Balkanicus Institute Balkan Art Culture andHistory

Support us in bringing the unique Balkan culture and history to Minnesota! Let’s celebrate our friendship with art, music and dance!

We bring to you fiery Balkan dances, mind-boggling Balkan rhythms, poignant Balkan songs, exquisite traditional Balkan garments, and ancient Balkan wisdom.

Balkanicus Institute for Balkan Art, Culture and History (BIBACH) is a nonprofit with a history. Since 2003 it has organized nineteen successful annual concerts of Balkan chamber music in Minneapolis, has brought to the Twin Cities six contemporary composers who wrote special pieces for the Balkanicus ensemble, and has delivered lectures on cultural themes. Balkanicus, the first and only of its kind in Minnesota and North America concert series, presents to the audience an unfamiliar and uncommon cultural aspect of the Balkans—the modern chamber music from this region.

In territory and population, the Balkan Peninsula in the South-East end of Europe is comparable to the Midwest region of the United States. It comprises of a dozen countries with distinct languages, traditions and cultures, and with entangled history measured in millennia. The economic, strategic, and cultural significance of the region and its complexity are well known. The number of the people with Balkan roots in the United States is growing, and the better understanding of their cultures enhances our ability to build the global community.

Over the past years we have brought to you an exhibition on the power of the civil society and the struggle against the Holocaust in Bulgaria; and two Dance the Balkan Way, folk dance workshops and festivals. We had several collaborations with the Germanic Institute for a panel discussion on the 140th anniversary of the Berlin Congress and its impact on the Balkans with distinguished local historians, a lecture on Balkan music, as well as several folk music events. In 2019 we started a second Balkanicus concert in the fall that will showcase one composer or performer. We celebrated the distinguished Bulgarian composer Vassil Kazandjiev. Our audience enjoyed these events and told us we should continue to bring them to Minnesota. We are grateful to the volunteers who made this possible and the fine organizations who collaborated with us on these projects.

The Covid pandemic hit us hard and we still feel its effect! Concerts were cancelled, our Ambassador program, meant to bring Balkan folk dances and music to local high schools had to be postponed indefinitely. We organized two concerts - one online and one outdoor in support of struggling local Balkan musicians.  In 2022 we resumed the Balkanicus series with splendid spring and fall concerts with guest composers.  

Then we lost our funding! 

This year without any grants we managed to realize just one, the Spring Balkanicus concert thanks to donations like those made through Give to the Max. Thank you!

If you give us your sanction and your hard-earned money, we will be able to bring you more joy and wisdom from the Balkan cultures. All contributions from you are fully tax-deductible, and every dollar is vital to our future success.

Our sincere thanks for your gift to BIBACH!

As a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, BIBACH relies on charitable gifts from donors to develop programs and sustain operations.