Édessa Music | Rumen Sali Shopov

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	Rumen Sali Shopov percussion Rumen "Sali" Shopov hails from the Turkish Romani ("Gypsy") mahala (neighborhood) of Gotse Delchev, a crossroads town in Southwest Bulgaria's Pirin Mountain range, neighboring the borders of Greece and Macedonia. He began his musical career at the age of ten when he joined his uncle's wedding band as a doumbek (goblet-shaped hand drum) tupan (double-headed bass drum), and barabani (drum set) player. Soon thereafter, he began playing tambura, the Bulgarian/Macedonian folk lute. When he was only thirteen, he won an audition to join the Nevrokopski Ensemble, Bulgaria's first professional national folk ensemble. At the age of 18, Rumen became the Nevrokopski Ensemble's concertmaster and toured as an ambassador of Bulgarian culture with the group throughout Eastern and Western Europe, the Near East, and Canada for more than 20 years. Simultaneously, Rumen was also a lead member of several of the Pirin region's hottest bands Biljana, Shturo Make and Orkestar Orbita, and an accompanist to a long list of Bulgaria's most popular folk singers. Now residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, he performs regularly as a percussionist with Édessa and Anoush, and as an accompanist to the vocal ensemble Kitka and numerous West Coast folk dance ensembles. Rumen has been on the teaching staff of the East European Folklife Center's Balkan Music and Dance Workshops, Stockton Folk Dance Camp, Balkanalia, and Kosmos World Music Camp.