VENDI IM 7th Annual Concert

A Celebration of Kosovo’s Independence and the Ancient Albanian Musical Heritage

Now in its seventh year, VENDI IM rises once more not simply as a concert, but as a ritual of remembering. Rooted in the celebration of Kosovo’s Independence, the evening summons the echoes of an entire people: their triumphs, their longing, and their unbroken spirit.

Here, the Ancient Albanian Musical Tradition becomes the storyteller. Melodies first sung in distant valleys, safeguarded by generations, and carried across oceans find new life on a New York stage. Through these songs raw, pure, and timeless, we hear the heartbeat of a culture that has endured through courage and risen through art.

Renowned Albanian-American artists gather to honor this legacy, weaving together the past and the present with voices shaped by tradition and journeys shaped by diaspora. Their performance is not merely heard, it is felt: a reminder of homeland, ancestry, and the quiet fire of identity that distance can never dim.

VENDI IM stands as a tribute to freedom, a blessing for the future and a homecoming for every soul who recognizes the call of its music.

Merita Halili, vocals
Raif Hyseni, accordion
Albërije Hadërgjonaj, vocals
Mariza Ikonomi, vocals
Vedat Ademi, vocals
Ergin Oda, baritone
Miastasha Gonzalez-Colón, mezzo-soprano
Estelina Syla, soprano
Nora Noli, vocals
Oda Quartet

Chamber Orchestra
Timothy Eng, conductor