Gypsy jazz & swing

Improvising on a knife edge is my idea of a great night out! I discovered gypsy jazz quite late but it suits my spontaneity and personality and has become my passion. I have the honour of playing with Hot Club Gallois which is THE best gypsy jazz band (two singers, violin and guitar solos – that’s a lot of great stuff for just 4 musicians!).

I also have a full repertoire of recorded accompaniments for solo events, and can be found in Maison du Boeuf in Cardiff once a month playing duets with Ben Creighton-Griffiths on harp.

Classical

Classical music is my first true love. I have various freelance and semi-regular engagements with string quartets, Sinfonia Cambrensis and a solo repertoire for wedding ceremonies.

Lightsaber bow & ELO

Jeff Lynne wrote amazing (and difficult) string parts for the Electric Light Orchestra. Top tribute band the Electrik Live Orchestra recreate these faithfully and we rock out in theatres and festivals around the UK.

One year we had a gig on May 4th (May the force be with you…) and out of this was born the idea of a violin bow which lights up like a lightsaber. Countless hours of electronics and tinkering later, and my lightsaber bow is a unique and awesome addition to the show. The mechanics of making it practical and playable were far from simple, and to date I’ve not seen anything like it online.

About

I’m half Croatian, half German, living in Wales (the land of song) and music has always been part of my life. As a toddler I was desperate to reach up to the dizzying height of my father’s violin and was taken to lessons from the age of 3. I grew up playing chamber music, orchestras and the occasional solo concert. I didn’t know how fortunate I was.

I chose not to study at music college, believing the pressure of earning a living from music would take away the joy of playing. In 2013 in a kind of pre-mid-life crisis I resigned from a good job in finance and escaped to South America for 6 months where I realised that music was a gift I’d been squandering. I set up as Xenia Violin on my return and have been performing and recording ever since.

In the last couple of years I have been lucky enough to take lessons from gypsy jazz masters Tim Kliphuis, Christiaan van Hemert and Tcha Limberger.

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