by Ring Ring | 08.05.2025.
The 29th edition of Belgrade’s one-of-a-kind festival of new and experimental music will take place from May 23 to 25, 2025, at Radio Belgrade’s Studio 6, the Jewish Cultural Center, and Karmakoma Club. Over the course of three adventurous musical evenings, audiences will hear artists and bands from Norway, Japan, Germany, Austria, Portugal, the Czech Republic, the USA, and Serbia.
. . .
The longest-running festival of alternative, experimental, free-jazz, and improv music in Serbia, “Ring Ring”, has gone through various phases since its inception in 1996, evolving in different circumstances. At times, it boasted a lavish program lasting up to seven days, while at other moments, it took a more stripped-down form. However, regardless of the number of concerts, “Ring Ring” has always focused on high-quality, challenging, and diverse content.
This year’s 29th edition of “Ring Ring” will stay true to that spirit. Despite the challenging circumstances, the festival will be held in its usual May slot, bringing five concerts to delight fans of “different music”. Over three nights of concerts, taking place in three different venues in Belgrade, we will hear musicians from eight countries.
Alongside local favorites such as Otomo Yoshihide, Luís Vicente, and Marina Džukljev, the program will feature old acquaintances and fresh names from the world of top-tier improvised and innovative music, with a slight emphasis on free-jazz this year.
The festival opens with a Serbian-Austrian duo consisting of MARINA DŽUKLJEV (piano) and DIEB13 (turntables), two artists whose highly praised album “Štrudel” is the product of long-distance collaboration and a simultaneous performance from Novi Sad and Vienna in “COVID October” 2020. This performance, which is a Balkan premiere, is scheduled for Friday, May 23, at Studio 6, starting at 8:30 PM.
Entrance to this evening is free, with prior registration required via email: ringringfestival@gmail.com.
The second evening, Saturday, May 24, will take place at the iconic “Ring Ring” location, the Jewish Cultural Center “Oneg Shabbat”. Czech percussionist PAVEL FAJT, who last performed at “Ring Ring” in 2012 as a member of the Mie Zabelka Trio, will showcase the richness and excitement of his solo performance, presenting yet another Balkan premiere at the 29th edition of the festival.
The closing performance of the second evening will feature the world premiere of a Portuguese-American-Serbian quartet made up of: LUÍS VICENTE (trumpet), JOHN DIKEMAN (saxophone), BRANISLAV RADOJKOVIĆ (double bass), and ALEKSANDAR ŠKORIĆ (drums). This will be a free-jazz fireworks display from these prominent improvisers.
The third and final evening, Sunday, May 25, at Karmakoma Club, will begin with another Balkan premiere. The German-Norwegian acoustic trio consisting of IGNAZ SCHICK (saxophone), INGEBRIGT HÅKER FLATEN (double bass), and OLIVER STEIDLE (drums) brings together three legendary artists from the contemporary European jazz, improvised, and experimental music scene.
And finally, to close the 29th edition of “Ring Ring”, the festival will welcome true international stars to perform before the local audience, led by the legendary Japanese guitarist OTOMO YOSHIHIDE. Otomo has performed at the festival several times, and now he returns with his acclaimed Japanese quintet ONJQ (Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Quintet), which has been promoting energetic free-jazz and experimental music since 1999.
This will be their first performance in Serbia, expected to be a powerful conclusion to another edition of “Ring Ring”, a festival celebrating new sounds, human creativity, and togetherness through music!
Tickets for the second evening (1,200 RSD) and the third evening (1,700 RSD) can be purchased through tickets.rs and by email: ringringfestival@gmail.com.
The festival is supported by: the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade, Goethe-Institut, the Czech Centre Belgrade, Radio Belgrade 3, the Jewish Cultural Center “Oneg Shabbat”, and “Karmakoma” Club. The organizer is the “Ring Ring” Association in collaboration with MICS.
. . .
PROGRAM OF THE 29TH RING RING FESTIVAL
May 23, 8:30 PM, Studio 6 of Radio Belgrade
Marina Džukljev & dieb3 (SRB/AUT)
May 24, 7:30 PM, Jewish Cultural Center
Pavel Fajt (CZE)
Vicente/Dikeman/Škorić/Radojković (PRT/USA/SRB)
May 25, 8 PM, Karmakoma Club
Schick/Håker Flaten/Steidle (DEU/NOR)
ONJQ (JPN)
. . .
🔗 Ring Ring Festival: Website ǀ YouTube ǀ Facebook ǀ Instagram
🔗 Facebook Event: Ring Ring Festival 2025
🔗 Tickets: May 24 ǀ May 25
by Ring Ring | 19.03.2025.
The public call for artists to participate in this year’s regional mentoring program “Soundscapes of the Western Balkans“, aimed at fostering artistic creativity and innovation, is open until April 19, 2025.
. . .
We are excited to announce an open call for artists to participate in a regional mentorship program! This capacity-building regional program is opened for musicians, sound artists, producers and cultural workers.
The program will include workshops, field trips and mentoring resulting in unique mini-projects. Mentorship and guidance will be provided throughout the creative process. The program will also provide professional recognition and exposure in the context of different events to be held throughout the project.
The program will culminate with the Final Event which will celebrate the creativity and innovation developed throughout the program and provide a platform for the artists to share their work with a broader audience. The event will include an exhibition of sound projects alongside other outputs from the overall project “Soundscapes of the Western Balkans”..
ELIGIBILITY:
This open call is open to artists of all backgrounds and disciplines, particularly those working with sound in innovative and experimental ways. Artists should be available to complete their mini sound projects in time for the final event and be prepared to present their work for the exhibition.
We are looking for 12 artists to participate in the Regional mentorship program. All musicians, sound artists, producers and cultural workers, are invited to apply, if they are fulfilling the following criteria:
- Applicants may be individuals or representatives of a group;
- Artists of all music backgrounds are welcome to apply;
- To be eligible for this opportunity, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 40 years old on the date the public call is announced;
- Individuals or group representatives from the Western Balkan countries can apply.
OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Artists should be interested in creating sound-based projects that align with the themes and goals of the mentorship program;
- Projects should be experimental, engaging, and thought-provoking, showcasing the possibilities of sound as an artistic medium;
- Sound works can explore innovative use of technology, composition, field recordings, soundscapes, or interactive audio experiences;
- Projects should be in a format which can be displayed or performed in a gallery or event setting;
- The project result must be a sound sample that will later be made publicly available through the online platform;
- All participants must attend the workshops in person in Mostar and Belgrade.
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested artists are invited to submit the following:
- A short biography;
- A portfolio or examples of previous work. (Links of recordings, videos, or any other relevant format). Maximum 3 bodies of work;
- A recording or video introducing the artist;
- Contact information (email, phone).
ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS:
Each participant in the program will sign a contract with relevant organization, committing to create one sound mini project and organize one community event or music workshop in their city. As part of the program, participants will receive a production fee to cover associated costs
- 60% of the production fee will be paid upon signing the contract;
- The remaining 40% will be disbursed upon successful completion of all contract obligations;
- Other methods of payment disbursement can be arranged.
SHORT TIMELINE:
| March |
Open Call for participants (March 13 – April 19) |
| April |
Application Review & Selection (April 19 – April 30)
Final selection announced by May 1st
Onboarding & contracts signed
First 60% of production fee disbursed |
| May |
Kickoff Workshop in Mostar (May 10 – May 12) |
| June |
Online one-on-one mentorship session & group discussions: “Music Documentation & Archiving” |
| July |
Online one-on-one mentorship session & group discussions: “Self-Promotion & Monetization” |
| August |
Online one-on-one mentorship session & group discussions: “Field Recording & Sound Design” |
| September |
Online one-on-one mentorship session & group discussions: “Crowdfunding & Grants”
Mid-Point Workshop in Belgrade (September 26 – September 28) |
| October |
Finalizing Creative Sound Projects
Online listening sessions & mentor feedback |
| November |
Finalizing Creative Sound Projects
Online listening sessions & mentor feedback
Community Engagement Events |
| December |
Community Engagement Events (November – December)
Final Showcase & Documentary Premiere in Mostar (December 6 – December 7)
Final 40% of production fee disbursed |
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Saturday, April 19th 2025
Please send all applications and inquiries to: soundscapesofthewesternbalkans@gmail.com.
If you need to send heavy attachments via email for an application, you can use a file-sharing service to ensure the files are easily accessible without overloading your email. We will confirm when all of your attachments are received. Once you get the confirmation e-mail the application is considered accepted for reviewing.
We look forward to discovering the innovative and inspiring sound works! Don’t miss the chance to be a part of this unique opportunity!
. . .
by Ring Ring | 17.10.2024.
The third Pocket Globe World Music Festival will be held in Novi Sad, at the new building of the Student Cultural Center (Vladimira Perića Valtera Street 5), from November 12 to 14, 2024. Each of the six concerts within the festival program will celebrate the creative power of women and their leadership spirit in music and artistic projects in its own way. The start of each evening is scheduled for 8 PM.
. . .
The first two editions of the “Pocket Globe” festival, held in 2022 and 2023, demonstrated that Novi Sad is indeed a suitable place for showcasing sound and cultural heritages from various parts of the world, whether traditionally or modernly interpreted, original or arranged, through their diverse content, large audience, and exceptional atmosphere.
After those exciting, promising, and acclaimed initial steps, the “Pocket Globe” festival happily continues its mission, which involves broadening musical horizons and listening habits, serving as a form of spontaneous music education, and enriching the cultural offerings of Novi Sad and Serbia with rare, lesser-known concert programs, often including premieres: local, Serbian, and even regional.
When it comes to this year’s edition, “Pocket Globe” can proudly announce that all concert programs will be premiered in Serbia.
This year’s festival is dedicated to women. Their “voice” – in both a literal and metaphorical sense – will dominate the concert program, which consists of six concerts divided over three evenings. At some concerts, women will be the sole performers on stage, while in mixed settings, it will still be women who take on the leading roles!
At the very beginning, on Tuesday, November 12, we will listen to the French trio Samaïa, composed of three young artists captivated by vocal polyphony, various musical traditions, and linguistic diversity.
With their radiant and sharp voices, sometimes accompanying themselves on instruments, Eléonore, Noémie, and Luna interpret songs in more than ten languages, drawing from traditional Breton, Occitan, Anatolian, Caucasian, and many other European and Eurasian song sources, enriching their repertoire with their own original compositions.
They have two albums to their credit, with the latest one, “Traversées”, released in June 2023.
Following them, the star of this year’s “Pocket Globe”, Ana Alcaide, will take the stage. This unique Spanish artist is deeply committed to ancient traditions, drawing inspiration from them for her own compositional work.
Ana’s originality is largely based on her combination of playing the nyckelharpa and performing medieval Spanish melodies, some of which have spread throughout the Mediterranean over time. Naturally, Ana’s artistic openness has also embraced Sephardic heritage, including singing in Judeo-Spanish.
On her artistic and research journey, Ana has collaborated with numerous musicians from various countries. Among her regular collaborators is the American-Spanish musician Bill Cooley, who is also her life partner. He plays various oriental string instruments and incorporates electronics into his work. At the concert in Novi Sad, titled “Essentia”, we will hear Bill Cooley alongside Ana Alcaide, who will play not only the nyckelharpa but also the Hardanger fiddle and sing.
The second evening, on November 13, will be opened by the duo Hiram Salsano and Marcello De Carolis, whose fresh joint project “Fronni D’Alia” is rooted in Hiram Salsano’s long-standing dedication to the music of Southern Italy, which she researches in the field and then performs and reinterprets with her exceptional vocals, as well as by playing Italian frame drums (tamorra and tamburello) and jaw harps (marranzano), skillfully using the looper as well. Hiram has received multiple awards in Italy for her work so far. Marcello, Hiram’s partner in this captivating musical experiment, plays the chitarra battente while also using the looper.
The fusion of their affinity for archaic themes and modern virtuosity offers a fascinating journey through the landscapes of Southern Italy, exploring the spirit and essence of folk narrative songs, serenades, work songs, and more.
This “duo evening” will be rounded off by Maniucha Bikont and Ksawery Wójciński, Polish artists whose project, as well as their album “Oj borom, borom”, released in 2017, continues to delight European audiences – not only fans of world music and traditional songs but also enthusiasts of experimental and avant-garde sounds.
This project is also rooted in a woman’s perspective, as Maniucha’s in-depth field research focuses on Ukrainian songs from the border region of Polesie, which she performs with her rustic-ethereal voice.
She found the perfect collaborator in double bassist Ksawery, who seamlessly blends his avant-garde vocabulary with her archaic voice and messages, bringing a deep understanding to their music.
After one trio and three duos, “Pocket Globe” will feature the smallest and largest ensemble in its third edition. On Thursday, November 14, the audience will first be introduced to Teija Niku, an academically trained accordionist from Finland, who not only possesses technical and performing excellence but also a musical cosmopolitanism. Open to various influences, Teija often combines different traditions and genres in her playing and composing. She is perhaps best known for her love of the Scandinavian North and the Balkan South, as evidenced by her three solo albums: “Finsko Pajdusko”, “Memento”, and “Hetkessä”.
To conclude the festival, the organizers have chosen the increasingly recognized Serbian and Austrian artist Jelena Popržan, an authentic and unique performer. Although the local audience has had many opportunities to hear her live in Serbia (Jelena last performed in her hometown of Novi Sad in 2013), this will be the premiere concert of her ensemble and project, Jelena Popržan Quartett. Joining Jelena (vocals, viola) are esteemed jazz musicians from Austria: Richie Winkler (clarinet, alto saxophone), Clemens Sainitzer (cello), and Lina Neuner (double bass).
The project of this quartet, materialized in the 2022 album of the same name, features Jelena’s original compositions inspired by the poems of Tamar Radzyner (1927 – 1991), a Polish-Viennese poet of Jewish descent. This concert program combines the form of a song cycle with a series of vivid instrumental compositions.
The performance of Jelena Popržan’s quartet, which synchronously unites two powerful female signatures, will convincingly conclude the third edition of the “Pocket Globe” festival, dedicated to the strength of the female voice and the creative power and contributions of women in society, culture, and music.
In addition to the concert program, the festival will also offer the audience some accompanying events, about which more information will be available soon.
Tickets for the festival can be purchased through the Gigstix website. The price for a single evening ticket is 1,000 dinars, while the price for a full festival ticket package is 2,500 dinars.
The festival is supported by: The international project “Sounds of Europe” (supported by Creative Europe), the Embassy of Spain, the Polish Institute in Belgrade, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the French Institute, the Italian Institute of Culture in Belgrade, and the Student Cultural Center Novi Sad. The organizer is the Ring Ring Association in partnership with the Music Information Centre Serbia.
. . .
🔗 Pocket Globe 2024: Website ǀ Facebook Event “Pocket Globe Festival 2024” ǀ Facebook ǀ Instagram
🔗 Samaïa: Bandcamp ǀ YouTube ǀ Facebook ǀ Instagram
🔗 Ana Alcaide: Website ǀ Spotify ǀ YouTube ǀ Facebook ǀ Instagram
🔗 Hiram Salsano & Marcello De Carolis: YouTube ǀ Hiram / Website ǀ Marcello / Website
🔗 Maniucha & Ksawery: Facebook ǀ Bandcamp ǀ YouTube
🔗 Teija Niku: Website ǀ Spotify ǀ YouTube ǀ Facebook ǀ Instagram
🔗 Jelena Popržan Quartett: YouTube ǀ Bandcamp ǀ Jelena / Website
by Ring Ring | 05.09.2024.
The 12th edition of the Todo Mundo festival will feature six concerts, an international conference, mentoring sessions, and an interview with the artist. The festival will be held in Belgrade from September 20 to 22, 2024.
. . .
At a time when children and parents have already settled into the school rhythm and autumn is taking over from summer, the “Todo Mundo” festival gifts the audience its twelfth edition, which is largely dedicated to Roma music.
During the three festival days – Pokreni! (Move!), Zavrti! (Spin!), and Poskoči! (Jump!) – daytime and evening events will take place. The main evening program will consist of six concerts, held at the Jewish Cultural Center (Jevrejska 16).
The concert program will kick off on September 20 with the Belgrade band Kal – well-known to both local and international audiences – featuring their distinctive, strong rhythms, powerful energy, and the compelling vocals of frontman Dragan Ristić. The evening will be rounded off in a completely different mood, with a concert by Tcha Limberger’s Kalotaszeg Trio.
Limberger, a violinist and vocalist, has a deep love for the music of the Carpathians, Transylvania, Romania, and Hungary, which has brought this exceptional, skillful, and versatile artist into the circle of top interpreters of Roma heritage from a region far removed from his native Belgium.
Tcha’s trio includes two Roma musicians: Toni Rudi Junior (viola) and Vilmos Csikos (double bass).
The second evening (September 21) will begin with a performance by the brilliant young Slovak singer Júlia Kozáková and the five-member Roma instrumental ensemble Manuša. Together with Júlia, they create a light and exhilarating atmosphere, deeply rooted in the tradition of Slovak Roma. Júlia’s warm, agile alto is perfectly supported by violin, cimbalom, viola, double bass, and guitar.
After Júlia and Manuša’s concert, the “Vojin Mališa Draškoci 2024” award will be presented by the World Music Association of Serbia to Vladimir Lenhart, known on stage as Lenhart Tapes.
This unique local musician is a virtuoso on Walkmans, creating a club atmosphere and experimental sound by sampling audio cassette material. After receiving the award, Lenhart Tapes will perform alongside vocalist Tijana Stanković.
The final musical evening (September 22) will feature performances by legendary bands from Hungary and the Czech Republic – Romano Drom and Terne Čhave. Both bands create modern gypsy music, with Terne Čhave even coining a slogan: It’s only Rom’n’Roll. Unlike them, Romano Drom builds modernity on the foundation of Vlach Roma tradition, which the band carefully nurtures and modernizes. The concert in Belgrade, as well as their entire tour this year, celebrates Romano Drom’s 25 years of successful work.
The accompanying program of the “Todo Mundo” festival includes several events. In collaboration with the National Committee of Serbia ICTMD and the Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, there will be an interview with Júlia Kozáková (in English) on the topic: “Reinterpretation of Traditional Songs of Romani from Central Europe”. The interview will take place at the Institute of Musicology (Knez Mihailova 36/4) on September 20, starting at 12 p.m.
On Saturday, September 21, starting at 11 a.m., at the garden of the Hotel “Rex”, mentoring sessions will be held with local and international delegates and musicians. Musicians must register in advance via email: todomundofestival@gmail.com.
The festival’s daytime program also includes an international conference in English titled: “Roma People and Music: Freedom, Adaptation, Taking Over.” The conference is scheduled for September 22, starting at 11 a.m., at the Jewish Cultural Center.
With the program on the final day, September 22, the festival, as it did last year, joins the celebration of the “European Folk Day”, just one day earlier, on the eve of the actual date which is September 23.
Ticket prices are 1,000 dinars for each concert evening. The price for a festival pass is 2,500 dinars. Tickets can be purchased through the website and at Tickets.rs sales points. Admission to accompanying events is free.
The organizer of the “Todo Mundo” festival is the “Ring Ring” Association, in collaboration with the Music Information Centre of Serbia. The festival is supported by Sounds of Europe, the Ministry of Culture of Serbia, Collegium Hungaricum, EFFEA, the World Music Association of Serbia, the Czech Center Belgrade, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
. . .
🔗 Full festival schedule
🔗 Facebook Event „Todo Mundo Festival 2024”
🔗 YouTube: Kal ǀ Tcha Limberger ǀ Julia Kozakova ǀ Lenhart Tapes feat. Tijana Stanković ǀ
Romano Drom ǀ Terne Čhave
by Ring Ring | 16.05.2024.
May is the Ring Ring month! The 28th edition of the prestigious Belgrade festival of new, different, experimental music is ahead of us, and will be held from May 23 to 26, 2024, at the Jewish Cultural Center and Zappa Baza. The organizer of the festival, the Ring Ring Association, promises four exciting musical evenings and a total of seven diverse concerts featuring artists and bands from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, the USA, Turkey, and Serbia.
. . .
Running an independent, alternative festival in Serbia is demanding and challenging work. Each year, you push that stone anew. Sometimes it seems that the uphill climb gets steeper with each passing year. On one hand, financial support is often undefined until the start of the festival, while there’s an increasing number of brilliant bands and musicians. They persistently apply and patiently wait. It appears as if they have more understanding of the situation than we do ourselves.
The program pieces of every “Ring Ring” are arranged according to the desire and necessity to introduce new and familiar names to the audience, both from the domestic and international scenes. However, there is, of course, too much phenomenal music on the planet for just one festival per year. But when that one festival arrives, and the audience fills the familiar space at Jevrejska 16, the organizers are simply ecstatic. And already then, they joyfully begin making a wish list for the next edition of the “Ring Ring” Festival.
The combination of debutants and artists known from previous festivals has reached one of its possible peaks this year. Thus, on the same evening, May 25, the legendary Dutch band The Ex, which has been around for 45 years, and the Istanbul-Belgrade TRIOBROK, which will soon celebrate its first anniversary, will perform.
The opening night, May 23, belongs to a long-awaited collaboration – the Belgrade band Fish in Oil has long admired Vienna’s, and our own Jelena Popržan, recognizable for her creative, alternative approach to instruments, voice, and composition. Their long-held dream comes true in full force this year.
Manja Ristić is another name in our festival program. For the first time, she performs at “Ring Ring”, to the great joy of organizers and audiences, bringing a completely fresh program. In the past few years, Manja, working from Korčula, distanced from all metropolises, has entered the circle of more significant sound explorers. On the same evening, May 24, we will hear another debutant of “Ring Ring”, performing in a solo performance: American experimenter Michael J. Schumacher brings his usual sound devices, including eight special speakers.
As it begins, the festival “Ring Ring 2024” will also end with concerts on the floor of the hall at the Jewish Cultural Center. On the last night, May 26, the Cologne trio C/W|N will perform, led by (again, our own) Dušica Cajlan, joined by the trio’s old acquaintance of festival audiences, Georg Wissel, and Dutch percussionist Etienne Nillesen. The last performance at this year’s festival belongs to the international Šalter Ensemble, which performed seven years ago in a slightly different lineup. In early May, they released a new album, “Tri dela”, on which the collective improvisation of this ten-member ensemble shows that for creative musicians, there are no obstacles to opening new collaborations and achieving an ever closer connection with the audience.
Tickets for the festival (individual and a festival pass) can be purchased via the Tickets.rs website, as well as through email at ringringfestival@gmail.com.
. . .
🔗 Video teaser „Ring Ring Festival 2024”
🔗 Facebook Event „RING RING 2024”
🔗 Facebook Event „The Ex u Beogradu, na festivalu Ring Ring”
🔗 Tickets: Festival pass ǀ May 23 ǀ May 24 ǀ May 25 ǀ May 26
🔗 YouTube: Manja Ristić ǀ Šalter Ensemble ǀ The Ex
