“Ring Ring”’s Festival Whistle Blows for the 29th Gathering of “Different Music” Lovers

“Ring Ring”’s Festival Whistle Blows for the 29th Gathering of “Different Music” Lovers

by | 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.

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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.

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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)

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🔗  Ring Ring Festival:  Website   ǀ   YouTube   ǀ   Facebook   ǀ   Instagram

🔗  Facebook Event:  Ring Ring Festival 2025

🔗  Tickets:  May 24  ǀ  May 25 

 

Public Call: “Soundscapes of the Western Balkans”

Public Call: “Soundscapes of the Western Balkans”

by | 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.

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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!

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So, how did that female “voice” sound at the concluded “Pocket Globe 2024” festival?

So, how did that female “voice” sound at the concluded “Pocket Globe 2024” festival?

by | 25.11.2024.

The third “Pocket Globe” festival took place in Novi Sad from November 12 to 14, 2024, across several venues. With a program that included six concerts, a workshop, and a presentation, the spotlight was firmly placed on female artists.

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The first thing I want to say at the very beginning of this article is that the final preparations and organization for the “Pocket Globe” festival have never been more difficult. The reason is serious and grim: eleven days before the third edition of our festival, the roof of Novi Sad’s Railway Station collapsed, claiming the lives of 14 people, with one of the severely injured passing away 16 days later, on November 17.

This tragic event will rightfully continue to shake Serbian society and its political scene. During the period of shock and the initial wave of profound grief felt by the people of Serbia, particularly the citizens of Novi Sad, we were nevertheless compelled to go ahead with what had already been scheduled and planned, especially since the official three-day mourning period had passed.

Although the official mourning on a national level ended, the profound despair, suffering, and dissatisfaction continued – and still linger – in people’s hearts.

This situation and atmosphere naturally led to the “Pocket Globe” festival seeing its smallest audience yet. Those who did attend described the experience as almost therapeutic, offering a fleeting sense of solace to their weary minds – whether through something beautiful, pleasant, emotional, contemplative, moving, poignant, restorative, or joyful, depending on the specific concert.

In a way, it could be said that the program of this third edition of the “festival in your pocket” offered a fittingly intimate sound and content – one that neither agitates nor invites celebration. And so, in unfortunate circumstances, everything “aligned” this way.

The concert program of the third “Pocket Globe” was held in the new building of the Student Cultural Center Novi Sad, located on Vladimir Perić Valter Street. The spacious ground-floor hall, featuring a large stage, excellent sound, and a bar providing easy and quick access to refreshments, created a pleasant, practical, and fitting environment for the concerts that unfolded over the festival’s three evenings. It seemed that everyone was satisfied – musicians, audience, and organizers alike.

The first to perform on November 12 was the French female trio Samaïa. The sincere, almost childlike cheerfulness of the three exceptionally skilled and experienced young artists – Éléonore Fourniau, Noémie Nael, and Luna Silva – established an instant connection with the audience, who clearly enjoyed the performance and rewarded it with enthusiastic applause. Their program featured stunning, harmonious vocal polyphony, beautifully and tastefully arranged instrumental parts (hurdy-gurdy, bendir, riq, bombo legüero, bass drum, daf, and mandola), and a captivating selection of diverse traditional songs from Europe and the Middle East.

It’s fair to say that Samaïa was a revelation for both the audience and us as organizers. Their time is yet to come, and in a way, we took a chance inviting them – uncertain if they would prove to be good or extraordinary. In the end, the latter turned out to be true.

Following the young French trio, the stage welcomed the oldest (48) and most renowned musician of this year’s festival edition (centered on women, exclusively Serbian premieres, and predominantly younger artists) – Ana Alcaide from Spain, a prominent figure on the contemporary Spanish music scene. Supported by her longtime collaborator and life partner, Bill Cooley (playing the oud, psaltery, bouzouki, bass pedal, and programming), Ana cast her signature spell with an ambient, ethereal, and transcendent atmosphere.

Her performance, angelically refined, was led by the beauty of her voice and the timeless sound of the Nordic nyckelharpa. She took us on a journey across the Mediterranean and the paths of the Sephardim.

It seemed Ana was slightly disheartened by the modest audience turnout, as an artist of her caliber is accustomed to larger crowds. However, there was little we could do about it. Such was the fate of “Pocket Globe” in the penultimate month of 2024.

The second evening, November 13, featured performances by two duos. First, Hiram Salsano & Marcello De Carolis delighted the audience with captivating and energetic interpretations of traditional music from southern Italy, particularly the regions of Campania and Basilicata. Everything was as one might expect from the temperament of this part of Europe: Hiram’s powerful vocals, passionate tambourine shaking, and rhythmic pulsations of the jaw harp created a perfect synergy with Marcello’s virtuosity on the chitarra battente. Loopers added extra depth to the atmosphere without compromising the raw authenticity of the old songs.

At one point, Marcello’s measured dancing with some of the audience members in a traditional circle dance added a warm sense of togetherness – something especially meaningful during those heavy November days.

After the Italians, the stage welcomed a performance that drew visitors not only interested in world music but also in experimental and avant-garde sound. Some attendees even traveled from Belgrade to Novi Sad specifically for this concert. The Polish duo Maniucha & Ksawery based their performance on the album “Oj borom, borom…”, which, even seven years after its release, continues to inspire and captivate. This duo’s artistry is so compelling that no one expects them to rush into releasing another album anytime soon.

The concert by Maniucha Bikont and Ksawery Wójciński seemed to resonate most profoundly with the somber mood in Serbia during those November days.

With a voice that is tender yet piercing and raw, Maniucha channeled the emotions of rural women from the Ukrainian part of Polesia (a border region spanning Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, where she has conducted extensive field research for years). Her performance vividly portrayed various forms of sorrow from the everyday lives of these women in the past. Yet, this sorrow was also a means of release, a way for rural singers to alleviate their anguish and restore their psychological well-being.

Double bassist Ksawery, as an interpreter and collaborator in this experimental-traditional exploration of Ukrainian heritage, added tones and harmonies of tenderness, suffering, emotional disjunction, searching, and the reestablishment of inner peace.

The third evening, November 14, began with a performance by Finnish artist Teija Niku, who, with her accordion in hand and on her lap, offered the audience around fifty pure “chill-out” minutes. She alternated between the alluring melancholy of Northern Europe and the passionate dynamism of the Balkans, crafting a natural and intimate sequence. Even the familiar melody of the popular song “Ajde, Jano” felt seamlessly integrated into her set. Despite Teija’s invitation for the audience to dance to this close-to-home theme (something we might have eagerly done in another context), everyone remained seated, savoring the beauty of each tone and melodic embellishment.

Teija drew the largest crowd of the festival, thanks in part to a significant group of students from Novi Sad’s “Isidor Bajić” Music School, brought by their accordion teacher, Marko Asurdžić. It was a wonderful example of encouraging young people to broaden their listening experiences outside of school and expand their horizons within their field of study.

The final act of “Pocket Globe” featured the increasingly acclaimed Serbian-Austrian artist Jelena Popržan, presenting one of her current projects, the Jelena Popržan Quartett. Over a decade had passed since her last performance in Novi Sad (as part of the duo Catch-Pop String-Strong), one of “her” cities. Born in Novi Sad, Jelena had an overwhelming desire to share all her inner passion, ideas, and creativity with the audience.

Her complete and heartfelt devotion to the music, the moment, the space, and the gathered community resulted in a compelling interpretation of material from the album she released with the Quartett in 2022.

While the instrumental pieces were as fascinating as the songs based on the poetry of Jewish-Polish-Austrian poet Tamar Radzyner, it was these very vocal-instrumental moments that emotionally moved the audience even more profoundly.

The accompanying events of the festival played a significant role in enriching the experience, starting with a workshop on Tuesday, November 12, in the early evening. This workshop, much like the previous year, marked the official opening of the festival. Last year, it was led by Iva Bittová, while this year, Maniucha Bikont took the reins. Once again, it was a resounding success!

Maniucha was exceptionally dedicated, working with curious and musically inclined children from the Children’s Opera Studio of the Serbian National Theatre on several Ukrainian songs. Along the way, she introduced them to the phenomena of traditional music and rural life. The choir’s conductor, Verica Pejić, observed with satisfaction, occasionally offering her active support.

Some of the children attended Maniucha & Ksawery’s concert the following evening, and one brave girl even joined them on stage to sing a song together at Maniucha’s invitation.

Another complementary event took place at the “Isidor Bajić” Music School on Wednesday, November 13, in collaboration with the “Eufonija” Association, which nurtures and promotes accordion art. Teija Niku delivered a presentation for the school’s accordion students and teachers, sharing her artistic journey and insights into the Finnish accordion scene.

She provided a special focus on a unique type of classical accordion characteristic of Finland, which differs slightly from models in other parts of Europe and the world.

These two events represented additional activities by the guest artists under the framework of the “Sounds of Europe” project. This initiative supported the visits of Maniucha, Ksawery, and Teija to the festival. Beyond Maniucha’s workshop and Teija’s presentation, which formally took place as part of “Pocket Globe”, two other activities aligned with the project but occurred outside the festival’s organization. The first was a concert by the trio WOŠ in Novi Sad at the Cultural Center of Vojvodina “Miloš Crnjanski” on November 11, where Ksawery Wojciński performed with local musicians Predrag Okiljević (tenor saxophone) and Aleksandar Škorić (drums). The second was Teija’s concert on November 12 at the Cultural Center “Mija Aleksić” in Gornji Milanovac, as part of the “traveling” festival “Creative Europe”.

The “Pocket Globe” festival is organized by the Ring Ring Association in collaboration with the Music Information Centre of Serbia, and this year also with the Students’ Cultural Center Novi Sad.

The third “Pocket Globe” received support from: “Sounds of Europe” (Creative Europe), the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Embassy of Spain in Belgrade, the Polish Institute in Belgrade, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the French Institute in Serbia, the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade, the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrade, and the magazine Etnoumlje.

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🔗  Pocket Globe:  Website   ǀ   YouTube   ǀ   Facebook   ǀ   Instagram

🔗  Pocket Globe 2024:  A report in Serbian on the Remix Press portal

 

Women’s “voice” at the third “festival in the pocket”

Women’s “voice” at the third “festival in the pocket”

by | 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.

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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.

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🔗  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

 

The Colorfulness of Roma Culture: “Todo Mundo 2024” has concluded

The Colorfulness of Roma Culture: “Todo Mundo 2024” has concluded

by | 24.09.2024.

The twelfth “Todo Mundo” festival took place in Belgrade from September 20 to 22, 2024, at several locations. The program was dedicated to the Roma people and music, featuring six concerts, a public interview, mentoring sessions, an award ceremony, and an international conference.

. . .

It cannot be said that such a thing is essential, but it is nice and appealing for a music festival to unite the program of its edition around a specific theme. This is how “Todo Mundo” has, several times, created a “story” that flows through the concerts and other program contents. Experienced Todo Mundo crowd may recall the festival’s focuses on the African (2012), Balkan (2014), and Hungarian (2019) music scenes, as well as on women (2021) and the Roma, which served as the thematic thread of the latest, twelfth edition of the festival.

The program design was facilitated by the fact that our Ring Ring Association has been a partner in the European project “Sounds of Europe” since 2022, so this year we also turned to the portfolios of our partners from different European countries. We selected artists and groups and ultimately created a lineup consisting entirely of Roma music performers: Tcha Limberger, Júlia Kozáková, Romano Drom, and Terne Čhave. After that, we needed to add a fitting “local” concert, and the decision was simple: the Belgrade band Kal, which had never performed at “Todo Mundo” before.

And that’s not all when it comes to the Roma theme – a public discussion with Júlia Kozáková at the Musicology Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA) was also focused on the Roma, just like the international conference “Roma People and Music: Freedom, Adaptation, Taking Over”…

EVERYTHING WE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SLOVAK ROMA

The first event of this year’s festival took place in office 410 of The SASA Institute of Musicology. The public interview with Júlia Kozáková is a continuation of the series of artist conversations that the “Todo Mundo” festival has successfully developed with the idea of offering the ethnomusicological community (with an openness to a wider audience) the opportunity to get closer to a representative of a particular musical tradition or genre through direct contact.

Such conversations have previously been organized at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, in always pleasant cooperation with the Department of Ethnomusicology, and in 2024, we decided to hold it at the Musicology Institute. The conversation with Júlia Kozáková, held on Friday, September 20, in the early afternoon, was led by ethnomusicologist Marija Dumnić Violotijević, Senior Research Associate at the Institute.

The attendees enjoyed a wealth of information and interesting facts both from Júlia Kozáková’s professional life, particularly regarding her love for the Roma heritage of her native Slovakia (Júlia herself is not Roma, but Slovak), as well as data on traditional Roma music and culture in Slovakia and surrounding countries.

The topic titled “Reinterpretation of Traditional Songs of Romani from Central Europe” turned out to be very inspiring for the audience, and as a result, the entire event lasted much longer than originally planned.

A STRONG AND GENTLE EVENING

That evening, we attended the first two concerts of the festival at the Jewish Cultural Center. First, the Belgrade band Kal filled the room with a powerful performance and intense energy, skillfully combining typical rock instruments such as electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums with sound sources characteristic of, among other things, the milieu of folk and Roma music: accordion and violin. The atmosphere was led by the frontman Dragan Ristić (vocals, guitar), always with a strong desire to encourage as many people as possible to dance.

And then – after socializing with cigarettes and beer in the lobby and outside the venue – a complete contrast to the Kal concert took place. The gathered audience was now enchanted by intimacy and warmth. Belgian musician Tcha Limberger, through his playing and voice, weaving threads of emotional tenderness and refined humor, led his Belgian-British-Hungarian-Romanian Kalotaszeg Trio, which also featured Toni Rudi (viola) and Vilmos Csikos (double bass), authentic representatives of the style. This is the sound of Transylvania and the Kalotaszeg region. But it is also about the wonderful, vivid storytelling of Tcha Limberger, through which the audience could gain an even deeper understanding of the music of this unique area.

MENTORING SESSIONS

The sunny Saturday, September 21, gathered us first in the middle of the day at the Hotel “Rex” Garden, where for the first time within the “Todo Mundo” festival, mentoring sessions were held. Our delegates – Martyna Van Nieuwland, (Netherlands/Poland), Ciro De Rosa (Italy), and Christian Pliefke (Germany), experienced professionals in the European world music scene – chatted over coffee and the gentle breeze with interested musicians about their plans, development, careers, and more. With the exception of Júlia Kozáková, the mentoring sessions were attended by local musicians from various genre backgrounds.

HOP, THEN HEAVY

The second evening at the Jewish Cultural Center was marked by two completely different concerts. Júlia Kozáková, an unknown name to the Belgrade audience, surprised them with the attractiveness of her presence and the lightness of her interpretation. Together with the outstanding, authentic sound of her accompanying Roma band Manuša, Júlia delighted the audience. Smiles, clapping, cheers, and those positively charged whistles followed every Roma song and instrumental improvisation on stage. The spirit of the Roma heritage from Central Europe and the vividness of that string tradition illuminated the audience, who, after the break, had to emotionally adjust to a different mood – the performance of Lenhart Tapes and Tijana Stanković.

Before this one non-Roma concert at the 12th “Todo Mundo” festival, we, as representatives of the World Music Association of Serbia, awarded the annual “Vojin Mališa Draškoci” Plaque with a statuette to Vladimir Lenhart for his dedicated artistic work and unique achievements in blending diverse forms of folk and cultural heritage with modern sound tools (walkmans, audio cassettes) and expressions.

Next came the recognizable noise of Lenhart Tapes, woven from beauty, power, suggestiveness, excitement, anger, and many other faces of sound. The “facilitator” of Lenhart’s artistic message – his long-time collaborator, vocalist and violinist Tijana Stanković – skillfully and magically commanded her instrumental and vocal vocabulary.

Their joint performance was predictably convincing, and a new, yet unreleased track “threatens” to become a hit, within the framework of this “industrial sound”, of course.

VIEWS OF THE ROMA

The final day of the 12th festival, Sunday, September 22, featured, as part of the program, the international conference, the fourth organized by the Ring Ring Association within the “Todo Mundo” festival. The theme “Roma People and Music: Freedom, Adaptation, Taking Over” gathered, during two sessions, nine speakers – highly experienced and distinguished individuals and professionals, including musicians, managers, publishers, organizers, ethnologists, ethnomusicologists, and more. Among the participants were representatives of various nations, including Roma.

The speakers came from nine European countries, each with their own specific knowledge and experience. The perspectives were diverse, and each one prompted questions from the audience.

The conference, held at the Jewish Cultural Center, featured the following participants: Ciro De Rosa (Italy), Maša Vukanović (Serbia), Christian Pliefke (Germany), Dragan Ristić (Serbia), Martyna Van Nieuwland (Netherlands/Poland), Tcha Limberger (Belgium), Júlia Kozáková (Slovakia), Dušan Sviba (Czech Republic), Marija Dumnić Vilotijević (Serbia), Anti Kovács (Hungary), and Marija Vitas (moderator/Serbia).

EXPLOSION OF RHYTHM AND JOY

The very end of the festival couldn’t have been more energetic! The concerts held at the Jewish Cultural Center, though vastly different, sparked a similar atmosphere and a lively mood in the audience. And they had one more thing in common: the Roma music of Central Europe, first Hungarian, and then Czech.

Romano Drom is a big name on the Hungarian music scene, one that is not unknown to the Serbian concert audience, although it was certainly necessary to once again “explain” their exceptional talent. However, everything unfolded seamlessly. The sparkling playing and lively voices of the musicians on stage conveyed the spirit of the Vlach Roma heritage from Hungary, with its irresistible mobility of vibrant acoustic music and the striking “crackling” of voices. The joy and excitement of the audience were evident.

Next, with a less traditional and more rock-oriented approach, the Czech band Terne Čhave, also a big name on their country’s scene, got the audience on their feet with even more energy. The reactions were fantastic, despite it being their debut in Serbia, although the leaders of the lively mood in audience came from the Czech Center Belgrade and their friends – Czechs and lovers of Czech culture.

The highlight of the evening and the entire festival was the joint performance of several songs, during which members of Romano Drom joined the Terne Čhave band on stage. An explosion of rhythm and joy!

The “Todo Mundo” festival is organized by the Ring Ring Association in collaboration with the Music Information Centre of Serbia.

The twelfth “Todo Mundo” festival was supported by: “Sounds of Europe” (Creative Europe), the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Collegium Hungaricum Belgrade, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Czech Center in Belgrade, EFFEA/World Music Festival Bratislava, European Folk Network/European Folk Day, the World Music Association of Serbia, the Jewish Cultural Center “Oneg Shabbat”, and the magazine “Etnoumlje”.

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🔗  Todo Mundo:  Website   ǀ   YouTube   ǀ   Facebook   ǀ   Instagram

🔗  Todo Mundo 2024:  Report in the magazine Etnoumlje (in Serbian)

 

“Todo Mundo 2024” in the Spirit of Roma Music

“Todo Mundo 2024” in the Spirit of Roma Music

by | 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.

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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.

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🔗  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

 

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