English [Deutsch unten]

Tinainai is a celebratory interjection expressing joy and excitement. The band Tinainai brings together four musicians from Belgium, Israel, the US and Romania, united by their love for traditional Romanian and Roma music (Lăutărească). The group skillfully blends the authentic formula of a taraf with a fresh, modern approach to the Romanian and Roma repertoire. Focused on this rich musical heritage, Tinanai offers audiences an eclectic journey through the distinct sounds of this Eastern European region with their wide range of emotions, weaving regional musical idioms with contemporary twists.

Come and sing along with us—no prior knowledge of the lyrics is needed, just Tinainai!

Tinainai is:
Emanuela Mândrila - Vocals
Ira Shiran - Accordion
Hans Bilger - Bass
Nicolaas Cottenie - Violin

Recorded, edited, mixed and mastered by Hans Bilger in Berlin, March 2025.
www.nicolaascottenie.eu

Deutsch
"Tinainai" ist ein Ausruf, der Freude und Aufregung ausdrückt. Tinainai vereint vier Musiker aus Belgien, Israel, den USA und Rumänien, verbunden durch die Liebe zu traditioneller rumänischer Musik und der Musik der Roma (Lăutărească). Die Band verbindet mit großem Geschick die Musik der authentischen „Taraf“ mit einem frischen, modernen Ansatz. Tinainai nimmt das Publikum mit auf eine eklektische Reise durch die farbenreichen Klänge Rumäniens, eine Region mit unerschöpflichem musikalischen Erbe. Dabei werden die regionalen musikalischen Eigenheiten kunstvoll mit zeitgenössischen Wendungen verwoben und eine breite Palette an Emotionen hervorgerufen – von Traurigkeit bis Freude, von Schmerz bis Liebe. 

Kommt und singt mit uns! Man braucht die Texte nicht zu kennen - einfach nur Tinainai!

Tinainai ist:
Emanuela Mândrila - Gesang
Ira Shiran - Akkordeon
Hans Bilger - Bass
Nicolaas Cottenie - Geige

Recorded, edited, mixed and mastered by Hans Bilger in Berlin, March 2025.
www.nicolaascottenie.eu

Tinainai

Stii-tu Bade-o ce ți-am spus

Saraca inima mea

La Bolintinul din Vale

Hi!

Thank you for visiting my page!

I am a violin player, and currently work as a researcher in the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp (Belgium) and perform with different projects.

For a long time, my main interest has been klezmer music, and how to combine the rich and fascinating Jewish musical tradition with other things musical that I like, mainly (extended) tonal harmony, contemporary classical music, and improvisation. And then also Balkan music, Greek music and a lot of other styles as well- it is a bit eclectic really.

The single most important thing that happened to me in my musical life is the fact that I had the honor and the opportunity to study with Alan Bern, my favorite musician and teacher and thinker. He developed a method for free improvisation called Present Time Composition that I learned to understand and teach through years of reading and practicing (which you can read more about on my website).

Another thing that is a big factor in who I am musically today is my study of classical tonality. Much more than the complex harmonic theory that I studied in my jazz conservatory education, it is what inspires me today as a composer. This would never have happened without the help of another great teacher, Lieven Strobbe. Listening to the music on this website, you will probably hear what I mean when I say that I got a lot out of studying some Bach, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven compositions (although, just to be clear, I do not by a long shot consider myself a specialist).

My main projects at the moment are: a silent film project called No Words (Zonder Woorden in Dutch), a modern klezmer band called Halva, a traditional klezmer duo with my partner Alina Bauer called Azind, and then there is a project that is meanwhile discontinued but that is still so important to me that I cannot fail to mention it: Maggid.

To contact me, write to contact@nicolaascottenie.eu