The Artists
The Ensemble
World-class performers from Broadway, Carnegie Hall, the Silk Road Ensemble, and the Juilliard School — united by Albanian heritage.
The Four
First Violin
Margret
Radovani
Albania · New York
Margret (Greta) Radovani is an Albanian violinist and educator known for her expressive sound, versatility, and charismatic stage presence. Classically trained with a Master's in Solo Violin Performance, she has performed with the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Albania, Tirana Philharmonic, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, and prestigious youth orchestras across Europe.
She has appeared at concert halls and festivals internationally, collaborating with celebrated artists including Gregory Alan Isakov and Anthony McGill.
Violin
Megan
Gould
New York City
One of NYC's most versatile performers in popular music. Since completing a master's in Ethnomusicology from the University of London, she has performed around the world and toured extensively throughout the US appearing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center.
She has performed with David Byrne, Natalie Merchant, and as part of the Silk Road Ensemble. Megan is also the composer of "Teuta the Queen" on this program.
Viola
Entela
Barçi
Albania · New York City
An accomplished violist whose career spans chamber music, Broadway, and community outreach. A graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School, Entela has performed on Broadway in The Producers and in the musical Beetlejuice.
She is also a recording artist whose work can be found on Apple Music and Spotify, and continues to share her artistry with audiences and students throughout New York City.
Cello
Eleanor
Norton
New York City
Currently the cellist for the hit Broadway show Moulin Rouge, she regularly performs on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
World tours with Adele and The Jonas Brothers. She held the cello chair at The Cher Show and was cello coach on the Amazon Prime series Mozart in The Jungle.
Music Director & Arranger
Edmond
Xhani
“One of the most recognized and respected musicians in Albania, Kosovo, and across the Albanian diaspora.”
Edmond Xhani’s artistic formation was shaped by maestro Robert Radoja and composers Ferdinand Deda and Çesk Zadeja. At just 14 years old, he participated in the 9th Song Festival at RTSH in 1970 — the youngest instrumentalist in its history.
He worked for many years with the ART (Albanian Radio & Television) Orchestra as guitarist, and with the National Folk Ensemble as instrumentalist and later conductor. His artistic activity spans composition, adaptation, and arrangement across folk music, light music, children’s music, and instrumental repertoire.
1970
First festival, age 14
50+
Years performing
ART
Albanian Radio & TV Orchestra
Folk
National Folk Ensemble conductor
Extended Voices
Percussion
Shane Shanahan
New York
Silkroad inaugural co-artistic director. Has performed with Bobby McFerrin, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Philip Glass, Alison Krauss, and Chaka Khan. Played for President and First Lady Obama at the White House.
Flute & Piccolo
Etnika Beqrama
Kosovo · New York
Kosovar flutist with degrees from the University of Prishtina and the University of Skopje. Performed across Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Austria, Switzerland, and France. Now based in New York.
Clarinet
Ylli Zhaveli
Kosovo · New York
Musician, educator, and conductor with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Clarinet Performance. Masterclasses across Europe with leading clarinetists. His playing spans chamber music to modern classical with a focus on emotional storytelling.