Halva

Halva plays music in traditional Eastern European styles and is currently focusing on Greek and Romanian music. The band is unique in its approach, in that it exclusively plays new compositions by bandleader Nicolaas Cottenie, inspired by traditional style and repertoire.

The idea is to search for the greatest possible personal expression while celebrating the beauty of traditional music. The result is music that breathes a deep energy that invites to dance, with a touch of seriousness and moments of spiritual introspection here and there.

It is music that speaks to the mind and the heart. Halva has made a name for enchanting the audience with varied and subtle manipulation of the band sound, and for their expressive and virtuosic playing.

The band was founded in 2018 with the recording of the debut album “The Sweetest Klezmer Orchestra” (published by Galileo), featuring 12 compositions by Nicolaas Cottenie inspired by klezmer music.

The opening piece of the record was included on World Music Network’s “Rough Guide to Jewish Music” (2022).

In the pandemic year of 2020, “Dinner in Sofia” (published by Oriente Musik), Halva’s second album was recorded. It also consists of 12 original compositions and focuses on Romanian, Bulgarian and Greek music and was shortlisted for the prestigious “Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik”.

One of the central pieces of the album, “Khosidl für das neue Leben”, won second prize in the Bubbe Awards 2020, organized by the Instituto da Musica Judaica in Sao Paolo (Brasil) and was featured when Nicolaas Cottenie was guest composer in Akkordeon Magazin in 2020.