Stellamara

San Francisco-based Stellamara draws improvisational energy from Middle Eastern repertoire spanning the 13th through 15th centuries. The ensemble took shape in 1994 as the shared vision of Sonia Drakulich—vocalist, percussionist, hammered dulcimer player, recording engineer, and producer—and dulcimer player Jeffery Stott. Alt-rock magazine Oculus labeled the project “the missing link between goth and new age.” Rhythm characterized the sound as “a dreamy, ethereal mix, tackling authentic and undeservedly unexposed Galician, Parisian, Judeo-Spanish, and Croatian songs,” while Pulse spotlighted Drakulich’s voice, noting that “within her voice, often layered in chorus, she synthesizes Bulgarian, Middle Eastern, and Gregorian chant styles, entwining them around a percussion bed of frame drums, darbukas, and dumbeks.” The group’s name combines the Latin stella (“star”) with the Galician mara (“sea”). Prior to forming Stellamara, Drakulich, who had undertaken formal study of classical Indian, Persian, Turkish, and Balkan singing and had already appeared with various Bulgarian and Turkish ensembles, brought her command of multiple medieval languages to the project. The lineup later grew with the arrival of multi-instrumentalist Gari Hegedus and percussionist Susu Pampanin. Hegedus, whose arsenal includes oud, violin, viola, saz, sarod, sitar, yayli tambur, and mandocello, had previously immersed himself in early European, Celtic, and Bretagne traditions. Pampanin is the daughter of a dancer.