SaMa Duo are Sara Pajunen (violin/Hardanger D'amore) and Maja Radovanlija (classical guitar). They have been performing together for the past two years, developing a distinctive musical voice that blends Northern European folk traditions, Balkan music, and improvisation, all grounded in their years of Western classical training.
Maja Radovanlija was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). She studied classical guitar for almost 20 years in Serbia, Vienna and Bloomington, IN. Along the way, Maja collaborated with musicians in a variety of genres and became interested in improvised music through Balkan traditional music, jazz, intuitive free improv, and experimental music. Some of the projects and ensembles Maja works with on regular bases are Szilard Mezéi ensemble, Ensemble Studio6, MM Guitar duo, Balkan music trio with brothers Teofilović, and SaMa Duo (duo with violinist/hardingar d’amore musician/artist Sara Pajunen).
Sara Pajunen is an interdisciplinary artist specializing in music and the sonic arts. Born into the immigrant culture of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range, her work melds folk traditions, ecological listening, improvisation, visual media, and archival material to explore our evolving relationships with landscape, history, and culture. A violinist and hardanger d’amore player, Pajunen holds classical music degrees from the United States and Finland and a Master of Music in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory. She has released six albums and performed extensively throughout Europe and North America, currently splitting her time between Minnesota and Helsinki, Finland.
Other Country Ensemble (OCE) features veteran musicians from the Twin Cities, performing traditional music from the northern Mediterranean region ranging from Spanish Sephardic to Greek and Turkish music, and original compositions inspired by the regions. They weave tales of the history of the music from 711 A.D on and the fusion of sounds that spread through the Mediterranean, as well as the instruments they perform.
OCE is:
Steve Clarke - bass, alto and C flutes, and soprano sax
Laurie Knutson - bass and alto clarinet
Scott Nieman - oud, bouzouki, mandocello
Michael Ziegahn - flamenco guitar, cajon, voice
Mark Black - frame drums, darbuka, and various percussion
OCE on Facebook
Sara Pajunen Website
Maja Radovanlija Website
Interview with Sara
Tickets are $10 in Advance / $15 at the Door. Doors open at 7pm. Online ticket sales end at 5pm.
Our full restaurant and bar service is available in the theater! Order from your seat and enjoy the show, we'll take care of the rest.
We recommend arriving early to grab a drink and find your spot; please keep in mind that we stop seating 30 minutes after the show starts. We do not do refunds or exchanges.