Orkestar Bez Ime [or-KESS-tar behz EE-meh], meaning “orchestra without a name” in Bulgarian, was formed in 2002 to bring Balkan dance music to the Upper Midwest. Since then OBI has performed throughout the US to much critical acclaim. Its members strive to bring you the sounds of the village with a presentation as festive as the music itself. Focusing on Eastern Europe and music of the Rom (Gypsy) people, OBI’s repertoire reaches from Albania to Ukraine, with plenty of stops inbetween. Orkestar Bez Ime is a winner of the 2011-2012 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Performing Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music.

Colleen Bertsch: fiddle
Scott Keever: guitar, mandolin
Dee Langley: accordion
Matt Miller: bass
Katrina Mundinger: clarinet, saxophone
Natalie Nowytski: vocals, percussion
All: other stuff, too

OBI Discography

• Mahala Drive, 2010
• Nice Driveway, Vol. 3: Rogarian Baba-que, 2007
• Nice Driveway, Vol. 2: Lake Aquanyet Days, 2006
• Nice Driveway, Vol. 1: Cheers from the Land of the Freeze, 2005
• Iz tamne noci (From a Dark Night) (with Mila Vocal Ensemble), 2004