SOME Of Tcha Limberger’s favourite memories of performing music have been in Scotland.
The renowned Belgian-born Romani multi-instrumentalist has played in the likes of Edinburgh and Ullapool and said that what he loves is the “ancientness” you can feel in the air and the “speech” of Scots.
“I love dialects, accents and languages. I speak around 10,” he told The Sunday National.
Despite being born with no sight, Limberger has played all over the world and is well known as a star jazz musician as well as for Magyar Nóta – a 19th-century form of Hungarian folk music.
And now he is set to return to Scotland for Glasgow’s Ando Glaso Roma Fest and its exciting new programme of events, including music, dance, film and cultural workshop.
Held next week (September 12 and 13) at BAaD and Elim Church, the festival – the only one of its kind in the UK – celebrates the rich and diverse Roma culture shared by communities around the world, aiming to showcase talent while challenging stereotypes.
This year’s edition is anchored around five key strands: a youth festival, an international concert series, a short film competition, an arts and crafts fair, and a cultural symposium.
Performers set to feature include Rn’B singer Lucie Bikárová, a Czech-born Roma artist credited for helping bring her traditional culture into mainstream music, and hip hop artist Bobby Blaze, known as the “Roma Snoop Dogg” by his fans.
Del Artek, a jazz band with Roma, Polish and Scottish roots, will be performing, as well as Limberger, of course.
He said that events such as these – and music more generally – are crucial to bring more attention and acceptance of Romani culture and music.
While Limberger said that he knows many who have faced discrimination due to being Roma, he has been fortunate to receive little.
“I think that one of the reasons I have not had any big trouble is because of music. It's thanks to the healing strength of music. And I really think that music should finally get the status of something threateningly important. Music should not be looked at as a luxury thing. It should be looked at as lifesaving.”
Limberger was born into a musical family, with each member playing musical instruments.
His Manouch Gypsy father, Vivi Limberger, and his Flemish-born mother, Lut Bruyneel, both impacted his music – although, as a young boy, he wanted to become a flamenco singer.
At age 12, he started out on the clarinet, joining the family orchestra – the Piottos. He ended up swapping the flamenco guitar for a Django guitar and trained with the likes of the renowned Dick Van der Harst and Herman Schamp.
He has now mastered the flamenco guitar, jazz clarinet and Hungarian violin among others. Taking influences from around the world, he is always keen to integrate influences from his Romani heritage into his music.
Asked what listeners in Glasgow can expect from his music, he said that, from himself and his co-performers, it will simply be “people who are going to do their utmost to make beautiful music and to convey their culture and stories”.
Day 1 of the festival (Friday, September 12) begins with the Youth Festival at Elim Church, and is then followed by Making Space at BaaD, where the rest of the day’s events will be held.
The official opening ceremony will feature speeches and performances from Roma artists, followed by performances from Marius de la Brasov, ZOR, Lucie Bikárová and Bobby Blaze.
Day 2 (Saturday, September 13) events will all take place at BAaD, kicking off with the craft fair and short film competition. Live performances from Ruva, Del Artek, Tcha Limberger & Friends, with the Sambroso All Stars closing the festival.
Tickets for the Ando Glaso Roma Fest 2025 are on sale now, and cost £25.00 for one day or £40.00 for the whole festival + booking fee. To find out more and to book tickets, please visit andoglaso.org.
