Süperstar Orkestar

Süperfacts

Süperstar Orkestar is a wind orchestra from Stockholm which plays Roma party music from the Balkans. The band has done more than 1000 gigs and got their big breakthrough when Emir Kusturica's Black Cat – White Cat was running at the Swedish cinemas. Serbia and Macedonia have a strong tradition of brass band music. It's an Eldorado for everyone who loves hot, hard swinging and brilliant Balkan brass music. That's where the band has got their inspiration.

Süperstar Orkestar are:

Jens Edenhed - clarinet
Lars Ydgren - alto saxophone
Magnus Hedenborg - trumpet
David Bryntesson - trumpet
Håkan Säfvestad - tenor tuba
Micko Iskanius - tenor tuba
Göran Christensen - bass tuba
Erik Nilsson – bubanj

The stand-ins Jonas Jersild – alto saxophone, Niklas Barnö, Carl-Johan Fåglefeldt - trumpet,  Staffan Findin, Anton Grandert and Simon Skogh – tenor tuba, Tobias Eklund – bass tuba, Gustav Nahlin, Isak Andresson and Martin Ibrahimovic - bubanj makes the band able to play most gigs.

In 1997 the band started off with a funny sounding name and two musicians who wanted to play some kind of wind music. During the years to follow the band grew and managed to establish itself on the Swedish world music scene, playing at Falun Folk Music Festival, SR:s P2 (National Radio), the Hultsfred festival and the Storsjöyran. Right from the start the band had its own sound, with their joy and genuine interest in the music of the Balkans. They always gave all they had regardless of the place was a concert hall or a street corner.

The band has continued to develop a lot over the years, much thanks to their journeys to Macedonia and Serbia and their tours with musicians from the Balkans like Ferus Mustafov. Süperstar Orkestar has been heard in many places from small parties to national TV, concerts, workshops, concerts for children, festivals, radio, commercials, soundtracks, studio recordings... The love of the Roma party music of the Balkans has continued to grow over the years. That’s why Süperstar Orkestar sometimes are called the worst Balkan brass band freaks of Sweden.

Süperstar Orkestar is musical wind power. Since the band can play strongly they can play acoustically in most settings and many an audience is surprised that you can play that powerful without electricity. Another thing that's to the orchestra's favour, considering environmental aspects, is that the band can carry their equipment themselves and thereby be able to get to their gigs by train and by foot.

Children and youth

Concerts and workshops for children and young people have become a specialty for Süperstar Orkestar as almost all the members are trained music teachers. They've formed fitting concert programs for every age, from fairy tales and games for the youngest to concerts with pictures and more information for older pupils. The audience always gets carried away by the close contact with the music. Süperstar Orkestar has made workshops with varied kinds of participants from students at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm to school orchestras and pupils that never had held an instrument before. They hold an unofficial record with the Balkan workshop at RUM-festivalen 2008, 500 participants!

Availability

We play for many arrangers and we think that they mostly have good solutions for our public, that may have difficulties with stairs or other things. Often we play at public venues outdoors that are adapted to work for everyone. If you have questions concerning availability contact us. 

Discography

  • 2024 Guča Revisited
  • 2023 Live at Fasching
  • 2022 Süper Shock!
  • 2020 Hope
  • 2016 Trubači
  • 2008 Balkanized
  • 2004 Süper Internazional
  • 2001 Süperstar Orkestar

Cooperations

Süperstar Orkestar has cooperated with several bands and musicians over the years. Here follows a sample:  Ferus Mustafov, Picicato Orkestar, Thorleifs, Agushevi Orkestar, Hoffmaestro & Chraa, Zana, Tummel, The Ark, Andra Generationen, Boban Markovic, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Ale Möller, Madonna, Benny Andersson, Sinisa Stankovic, Matti Bye, Shazalakazoo

Customers

Among previous customers are SR, SVT, TV4, TV3, Dramaten, Riksteatern, STIM, Sida, Stockholm Kulturfestival, Urkultfestivalen, Hultsfredsfestivalen, Sundsvalls Gatufest, Malmöfestivalen, Festspel i Pite Älvdal, Storsjöyran, Svensk Blåsmusikfestival, Sävsjöfestivalen, Skulefstivalen, Mångfaldsfestivalen, Linköpings folkmusikfestival, Virserums Musikdagar, Umeå Folkmusikfestival, Falu Folkmusikfestival, Arosfestivalen, Ålands Sjödagar, Spot Festival, Kista World Music Festival, Gucafestivalen, Belgrade Summer Festival, International Gypsy Fest, Ilidenski Denovi, Bitola summer Festival, Balkan Beat Party Stockholm – Oslo – Köpenhamn, Stockholm Konserthus, Vara konserthus, Hässlehlolms Kulturhus, Katalin, Inkonst, Jeriko, Nefertiti, kulturhuset Oceanen, Fasching, Flens kulturskola, Borlänge Musikskola, Serbiska Ungdomsorganisationen, IBM, Microsoft, It Is Media Svenska AB, Finansdepartementet, Stockholm Academy of Dramatic arts, Tenant & Partner AB, JC, Svenska Spel, Swiss International AB, Brombergs Bokförlag, Engelbrechts blommor, Håbo kommun, Ångfartyget Blidösund, Kafé de Luxe, STIM, Riksförbundet Unga Musikanter, Kungl. Musikhögskolan i Stockholm, Karolinska sjukhuset, Another Production, Konstfack, Rinkebyskolan, Journalistförbundet, Eskilstuna kommun, Huddinge kommun, Kultur i Vården, Folkets Hus och Parker, most Länsmusikavdelningar in Sweden, all districts in Stockholm and lots of nice people who wants us to liven up their wedding or party.

Some reactions from the press:

Magnus Säll, Dagens Nyheter about Hope: "...Süperstar Orkestar lifts itself by the hair."
"... the band high octane instrumental music flowers fully."
Andreas Jakobsson, Gävle Dagblad: "One of the most powerful musical experiences of my life.” Ulf Torstensson, LIRA: "If the band up to now has been” good for a Swedish band” they now stand a comparison with the best Roma bands. Fast, swinging, rhythmical and very tight." Peter Bornemar, Eskilstuna-Kuriren: "Fully feathered and decidedly sweaty party music that puts colour to any party. I can promise you that." Andreas Ekström, Dagens Nyheter: "one of Sweden's more successful but yet rather unknown live concept." Måns Engman, Folkmusik och Dans: "Without exaggerating you can say that Süperstar is biggest, best and most beautiful in this genre in Sweden, and they are doing alright internationally too."  
"Kägelbanan was packed – it was crowded, sweaty and noisy by the stage, just as it shall be. This is high octane music that can be enjoyed sitting down or standing at distance. But if you get to close it's almost impossible to not get carried away by the groove. Süperstar fineshes off, quite correctly for this kind of music by wandering off into the crowd simply refusing to stop playing. You can't be anything but süper happy after a süper night like this."

Milestones

  • 1997 The Band starts
  • 1998 More members and we play our first concerts 
  • 1999 Münchenbryggeriet the festival Folk & Folk
  • 2000 Concert in SR-P2 Mix Musikkafé (National Radio)
  • 2001 Hultsfredsfestivalen, Falu Folkmusik Festival, Storsjöyran, broadcasting of live concert at P2, release of our first CD Süperstar Orkestar
  • 2002 Tour in Macedonia, gigs at Sundsvalls gatufest, Arosfestivalen
  • 2003 Tour in Serbia with the Guca festival, Festspel i Pite älvdal, Linköpings folkmusikfestival, conserts med Musik i Gävleborg and Musik i Uppland
  • 2004 Swedish tour featuring Ferus Mustafov, gigs with Pizzicato Orkestar, Arvidsjaur, Piteå and Stockholm, Umeå Folkmusikfestival, tours with Botniamusik and Musik i Dalarna, release of our second CD Süper Internazional
  • 2005 Konserthuset in Stockholm, Krokstrandsfestivalen, Spotfestivalen in Århus, Danmark. Concerts in Sweden, tour with Musik i Gävleborg
  • 2006 Tour in Macedonia and concert i Macedonian TV, consert with Ferus Mustafov at Berns in Stockholm, concerts and workshops with Länsmusiken in Stockholm, Musikministeriet (national TV) with Feus Mustafov and Thorleifs, tour with Musik i Västernorrland
  • 2007 Consert with Ferus Mustafov at Fasching in Stockholm, tour with Estrad Norr, Balkan Beat Party in Oslo, Norge
  • 2008 Bergen Internasjonale Musikfestival, Balkan Beat Party, Oslo, Norge, tours with Norrbottensmusiken and Kalmar läns musikstiftelse. Record-workshop at RUM-festivalen, Release of Balkan Lines, the tune Vackert with Röd and our third CD Balkanized
  • 2009 The Guca festival, Serbia, Urkultfestivalen, Balkan Beat Party-Copenhagen, Denmark, tour with Musik i Sörmland
  • 2010 Urkultfestivalen, Balkan Beat Train, Balkan Beat Cruise, International Gypsy Fest, Slovakien, Balkan Beat Party-Köpenhamn, tour with Smålands Musik och Teater
  • 2011 Balkan Beat Party in Umeå and Stockholm 
  • 2012 Tour with Ferus Mustafov, Club Balkan Superstars at Södra Teatern, concerts with Sinisa Stankovic and Shazalakazoo, Balkan-opera-fusion with Jacques Radinson, celebrates 15 years as a band, Balkan Beat Party Oslo
  • 2013 Club Balkan Superstars with the guest Nustret Bajramov from Kocani Orkestar, Kocani & Picikato allstars, Balkan Cruise, recording music for the movie "The hundred year old that stepped out of the window and disappeared" with Matti Bye
  • 2014 Sold out concerts at Fasching and Debaser Strand, Skapande Skola workshops
  • 2015 Guca festival, Serbia, Moods Jazz club, Zurich, Switzerland
  • 2016 Release of the album Trubači, TV documentary "Svenskarna i Guča" on SVT
  • 2017 Balkanik Festival, Bukarest, Romania
  • 2018 Many concerts for children with our new show
  • 2019 Åre - Fäviken with The Hives. Urkultfestivalen.
  • 2020 Relese of the album Hope. Expressen´s Cultural Prizes, Olof Palme awards ceremony, Veronica Maggio - secret concert 
  • 2021 Corona safe schoolyard concerts
  • 2022 Release of the album Süper Shock! Tour in Serbia
  • 2023 Release of the live album Live at Fasching
  • 2024 Release of the album Guča Revisited, Pannonica festival, Poland