Local Musician receives national honor

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

Angela White, 25, of Austintown will receive the Founder’s Award from the Tamburitzan Association of America during the annual Tamburitza Extravaganza set for Sept. 20–23 in Los Angeles.

The Founder’s Award is given to a young tambura artist who has promoted the music and heritage of the Croatian people.

Although White might look like any other Millennial, each day she is fighting a battle with multiple sclerosis that was diagnosed when she was 21. The music of Croatia, carried on through the generations, helps her focus, not on the health issues the disease brings with it, but on the rhythms, harmonies and sound of another culture. The pull of the language and music helps create a special bond to a country close to White’s heart.

The tambura tradition runs deep in White’s life because her grandmother, mother and aunt all have led and performed in a number of tamburitzan groups in the area. White not only performs with the Youngstown tamburitzcan group Od Srca, she also performs with the Veseljaci from Farrell, Pa. She also leads her own group, the Night Owls (Nocne Sove). The group has performed around the area for many events.

White has also produced two CDs on her own, playing each of the instruments from the tambura family. From the berde (a string bass) to the tiny prim, which resembles a mandolin, White can play each instrument. Her albums also feature some of the leading vocalists and instrumentalists in the tamburitzan world.