Driven by Alana's wild violin, chased by accordion and double bass, Vardos play folk and Romany music learnt from folk and Rroma (Gypsy) musicians during their travels in Hungary and Romania. They have been serenading audiences around the world since late last century.
Vardos have toured to every state in Australia; festivals include National, Port Fairy, Illawarra, Cobargo and Fairbridge Folk Festivals, Queenscliff Music Festival, Alice Desert Festival, Dark MoFo in Hobart and Melbourne Festival where they launched 'Entertaining Countess Dracula' to a sell-out crowd at the Famous Spiegeltent. Vardos performed at Falls Festival in Marion Bay Tasmania, Lorne Victoria and Byron Bay NSW. In Melbourne they have supported Besh o Drom and Antal Szalai Gypsy Band (Hungary), Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne and Gipsy Kings at the Palais, St Kilda.In 2023 Alana and Sofia performed with Taraf de Caliu (Romania) at Womadelaide.
Television appearances in Australia include cameos on 'Spicks and Specks' (Series 5 Episode 7 with Rhys Darby), ABC TV, 'The Footy Show', Channel 9, Seachange (Series 3) and The Doctor Blake Mysteries (Series 5 Episode 2) ABC TV. Vardos feature in Ruth Cullen's documentary on artist Vali Myers, 'Painted Lady'. (See Films)
Vardos have toured internationally to New Zealand, New Caledonia, Switzerland and Hungary, showcased in the United States, and had successful shows at the Famous Spiegeltent in the Edinburgh Fringe and the Edinburgh International Book Festival Spiegeltent. Vardos were nominated for the 2003 BBC Radio3 World Music Awards (Audience Award) and returned to Edinburgh in 2004 where they received a 4 star review.
VARDOS performed in 2010 at the West meets East Roma and Traveller Festival (London), Museum of the Bohemian (Amsterdam), Szent Ivan FolkFest (Hungary) and bars in Berlin.In 2015 Vardos returned to perform in Sopron, Hungary, then played across southern France, from Marseille to Carcassonne, including a residency at Hôtel Sainte Valière. Vardos released their 5th album, 'Palazzo Party' to sell out crowds in Brisbane and Canberra in 2017.
Two Vardos albums have been finalists for the Golden Fiddle Awards.In 2020 Vardos performed Sofia Chapman's play with live music, The Top Secret Violin Case, set in communist Romania, at La Mama in the Midsumma Festival.
'Violinist Alana Hunt is the live wire in chief, encouraging the audience to clap along - but in and at the right time please - by appearing menacingly at their tables, and regaling them with unlikely tales of drunken clocks, broken curfews and short-sighted shepherds' (Rob Adams, Edinburgh)
Alana formed the band in 1993 in Perth, where Vardos worked professionally for five years, including Fremantle Festival and Festival of Perth; during this time Alana also made two trips to Hungary to study Hungarian folk music with Beáta Salamon (Méta folk music band) and Romany music with Miklós Kónya. Sofia and Alana have made seven trips to Eastern Europe since 1999. (see Travels in Hungary and Romania)Sofia Chapman trained as a classical pianist until running away with the piano accordion, joining Vardos in 1998, and 'could play Shakespeare's complete works with her eyebrows' (The Herald, Edinburgh).
Sofia learnt 3 and 4 string viola and hurdy gurdy in Hungary and Transylvania, for specific regions to accompany tanchaz ('dance house').
Sofia played at WOMAD Festival Adelaide 2023 with Taraf de Caliu and Reading with Xenos, and has been a guest musician for Zulya Kamalova. Also a composer and playwright.Kirri Büchler is a multi-instrumentalist, sound designer, composer and sound artist who has performed in various ensembles in Melbourne and around Australia and has studied internationally. Kirri joined Vardos in 2012 and toured to France, also studying and performing in Hungary She has played and improvised music for Metanoia Theatre, Hypnagogia, Sanctum Theatre and Roundangle and has collaborated with Sofia as a sound artist and actor on her plays and the band The Kurts.
