Thank you for helping us continue to serve our wonderful, diverse, and exciting local Sacramento area communities and beyond!
As ambassadors and teachers, Zado members continually research to expand their knowledge base of Balkan, Slavic, and Caucasian songs, music, and vocal techniques and creative ways to perform and present them. As performers, Zado upholds a tradition of more than four decades of presenting concerts, teaching, and celebrating international folk music with schools, festivals, organizations, and the folk-dance community in northern California. As recording artists, Zado has produced and distributed three CDs/albums. As community members, Zado pursues its overarching goal of delivering performances and instruction that inspire individuals to treasure their own cultural roots and those of others, a theme that continues to have meaning and relevance particularly in today's world.
Last year in 2024, Zado doubled in size with new, exciting, energetic, and talented singers! Our year was full with singing!
In January 2024 and with support from federal award SLFRP0166, awarded to Zado by the U.S. Department of the Treasury through the City of Sacramento, Zado presented "Balkan/Slavic Songs and Dances" with master artists from Bulgaria - Tzvetanka, Tanya, and Ivan Varimezovi - and with local musicians and Kolo Koalition folk dancers. There were over 120 attendees at the event with standing room only, and many had great fun dancing at the Dance Party at the end. Bulgarian community members led the dances, and folks of many ethnic backgrounds both young and old dressed in ethnic costumes and participated.
In April 2024 Zado again performed for the Sacramento Scandinavian Festival in South Sacramento. Besides Balkan songs, we had a fun time learning Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish songs and were honored to sing again for the festival. Huge crowds were there to partake of everything Scandinavian--eat great food, learn about the culture, buy gifts, and enjoy dancing and singing.
In September 2024, St Paul's celebrated the 175th anniversary of its founding as the first Episcopal parish in the Gold Rush settlement that was to become the city of Sacramento. It invited the Sacramento community to its church to explore St. Paul's history and to be a loving, accepting community now and long into the future! Zado Eastern European Vocal Ensemble was honored to sing for this historic event. We strongly support and are grateful for the outstanding local organizations and individuals doing incredible work in our region addressing the direct needs of those hardest hit. We hope our music lifts spirits, expands kindness, and inspires love.
In October 2024, Zado sang in a World Music Benefit Concert for Afghan Refugee Families at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento. The Society raises awareness of the global and growing refugee crisis and of the needs of newly resettled refugee families in our Sacramento area. With open hearts, UUSS volunteers welcome and support refugee families, providing friendship and assistance toward empowerment and self-sufficiency.
In November 2024, Zado sang for the Food, Toy, and Music Instrument Donation event and for Sacramento's music instrument lending library, Musiclandria, which relocated to a new, larger venue.
Mission
Inspired by traditional Balkan folk singing, music, and dance, Zado is a Sacramento-based vocal ensemble performing traditional and contemporary arrangements of international folk songs, particularly those from Eastern Europe. Our mission is to educate and inspire others about the beauty of the music we love; preserve high-quality international folk music; and present programs, recordings, and new art forms that feature unique folk harmonies and rhythms.
Needs
In order to continue presenting programs for the coming year, Zado requires additional funding. The great responses and attendance at our January 2024 Balkan/Slavic Folk Songs and Dances event suggests that audiences in Sacramento are hungry for events that include high quality folk music and artist performances but also provide opportunities for the audience to have fun and participate in folk dancing in our community. The costs of planning, coordinating, and implementing these types of events are hugely expensive. Funds are needed to pay for professional artists, quality venues, technical audio/video engineers, support staff, sheet music, and our website. Zado's goal for 2025-26 is to raise additional funds to present future community performance and dance events and to record current repertoire.
Zado needs more diversity on its Board and is working to attract additional members knowledgeable and interested in Board management, Balkan vocal arts and culture, and fundraising strategies.
Zado needs affordable small studio space for rehearsals, intimate performances, and implementing a Balkan song meetup group to teach Balkan choral music and songs.
Equity Statement
Zado continues since 1980 to welcome persons of all races, ethnicities, abilities, gender, socioeconomic status, and ages for auditions to become members; for performances and workshops; for serving on its Board or volunteers; and for providing services (e.g., music, audio/video production). Zado affirms its role as performers and educators to celebrate the splendor of the human voice, the cultural roots of the music, and contemporary expressions. Its overarching goal is to inspire individuals to treasure and celebrate their own cultural roots and those of others, a theme that has power to create understanding and address issues of inequity, misunderstanding, and injustice. Zado is committed to ensuring racial and cultural equity in all policies and practices and that every policy enacted reflects democratic principles of equity and justice.
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Organization Data
Summary
Organization name
Zado Eastern European Vocal Ensemble
Year Established 0
1980
Tax id (EIN)
81-4167357
Mission Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Operating Budget
$0-$50,000
Organization Need
Funding: Program, Board Members, Technology, Volunteers, Space: Office or Other
Demographics Served
Seniors, General population, Women/Female-identifying