2025 Lotus Blossoms lineup
Larry & Joe (3/10/25 – 3/11/25)
Larry & Joe were destined to make music together. Larry Bellorín, a legend of Llanera music, hails from Monagas, Venezuela. Joe Troop is a GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and Old-Time musician. Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. During the pandemic, when his acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, Joe shifted into action working with asylum seeking migrants. Then Larry met Joe. Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. As a duo, they perform a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass, and whatever else they decide to throw in the van.
Alash (3/24/25 – 3/26/25)
Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing, a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. As experts on traditional Tuvan instruments, Alash are deeply committed to traditional Tuvan music and culture, while also being fans of western music. Believing that traditional music must constantly evolve, the musicians subtly infuse their songs with western elements, creating their own unique style that is fresh and new, yet true to their Tuvan musical heritage.
Salaam (3/31/25 and 4/2/25)
Salaam plays an expansive mix of traditional and original Middle Eastern music. Exquisitely rendered melodies are woven with stories and musings, taking the listener on a musical journey. Their sound, while deeply rooted in maqam and entrancing Middle Eastern rhythms, is infused with the band’s fresh and authentic interpretations of Arabic, Turkish, and other regional music.
Saraswathi (4/7/25 and 4/8/2)
Saraswathi is a renowned musician who has performed and taught all around the world. Saraswathi plays the veena, an instrument similar to the lute. She learned how to play the veena from her mother and from her teacher in Bangalore, India. Saraswathi is the first Indian woman to ever win a Chicago Music Award and has performed in the orchestra for Disney’s Jungle Book, among many other performances.
Makobi (4/14/25 – 4/16/25)
Makobi, from Nairobi, Kenya, has been surrounded by music since he was born. Both his parents were choir directors, thus singing came to him naturally. His first professional performance was as a member and soloist with the Kenyan Boys Choir; he sang with them at President Barack Obama’s first inauguration. He later co-founded and directed Taifa Mziki (“Music Nation”), an all-male vocal ensemble whose repertoire includes arrangements of traditional Kenyan music.
