Za Górami features singers and instrumentalists Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas and Misha Mullov-Abbado performing material from their acclaimed debut album, drawing on folk traditions from Argentina, France, Venezuela, Poland and Sephardic cultures filtered through chamber music and jazz improvisation. The performance runs approximately two hours including a 25-minute interval at UKARIA Cultural Centre on 10 October 2026, with tickets from $40 to $80.

Za Górami translates from Polish as 'behind the mountains', but the phrase carries the weight of 'once upon a time' as well. That double meaning sits at the heart of this trio's work: music that feels like folklore even when it's freshly composed, steeped in the sense that a story is being told rather than simply played.

Alice Zawadzki (voice and violin), Fred Thomas (piano and drums) and Misha Mullov-Abbado (double bass) built this project from a shared love of travel and the folk traditions they've picked up along the way. Argentine and French songs sit alongside Venezuelan, Polish and Sephardic material, all filtered through a chamber-music sensibility and a jazz musician's instinct for improvisation. It's a combination that could easily feel like a novelty exercise in the wrong hands, but the acclaim around their debut album suggests they've found something more durable than a gimmick.

The themes running through the material are big ones, deliberately so: the moon, mountains, rain, human nature, the prophecies people read into the natural world. These are the subjects of fairytales and folk songs the world over, which is presumably the point. Zawadzki, Thomas and Mullov-Abbado aren't just borrowing exotic melodies; they're tapping into something that connects disparate folk traditions at a fairly deep level.

UKARIA is the kind of room where this material should land well. Chamber-scaled, acoustically sharp, built for exactly the sort of close listening this trio rewards. The concert captures the group's first recording project together, so audiences are getting the material close to its source, before it's been reworked and toured into something else.

Practically speaking, this is a substantial evening out. The performance runs around two hours including a 25-minute interval, and UKARIA's usual pre-concert dining option is available, with an antipasti platter for two from $33. Bus transfers can also be arranged for those who'd rather not drive out. Tickets are $80 for adults, $75 concession and $40 for under-40s, which is reasonable pricing for a night built around a genuinely distinctive musical project rather than a straightforward genre gig.

For anyone drawn to music that blurs the line between folk tradition and jazz improvisation, this is a rare chance to hear a critically acclaimed new trio working through material that feels both ancient and freshly minted.

Details are correct at the time of publishing. Events can change or be cancelled, so please confirm dates, times and prices with the venue or ticket seller before booking.