraru and double bass player Ciprian Răducanu, summons the smoky parlors of 1930s Bucharest and the mahala (slum) block parties of the 1990s with a mix of passionate romances, sultry tangos, fiery lăutar dances, and raucous manele (urban folklore) classics in a concert that will tame even the most troubled of hearts.
Taraful Jean Americanu was founded by Ohio-born American ethnomusicologist Shaun Williams, who moved to Romania for his doctoral research in traditional Romanian music.
The rap/trap Tehno-Vrăjitoarele (Techno-Witches) project by Niko G. and Kali is a futuristic endeavor with a SF concept, which brings to the fore the vulnerabilities, emotions and life stories of some women who want, at the same time, to have fun on happy and liberating lyrics. Each piece has a story. The album talks about Roma cosmonauts in space and heralds a glorious era ruled by techno-witches: the Romacen, the era in which the Roma invent and control the technology of the future that they have turned into a craft. At the same time, it is a very personal album that talks about love, about the struggle of Roma women, about their passions, vices, and, of course, about enemies and allies.
PRESS:
PHOTO GALLERY:
Photo credit: Johnny Vacar
SHORT VIDEO:
REACTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE:
"Summer festivals are always so much fun!! In this Mini Vlog: Festival Edition we 'visited' Romania at the District Pier.
Sloane got to experience a culture new to her!! She saw woodworking and folk dancing, learned about traditional clothing in Romania, heard beautiful music, and tasted Romanian lollipops 🍭 and gingerbread cookies 🍪. We adults of course stopped by the wine tasting tent 🍷 (sooo going to order some of that). Sloane even got to make some pottery with an amazing potter. He spoke to her in Romanian which was exciting for Sloane since she is a polyglot. She understood that the beauty of art is that words aren’t needed. It was a phenomenal day!!!" (@growingupsloane on Instagram)
"Put on my Romanian blouse to enjoy the music and fun at the Romanian Weekend.
The wife and kids really enjoyed the Romanian folk dancing, Romanian traditional/urban folk band (including my friend Shaun Williams), and techno-rap by a Roma sister duo! 😀 Great to finally meet @LadyGodiva_ in person. Sadly we didn't get a photo together. Next time! 👍" (Dr. Grant T. Harward on Twitter)
"Was so happy to get to the Romanian Weekend Festival. It was just in front of my building. Washington was rainy almost the whole day, but it didn't ruin the experience. Nothing can ruin a cultural festival. I'm a big fan of them btw.
Romania is one of my favorite countries. I even once won a scholarship from its Ministry of Education to take summer language and culture courses at the University of Craiova. It was a great experience.
(...) Today I've got three books: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. All of them are signed by authors who were also present: Domnica Rădulescu's memoir of her immigration from at-the-time communist Romania to the US; Cristina Bejan's volume on the intellectual culture of interwar Romania; Ioana Ieronim's magic-realism-style poem that unfolds in the Southern Carpathians.
It was cool to see how women are well represented in contemporary Romanian literature - as authors and book characters." (@foodsolitude on Instagram)