Unifying Worlds, a tour that will see vocalist Teodora Brody perform in Romania and the U.S., kicks off in Bucharest this weekend.

The Bucharest concert, scheduled for May 26 at Sala Luceafărul, is described as an experience at the intersection of jazz, classical music, and the folk singing tradition doina. 

The artist will take the stage alongside Călin Grigoriu (guitar), Andrei Kivu (cello), and Joca Perpignan (percussions) for a concert that pays homage to Spanish cellist and composer Pablo Casals. Novel interpretations of works by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, and contemporary composer Max Richter are also part of the program.

The U.S. leg of the tour will showcase a program covering the rhapsodies composed by George Enescu and reinterpretations of works by Beethoven, Bartók, and Pachelbel, all with the aim of bringing to the forefront the fusion of classical, jazz and doina.

The U.S. concerts take place in Chicago (Northeastern Illinois University, June 18), Washington, D.C. (The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, June 20), and New York (Baruch Performing Arts Center, Engleman Recital Hall, June 21).

Born in Romania, Teodora Brody initially trained in classical jazz and rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s singing with jazz pianist Johnny Răducanu. She pioneered the fusion of jazz with doina – Romania’s improvisatory folk singing tradition – and is credited with introducing international audiences to this deeply emotive music. 

Over the past 25 years, she has forged a singular path on the international jazz scene, collaborating with artists such as Stanley Jordan, Les Paul, Curtis Fuller, Eric Legnini or Al Coplay, appearing at venues in Montreux, Marciano, and Lugano. In the U.S., she performed at the Library of Congress, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, or legendary clubs such as Iridium New York and Blues Alley in Washington DC.

In recent years, she began exploring classical music from a fresh perspective, with vocal renditions of masterpieces by Beethoven, Bach, Enescu, and Bartók. Her latest album, Rhapsody, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, has been described as a "thrilling journey into the classical repertoire."

In 2024, she tours to the U.S. and Europe, with inter-disciplinary collaborations in a variety of formats, from symphony orchestra to ensemble to her own quartet of vocals, guitar, cello and Brazilian percussion.

(Photo: teodorabrody.com)

simona@romania-insider.com