Bajsa Arifovska Folk Group

Bajsa Arifovska was born in 1978 in Kochani, Republic of Macedonia. She has studied and performed music all of her life, graduating from the Faculty of Musical Arts in Skopje in 2000. She is a professor of folklore instruments (bagpipes, caval, tamboura) at the State Music School "Ilija Nikolovski-Luj." She is a member of the National Ensemble of Folk Dances “Tanec”-Skopje as well as a composer, author, and a member of the Dragan Dautovski Quartet that has produced four musical projects. She plays caval, bagpipe, tamboura, clarinet, and violin among other instruments. Bajsa founded the mandoline orchestra in 2001 at the Roma Cultural and Educational centre “ Darhia” in Skopje and has produced multiple CDs of her personal performances including Bajsa and Macedonian chalgija (Bajsa I Makeodnska Chalgija) released in 2008 and To the East (Kon Istok) with Dushko Georgievski in 2018.

Filip Mihajlovski was born in 1999 in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. He attended the State Music School "Ilija Nikolovski-Luj" and graduated from the instrumental department of the University of Audiovisual Arts, European film, Theater and Dance Academy Efta, Skopje. Since 2007 he has been a member of CAC "BISER" Kichevo and has performed in the Republic of Macedonia and abroad including Russia, Switzerland, Croatia, Turkey, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Greece. He has also collaborated with several distinguished music performers and groups such as Ilija Ampevski, Novica Sokolovski, Krume Spasovski, Naum Petreski, Ljubojna, Ensemble Biljana - Ohrid, etc. He plays the canon, tambourine, bagpipe, caval, and folk drum.

Emil Adamski was born in 1987 in Delchevo, Republic of Macedonia. He has studied traditional music all of his life, graduating in 2012 from the Music Academy in Skopje. He performs regularly with the University’s Izvor orchestra as well as with Bajsa Arifovska’s Izvor orchestra, playing kaval, bagpipe, tambura, and bass.

Ratko Dautovski was born in Skopje, Macedonia on December 05, 1981. His parents, both professional musicians, encouraged him from an early age to take up music. Ratko's music education started at the age of seven in the Music centre "Ilija Nikolovski Luj" (1988-1999) and continues at the Academy of Music in Skopje. Ratko has performed in numerous groups and he is a regular member of the Dragan Dautovski Quartet since 1999, having performed at more than hundreds concerts in the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Australia, Belgium, Turkey, Kosovo, Austria, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the UK. Acclaimed as one of Macedonia's finest percussionist, Ratko Dautovski has drawn the attention of serious musicians and connoisseurs alike for his innate artistry, rich repertoire and tonal brilliance.

All of these incredibly talented folk musicians have studied under the influential Dragan Dautovski. The group will be playing a combination of a city style called chalgia and and traditional village style of Macedonian music.