Cassandre Balosso-Bardin
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Current projects
Världens Band
Amaraterra

Vellamo Quartet
Bonnendis

Balbar & Alexander Duo




Collaborations
Juliana Yazbeck
BaroqueStock

Reem Kelani
Nicola Barbagli (Nomad Folk)
Enzo Puzzoviu/Dante Ferrara
Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles
Past projects (selection)
Olcay Bayir
Osannolika
The Amalgamation Project
Dancing Slippers
TradinEtno
Ethno on the Road 2010
O Bairro Alto
Les Flûtes Vagabondes
Kadialy Kouyate & Bedrock
Live Junction
Red Rock Ceilidh Band
Ramon Goose and World Scatterlings
PhotoPhoto: Olof Grind

Världens Band

Världens Band was first brought together early autumn 2012 as an experiment to create a new Big Band of folk music with people from different cultural and economic backgrounds. With music as the common language, they formed an explosive orchestra, that aims to challenge norms and prejudices. Världens Band wishes to become a necessary contribution to both the music scene and the social debate in times of growing discord and xenophobia.
They completed 3 highly acclaimed tours in Sweden with a catchy mix of music from India, Zimbabwe, Sweden, England, Scotland and France. In 2018, they released their second album. The band has toured extensively in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the UK. Världens Band embodies the theory that music can unite and create links across borders.
www.varldensband.com
YouTube Channel
Photo

Amaraterra

Amaraterra is the one and only pizzica and tarantella band in London, performing traditional dances and music from the heel of Italy. Featured on BBC3 and invited to play at Womad in 2016 and 2023, Amaraterra plays regularly in London to full houses.
The intense, relentless beat of the tambourine, the strong voices, the high pitched mandoline, the full sound of the accordion, the rhythm of the guitar and the fast melody of the recorder bring even the most reluctant to dance wildly, reminiscing the trance-like effect of the music used to heal the bite of the tarantula.

Amaraterra's YouTube channel
Facebook page

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Vellamo Quartet

Named after the Finnish goddes of lakes, seas and storms, Vellamo Quartet performs a blend of baroque and folk baroque repertoire from across Europe, ranging from 18th century Swedish polskas, 18th century Northumbrian tunes and Polish dance tunes and Italian/French folk inspired sonatas including extracts from Chedeville's famous Il Pastor Fido.
Through original arrangements and skillful interpretation, Vellamo Quartet blends folk and baroque music genres together, drawing on the multifaceted knowledge of its four highly trained and unconventional musicians, all steeped in the classical and folk music worlds.
Wepage

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Balbar & Alexander Duo

Phil Alexander and Cassandre Balbar form a thrifty duo combining pipes, recorders and accordion blending both their musical backgrounds, merging Galician, French, English and Klezmer music. The vibrant mixture, at times completed with guests, creates upbeat and sensitive music, representative of London's multicultural society. Follow the Rats recently performed at the BBC Proms Extra Late and at Cambridge Big Weekend festival.
Website

Former projects


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Bonnendis

Bonnendis, the name of a specific cloud from the island of Karpathos, is a trio featuring music from the Greek islands featuring the iconic tsambouna, the lyra (Thodoris Ziarkas) and the laouto (Nikos Ziarkas).
Webpage
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Ramon Goose and World Scatterlings

A new project initiated in 2014 by renowned blues guitarist Ramon Goose, World Scatterlings gathers international musicians in an original line-up, mixing blues with each individual's musical background. With Algerian and Nigerian percussionists, a Hungarian bass player and a French piper, Ramon once again has created an original project.
www.ramongoose.wordpress.com
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Kadialy Kouyate & Bedrock

​Formed by an eclectic group of musicians, Bedrock is a new fusion of personalities, inspirations and musical styles. Based around Kadialy Kouyate’s compositions, the musicians bring their own touch to the original melodies, transforming the music into a brand new genre. Meet Nahmi Moon, the pianist who rocks out with African and Nepalese bands; Cassandre Balbar, the piper and recorder player who invokes Vivaldi wherever possible; Giulano Osella, the irrepressible drummer who never rests; Micheal Searl the barefoot bassist who taught himself playing along to 90s West African Gospel videos; and last but not least, Kadialy Kouyate, the sensitive Kora player who learned his ancestral griot art from his father and his grandfather. Together they form Bedrock, a new foundation for improvisation, communication and freedom. 
Facebook page
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Olcay Bayir

Singer/Songwriter Olcay Bayir appears on the London music scene with her pure and passionate voice which captivates listeners from the start. Carrying enchanting musical treasures of Anatolia; her musical repertoire expands from her own contemporary compositions to her arrangements of heart-warming traditional folk songs spread across the region of the Mediterranean, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Olcay’s music carries a great deal of cultural richness and she sings numerous languages spoken in this region…
www.olcaybayir.com
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Cassandre has been a regular guest on Live Junction since Autumn 2013 and participated in the recording of Live Junction's album. She adds both her folk and early music repertoire to the event's ever-changing repertoire.

Live Junction

Inspired by BBC Radio 3′s Late Junction, every Live Junction is a unique performance.  Ten musicians, lead by Holly Cullen-Davies, collaborate each time in a one-off live experience.
The group throws out genre-based programming, looking to break down divisions between different styles of music.  Recent Live Junction performances saw Debussy programmed next to an Indian love song, Klezmer following an Iranian daf, and a blues harmonica virtuoso ushering in a juggling beatboxer.

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Red Rock Ceilidh Band

A collaboration between Cambridge and London based folk musicians who play a regular monthly ceilidh on full moons at St Emmanuel's Church in Cambridge, the Red Rock Ceilidh Band has a lively line-up including bass, bodhran, synthetic clarinet, melodeon, fiddle, pipes and whistles as well as an excellent and experienced caller.
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Osannolika

Osannolika was a trio created from musical encouters at ethnosweden in 2010. With Adam Grauman (SW) on the double bass and Pau Baiges (SP) on the accordion, the trio explored music from all around Europe.
Osannolika - Flatworld
Osannolika - Berdichever
Osannolika - Irish Magic
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The Amalgamation Project

Led by jazz singer Vassiliki Anastasiou, The Amalgamation project brings both Greek/Cypriot music and Jazz together in a very innovative way. Vassiliki is actively pursuing this project in Cyprus where she now lives.
http://theamalgamationproject.com/

Dancing Slippers

O Bairro Alto

Dancing Slippers (2010-2013/2013-ongoing) was a French Folk dancing band with recorders, pipes, fiddle (Barry Smith), guitar (Francesca Romana) and double bass (Jack Lowe). Active in London for two years, the band played numerous gigs in East London and performed at Secret Garden Party. Dancing Slippers has now been re-created into a function Ceilidh Band featuring several of the original members.
www.facebook.com/thedancingslippers
O Bairro Alto (2007-2010) was formed of four musicians whose main purpose was to spread music around Europe by travelling and busking. With Conrad Kausch (DE) on the fiddle, Jan Poehlman (DE) on the guitar, Cassandre on the recorders and pipes and Marcilio Garcetti (BR) on the pandeiro and cajon, the performed in many different countries including Germany, France (St Chartier festival), Belgium, UK, Portugal and Italy.
O Bairro Alto - Three little drummers

Les Flutes Vagabondes

Les Flûtes Vagabondes (2006-2010) was a baroque recorder trio formed by three students of Jean Pierre Nicolas (CRR de la Vallée de Cheuvreuse, Orsay). Caroline Bosselut, Patrice Allain and Cassandre explored their instrument fully by arranging and performing a varied repertoire of music, from medieval to contemporary, folk to baroque. They played many times in the Parisian area and were one of the main recurring acts of the Festival de Musique Ancienne de Villebon, founded by Caroline Bosselut.
https://myspace.com/lesflutesvagabondes