VARDOS

Energetic, fun and always entertaining, Vardos generate tremendous enthusiasm wherever they play.

Vardos's second CD was launched at the Famous Spiegeltent at the Melbourne festival in 2002. Performances in Australia include the Four Winds festival in Bermagui, New South Wales, National, Port Fairy and Victor Harbour Folk Festivals, tours of regional Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Romanian Embassy in Canberra. Vardos appeared on Seachange (Series 3) on ABC television and on the Best of Seachange CD. They also feature, with Frances Evans on double bass, in Ruth Cullen's documentary on Vali Myers, Painted Lady, screened on SBS in 2003. In 2002 Vardos toured to Noumea and have just returned from successful shows at the Famous Spiegeltent in the Edinburgh Fringe and the Nokia /Orange Spiegeltent in the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2003. Vardos were nominated for the 2003 BBC Radio3 World Music Awards 2003 (Audience Award)

            Alana Hunt formed the band in 1993 in Perth, where Vardos worked professionally for five years, during which time Alana also made two trips to Hungary to study Hungarian folk music with Beata Salamon (Meta folk music band) and gypsy music with Miklos Konyv. Vardos appeared sucessfully in many festivals in Western Australia including the Fremantle Festival and the Festival of Perth.

            Sofia Chapman has performed with piano accordion since 1993 and has written and participated in many music theatre works including The Four Accordionists of the Apocalypse. She played  with Xenos Macedonian Gypsy Band for four years. Sofia and Alana have just returned from their third study trip together in Eastern Europe.

            Melinda McCarthy of Hungarian background, has acheived a reputation as a visual artist, painting, printmaking and film. She has studied many instruments and styles of music. She has also travelled in Hungary and recently joined Vardos, making her debut at the Illawarra Folk Festival in Jamberoo, NSW.

Vardos have just returned to Melbourne after their fifth study trip to Romania and Hungary. They have met and learned from gypsy musicians in the village of Mera, the town of Kolozsvar in Transylvania (Western Romania), lasi in Moldavia (far Eastern Romania), Hoteni in Maramures(near Ukrainian border), Banat (Western Romania) the village of Clejani (where they met renowned Taraf de Haidouks) and the capital Bucharest in Wallachia, Southern Romania. Vardos have also performed at festivals in Hungary. Take a look at some of the photographs below : -