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European Cabaret! Vintage Americana! Balkan Belly Dance! Neo-Classical Opera! Old World Yiddish Theater! Welcome to the six-piece, Portland, Oregon-based Vagabond Opera.
Bohemian Cabaret ensemble Vagabond Opera is described by the Washington Post as “A band of ceaseless charisma, boundless energy, impeccable musicianship and more than a little touch of both the naughty and exotic.” The group delivers passionate offerings of Bohemian cabaret for young and old. Paris hot jazz, gut bucket swing, tangos, Ukrainian folk-punk ballads, klezmer and vigorous originals meet a world of riverboat gambling queens, Turkish belly dancers, and the enigmatic Marlene Dietrich. Weaving elements of Kurt Weil, Duke Ellington and Edith Piaf with absurdist flair, theatrics and an old world mood, Vagabond Opera presents the new wave of opera–lusty voices singing in 13 languages and presenting a cabaret of rich musical phrasing, sparkling lyrics and indomitable stage presence, all played with exuberance, skill and a gritty Vagabond edge. This is Opera liberated and reinvented for everyone!
The band’s lineup features four vocalists, including trained operatic tenor and soprano vocals, accordion, tenor saxophone, clarinet, two cellos, stand-up bass, and drums. Guest performers and dancers often appear with the ensemble.
Vagabond Opera is at the vanguard of a growing popularity in the Neo-cabaret phenomenon, and through their theatrical performances, lyrics in 13 languages, and an eclectic repertoire, they liberate opera from its usual construct, expanding musical and theatrical biodiversity. Vagabond Opera has performed all over the USA and in Europe. They have been featured on NPR, in the Washington Post and Jazziz Magazine, and have shared stages and players with such acclaimed acts as Pink Martini, Devotchka, The Decembrists, Balkan Beat Box, Al Franken, and the Oregon Symphony. Vagabond opera has four full-length albums
Vagabond Opera was created in 2002 by European-trained opera singer and composer Eric Stern. Then disillusioned with the classical opera world, Stern created a new context for opera: Performance on a more intimate scale incorporating not only opera but elements of Weimar Cabaret, Arabic and Balkan forms, and the original music that springs from the ensemble’s fertile creative work. This is not your granny’s opera, but a visceral artistic ensemble that features powerful instrumental and vocal performances coupled with a highly eclectic and theatrical experience.
The Players…
Eric Stern
The Northwest’s own premiere operatic tenor, accordionist, pianist, composer and consummate showman, he is an unparalleled devo with incendiary stage presence and… Read More…
Jason Flores
Jason’s previous flirtation with Middle Eastern and Balkan music became focused when he met Armenian American master clarinetist Souren Baronian in… Read More…
Ashia Grzesik
Harnessing her rousing vocals and whimsical, gutsy cello lines, Ashia Grzesik creates songs with elements of cabaret, folk, blues, and pop/punk. Read more…
Mark Burdon
Drummer & composer Mark Burdon’s fluid, textural style is an amalgam of diverse influences including over a decade of work as part of the jazz scene on the East Coast and… Read More…
Robin Jackson
When Robin was less than a year old, his dad used to bounce him on his knee and say “Feel the beat?, Feel the beat?!†This early programming led him to become the dedicated, creative and professional musician he is today…. Read More…
Skip vonKuske
Skip vonKuske’s least favorite statement is, “You must be classically trained”, though he was indeed. During the first 10 years of playing the cello he was… Read More…
Dr. Xander Gerrymander
Dr. Xander Gerrymander (aka Xander Almeida) was born in the tropical beach side paradise and cultural void of Santa Barbara, California. At the age of nineteen he sailed away to far off … Read More…
Ursula Knudson
NOTE: Ursula Knudson performs with the band as a guest artist only on various occasions. Vocals, Violin, Saw, Banjolele and Percussion. After singing opera on the streets and in the town squares in Italy for two years, Ursula decided to try move to the States… Self-taught on the saw, she won 2nd place in the 2004 International Saw Festival. Ursula sings beautifully in Romanian, Romanes, Rom, (yes, three different languages!) French,Italian, Serbian, Japanese, and sometimes even in English, her native tongue. She also plays with her other group, the Fishtank Ensemble, and lives in Los Angeles.
