New exhibit featuring Balkan music coming to El Pueblo History Museum in June
Tamburitza music has been around for at least 700 years and also has a long history in Pueblo.
Croatian and Slovenian immigrants brought their musical traditions with them when they moved to Pueblo. The Tamburitzan tradition in the Steel City will be celebrated with a new exhibit at El Pueblo History Museum, History Colorado announced in a press release.
“Tamburitzans: On Tour is an incredible opportunity to celebrate both the rich cultural traditions of the Tamburitzans and the people behind it who have maintained this artform for generations in our community,” Dianne Archuleta, the director of the museum, said in a press release.
Tamburitza instruments, also known as tamburicas, are stringed instruments that come in multiple sizes, according to the Detroit Tamburitza Orchestra. They are lute-like instruments that are akin to Italian mandolins.
The exhibit will be opening on May 17. A local Tamburitzan group in Pueblo, the Okolitza Tamburitzans, will be performing at a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, that will be free and open to the public.
The local group’s junior organization will be performing and alumni are also invited to play a few songs together, according to a recent Facebook post from the organization.
The exhibit will feature oral histories, photos, multimedia elements and tamburitza instruments, as well as some of the traditional handmade costumes.
“Pueblo’s Tamburitzans are very meticulous about their costumes and each one is handmade with different materials and techniques depending on which region the performance originates from,” Archuleta said. “The variations in this attire can range from traditional embroidery designs, elaborate hand-sewn trims, or a number of decorative embellishments which all together help relay the story being told through the performances and authentically connecting them to their homelands in the Balkans.”
Anna Lynn Winfrey is a reporter at the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: What to know about the new Balkan music exhibit coming to Pueblo
