Music Ensemble
Straddling borders of music and theatre,** SARAY Iluminado,** creatively reimagines Bosnian Sevdah and Sephardic Jewish music in contemporary Australia. The ensemble was formed in 2013 and is led by the Bosnian-Australian artist Dr Nela Trifkovic, including members Irine Vela (the haBiBis,) Ernie Gruner (Bohemian Nights,) Kelly Dowall (Gelareh Pour’s Garden) and Dan Witton (Bush Gothic.)
The band has swiftly become one of Melbourne’s leading folk-art music groups that has appeared at a number of significant local and national venues and festivals including: The Melbourne Recital Centre, Memo Music Hall, The MONA Museum of New and Old Art, The Hobart Synagogue, The Melbourne Sephardic Synagogue, The Bosnian and Herzegovinian Embassy of Australia, the Cygnet Folk Festival, Shirr Madness (now FoJam) festival of Jewish Music, etc.
In 2019 the trio version of the ensemble made a European debut at the Alkantara and Scialla folk festivals in Sicily, Italy. Since 2020, the group has been collaborating with movement artist Israel Aloni, who is now the group’s associate artist.