Hajde (pronounced HIGH-deh) means "Let's go!"

The members of Hajde have come together because of a common love for the Eastern European music they've been studying and dancing to for many years, and have been playing together since the early 1990s.  Their music features the unusual rhythms and melodies of the areas in and around Bulgaria and Macedonia.  Dance tunes and songs are played on traditional instruments and sung in the styles from these rich cultures.

Although they preserve the classic folk styles of this music as much as possible, Hajde sometimes adds special touches or modern influences to create their own unique sound.

Hajde is based in central Ohio, and is available to hire for dance parties and concerts.  For bookings, fees, availability, or any other information, contact Hajde liaison, Ann Mosconi.

At a young age, Ann Mosconi developed a love for music while playing violin and flute in grade school, and guitar and piano as a teenager.  Her vocal experience includes singing in choirs in middle and high school, one of which produced a 45rpm record in the 1960s.  During college, she sang and played guitar, charango, bandurria, quena, and castanets with a group performing Hispanic music and dance, eventually forming a singing trio that performed together for more than 25 years as Las Alegrías.  Ann also discovered international folk dancing while in college, and her particular interest in Balkan dances led her to begin attending the EEFC east coast music and dance camps in 1988.  She has taken classes from such expert musicians as Vassil Bebelekov, Nikolay Kolev, Georgi Petrov, Vlad Popovich, and Kremena Stancheva.  She now focuses on gadulka, tambura, and vocals, with a smattering of gajda and tapan on the side.

Lea Anne Kangas (Bulgarian tambura, Macedonian tambura, vocals) was introduced to international folk dancing in junior high school.  Continuing to dance through her teens, she grew more interested in Balkan dances and rhythms.  Though possessing a degree in Music Theory and Composition, for reasons that completely elude her it didn't occur to her to seriously try playing an instrument until in her forties.  Now she can't seem to stop.  In addition to Bulgarian and Macedonian tambura, she is studying guitar, bugarija, and recorder along with renewed interests in piano and singing.  In the Balkan vein, she has received tambura instruction from Stoyan Kostov and Adam Good, as well as attended workshop classes in Bulgarian singing with Elitsa Stoyneva, Donka Koleva, and Tzvety Dosseva-Weiner. 

As a child of folk dancing parents, Tom Kangas fell asleep at many dance events.  Later he enjoyed learning and performing dances of many countries and is currently studying the couple dance traditions of Sweden and Norway as well as Spanish flamenco.  For a college project he built one of the drums that he plays today with Hajde.  He performed as a dancer and musician (principally on clarinet) with Živili – Songs and Dances of Yugoslavia, and as a member of a prog-folk band, Kaj Mi Nuka.  Focusing on percussion with Hajde, Tom has taken tupan and doumbek classes with Polly Tapia Ferber, Jerry Kisslinger, and Matt Moran at EEFC Music & Dance Workshops.