Jack Straw KRAB Showcase @ 41st Annual Northwest Folklife Festival
www.nwfolklifefestival.org/schedule/
4:00-4:25PM Ruze Dalmatinke Music & Songs of Croatia
1996 Artist Support Program alum.
Ruže Dalmatinke, from Seattle, Washington. Deep passion and intense devotion to Croatian musical heritage have kept the group active since 1981, and have inspired the group’s lead vocalists, sisters Binki and Alma, since childhood. Binki Franulovic Spahi (lead voice) and Alma Franulovic Plancich (second voice) lead Ruze Dalmatinke in singing, and are responsible for the group’s adherence to traditional purity in their music. Born in the town of Vela Luka on the island of Korcula, Dalmatia, Croatia, they immigrated with their family to the United States after World War II. Having sung together since childhood, the sisters brought with them their lifestyle of singing, as well as an oral tradition generations old. Joining them is Alma’s daughter, Maria Plancich Kesovija, soprano, and artistic director of Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble. Their voices are accompanied by instrumentation, adding to the vocal harmonies. The band members, also vocalists, along with Binki, Alma and Maria, perform music from the many different regions of Croatia – from the tranquil Dalmatian ballads to the strident melodies of the interior.