The musical ensemble "Loyko" was founded in 1990 by Sergey Erdenko in Dublin and originally began as a duo with Igor Starosel’tsev. Over the years, the group has included notable musicians such as Alexey Bezzlepkine (guitar), Vadim Kulitsky (guitar), Oleg Ponomaryov (violin), Leontsia Erdenko (vocals, percussion), Georgy Osmolovsky (violin), and Vladimir Bessonov (violin), all of whom contributed to shaping the group’s unique artistic identity. At its core, "Loyko"’s repertoire is rooted in Russian Romani music, enriched by elements of Romanian, Hungarian, and Celtic folk traditions, as well as classical music — a result of years of international touring and collaboration with foreign artists.
Today, the trio continues to expand its repertoire by composing original music and creating new arrangements. From 1993 over three consecutive seasons, "Loyko" participated in the renowned European show "Magneten" , a major production featuring Romani ensembles from around the world, where the group opened and closed performances in major cities across the European Union.
"Loyko" has collaborated with legendary artists, including The Rolling Stones , Pink Floyd , sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar , and Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer . The musicians have also contributed to soundtracks for theatre and film productions.
The ensemble has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious concert stages, and their performances have been broadcast by leading European television channels such as RTL, SAT1, PRO7 , and BBC .
The Frankfurt-based recording studio Network Frankfurt released a 36-disc series titled "Gypsy Music of the World" , with "Loyko" representing the Russian Federation in the collection.
In 2006, the group’s founder, Sergey Erdenko, was named one of the top five Romani musicians (Roma Opre ) and took part in a series of joint concerts across Eastern Europe.