Raya Brass Band at Opera House on Saturday

If you’re in the mood to dance, make your way to the Pocahontas Opera House on Saturday evening.

Raya Brass Band, hailing from New York City, will be traveling to the Opera House for a concert showcasing their high-energy Balkan music.

“We play an upbeat selection of music from Eastern Europe in a Balkan brass band tradition, but we’re also doing a lot of original music writing in the style so that sometimes we’re playing cover songs from Eastern Europe, other times we’re playing our own original takes on that style of music.”

“So the music is intended for dancing; it’s intended for listening; it’s intended for celebrations; it’s often played at weddings in Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Albania, Turkey, and we’re trying to capture that spirit of that kind of immediacy of the music that’s found at those celebrations.”

That’s Max Fass, who plays accordion in the band that also consists of saxophone, trumpet, tuba, and bass drum players.

The name for Raya Brass Band is significant to their music.

“In Eastern Europe in certain countries, Raya either means heaven or a group of friends, so we’re a very friendly bunch, we love to just get the crowd up and dancing and having a good time and we hope that happens on Saturday night, that we can all just get together and have a nice time together,” Fass said.

Prior to Playing at the Opera House on Saturday, they will be playing shows in Baltimore, Md., Pittsburgh, Pa. and then to Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the Opera House website, http://pocahontasoperahouse.org

Story By

Kelly Taber

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