Bloomfield Musician To Be Honored in Washington, D.C.

The spotlight is on Yuri Yunakov, a renowned Bulgarian saxophonist. This September, Yunakov will travel to Washington D.C. for a Capitol Hill awards ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Yunakov arrived in America in 1994 after being oppressed by the Bulgarian government for performing Romani music. Soon after, he formed his own band, the Yunakov Ensemble

Earlier this year Yunakov was named a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, which is the nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. The Bloomfield resident is widely considered the nation's best Bulgarian Roma musician.

Along with Yunakov, this year's NEA National Heritage Fellows are:

• Quilter Laverne Brackens (Fairfield, Texas)
• Mardi Gras India Chief Bo Dollis (New Orleans, La.)
• Taiko drum leaders Roy and PJ Hirabayashi (San Jose, Calif)
• Slack key guitarist Ledward Kaapana (Kaneohe, Hi.)
• Old Regular Baptist singer Frank Newsome (Haysi, Va.)
• Frame drum player and percussionist Carlinhos Pandeiro de Ouro (Los Angeles, Calif.)
• Piedmont blues songster Warner Williams (Gaithersburg, Md.)

Folklorist Jim Griffith of Tuscon, Arizona will be honored, as well as the recepient of 2011 Best Lomax Hawes Award.

On Friday, Sept. 23, the reciepients will then head to Maryland for a one-of-a-kind concert at the Music Center at Strathmore. Nick Spitzer, host of public radio’s American Routes, will emcee this evening of conversations, demonstrations, and performances, featuring the 2011 NEA National Heritage Fellows.

Admission to the concert is free. Click here to reserve your tickets. All seats that remain unclaimed will be filled with spectators in a stand-by line 15 minutes prior to the show. Can't make it out down South? The concert will be available for free live Internet streaming at arts.gov on Sept. 23 beginning at 8 p.m.