The 29th International Ring Ring New Music Festival will be held in Belgrade from May 23rd to May 25th, 2025, at the Studio 6 of Radio Belgrade, Jewish Cultural Center and Karmakoma Club.
The festival program will include five concerts featuring artists and groups from Japan, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Czech Republic, USA, and Serbia.
Instead of the trio Schick/Håker Flaten/Steidle, on the third night of the 29th “Ring Ring” Festival – May 25, 2025 – we will hear the duo Oliver Steidle & Chris Pitsiokos.
The 28th “Ring Ring” festival of new, different, experimental music is ahead of us, scheduled to take place from May 23 to 26, 2024, in Belgrade, at the Jewish Cultural Center and Zappa Baza.
DJ CLICK
(France)
DJ Click (photo promo)
Dj Click, nicknamed “Dj SUV” or “General” is a restless explorer of global rhythms, from Indian tablas in Rajasthan to gypsy music around Bucharest, Gnawa lilas in Essaouira, and fiestas gitanas in Sevilla.
Whether solo or with his musicians, he creates feverish, captivating performances for audiences everywhere. Pioneer of the Global Bass scene and founder of the No Fridge label, he has produced over 40 albums with artists including Rona Hartner, Gnawa Njoum Experience, Hamadcha de Fés, and Masha Natanson.
He has also collaborated or remixed Manu Chao, Watcha Clan, Mahala Raï Banda, Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan, Rachid Taha, and many others.
Traveling the world with his turntables and mobile studio, Dj Click continuously explores, records, and invents new musical encounters, moving audiences beyond borders.
DJ Click is coming to Serbia for the fifth time. His performance will take place on September 28 in Belgrade, at Karmakoma Club, during the 13th “Todo Mundo Festival”.
Previously, he has performed in Serbia at “Exit” in Novi Sad (2007, 2008), in Guča (2009), and at “Kustendorf” (2021).
DJ Click’s concert in Belgrade is made possible with the support of the French Institute in Serbia.
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LINE-UP
DJ Click: DJ controller, turntables, theremin, Jew’s harp
Nasip Kısmet fuses Anatolian lyrical poetry with the eclectic rhythms of ethnic jazz, fusion, and psychedelic folk, connecting with audiences on a deeply spiritual level.
Formed in 2019 by Arif Erdem Ocak, founder and guitarist of the famed Turkish band Seksendört, the ensemble includes Dávid Szegő on drums, Dániel Mester on saxophone and clarinet, Márton Eged on bass, and Derya Ocak on backing vocals.
Their first 3-song EP (Nasip Kısmet, 2021) quickly built a devoted following, leading to performances at major Budapest venues and festivals. In April 2022, they released their LP “Live at SuperSize Recording” (Hunnia Records).
The band’s name, meaning “fate” in Turkish, reflects their philosophy of surrendering to life’s currents. Even when listeners don’t understand Turkish, the emotive vocals, percussive guitar, and intricate instrumentation resonate universally, creating a powerful musical journey that transcends borders.
Nasip Kısmet is coming to Serbia for the first time. Their debut performance in our country will take place on September 28 in Belgrade, at Karmakoma Club, during the 13th “Todo Mundo Festival”.
Their concert in Belgrade is made possible with the support of the Collegium Hungaricum Beograd.
Founded in 2015 in Groningen, the Netherlands, the AVA Trio – Giuseppe Doronzo on baritone saxophone and wind instruments, Esat Ekincioglu on double bass, and Pino Basile on frame drums and cupaphon – explores the rich sonic landscapes of the Mediterranean.
Combining jazz, improvisation, and maqam music, they have developed a unique style they call “Mediterranean Avantgarde”.
With four critically acclaimed albums and over 160 performances in 17 countries, the trio continues their archaeo-musicological research into Mediterranean civilizations. Their performances reflect a timeless musical journey that transcends borders, blending virtuosity, improvisation, and cultural dialogue.
In September 2025, they bring their music to the Balkans, performing alongside Aron Horvath in Budapest, Zagreb, and Ljubljana, followed by shows in Bihać, Lukavac, and culminating at the “Todo Mundo Festival” in Belgrade, before heading to Istanbul.
AVA Trio is coming to Serbia for the first time. Their debut performance in our country will take place on September 27 in Belgrade, at Czech Center, during the 13th “Todo Mundo Festival”.
Esat Ekincioglu from the AVA Trio has previously been to Serbia, performing at Studio 6 of Radio Belgrade and at the “Pančevo Jazz Festival” with the band Kuhn Fu.
AVA Trio concert is made possible with the support of the Sounds of Europe project.
Tomáš Kočko & ORCHESTR deliver a world of acoustic energy, blending traditional, pagan, and folk influences with virtuosic instrumentation and unforgettable voices. Their concerts bring timeless stories and a powerful acoustic experience to audiences everywhere.
Hailing from the heart of Moravia, their music carries the weight of ancient traditions, expressed through guitars, violin, dulcimer, recorders, percussion, and other folk instruments, creating a raw and natural sound enriched with elements of rock, metal, and jazz.
Critically acclaimed as the “Moravian Jethro Tull” or “Moravian Chieftains”, they have won the ANDEL Award in 2006 and 2012, and their albums “Poplor”, “Velesu”, and “Ona” have achieved high rankings on European World Music Charts.
The orchestra has toured widely across Europe, performing at the European Broadcasting Union Folk Festival in Cork, Rock for People and Colours of Ostrava in the Czech Republic, Nowa Tradycja and Ethnosfera in Poland, Viljandi Folk Festival in Estonia, Heritage World Music Festival in Hungary, Halkaer in Denmark, Harvest in Russia, Le Village Européen des Nouvelles Musiques Traditionnelles in France, Waidhofen an der Thaya in Austria, and the United Islands of Prague.
Tomáš Kočko & ORCHESTR is coming to Serbia for the first time. Their debut performance in our country will take place on September 27 in Belgrade, at Czech Center, during the 13th “Todo Mundo Festival”.
Their concert is made possible with the support of the Czech Center in Belgrade and Ministry of Culture Czech Republic.
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LINE-UP
Tomáš Kočko: lead vocals, guitars, mandoline
Helena Vyvozilová: recorders, quinton, dulcimer, vocals
Jakob Steinkellner, born in 1995 in Linz, discovered his passion for music at six. He began on accordion and later focused on the Styrian harmonica. At 14, he entered the Anton Bruckner Private University while finishing secondary school. He earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Performance, graduating with distinction, and completed a Master’s with highest honors.
Steinkellner teaches at the Upper Austrian Music School System and has lectured internationally in Peru, Vietnam, Japan, Tunisia, and the Philippines. In addition, he is focused on making music with people with disabilities.
Since 2017, he has endorsed Landerer harmonicas and serves as deputy chairman of the Harmonica Association of Upper Austria.
Between 2023 – 2025, he performed over 200 concerts in more than 30 countries worldwide.
He has received awards including the Cultural Promotion Award (2020), EXTRA funding (2021), NASOM selection (2023), and the Rotary Music Award (2024).
Jakob Steinkellner is coming to Serbia for the first time. His debut performance in our country will take place on September 25 in Belgrade, at Ložionica, during the 13th Todo Mundo Festival.
Jakob Steinkellner’s concert is made possible with the support of the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade.
Tamala’s third album, “Diboli”, marks the quartet’s new formation with harmonica player Olivier Vander Bauwede. Named after a border town between Senegal and Mali, the album honors West Africa’s musical heritage and ancestral support.
Tamala, meaning “travelers”, explores blending kora, violin, harmonica, and voice. Senegalese singer and multi-instrumentalist Mola Sylla plays and makes traditional West African instruments. Violinist Wouter Vandenabeele adds a European touch, while Olivier Vander Bauwede brings bluesy harmonica tones. Kora virtuoso Bao Sissoko, a griot descendant, contributes rhythm, solos, and composition.
Guided by tradition and innovation, Tamala performs globally, supporting Senegalese education and earning the nickname “ambassadors of CEPPE”, combining versatility, spiritual depth, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Tamala is coming to Serbia for the first time. Their debut performance in our country will take place on September 25 in Belgrade, at Ložionica, during the 13th Todo Mundo Festival.
Mola Sylla himself performed at the “Ring Ring Festival” in Belgrade in 2002 with the group Vershki da Koreshki.
The Tamala quartet concert is made possible with the support of the UpBeat platform.
You can also order tickets by email: todomundofestival@gmail.com.
. . .
September 25
Jakob Steinkellner / Tamala
September 27
AVA Trio / Tomáš Kočko & ORCHESTR
September 28
Nasip Kısmet / DJ Click
OLIVER STEIDLE & CHRIS PITSIOKOS
(Germany)
The duo features two well-known figures of the contemporary European jazz, improvised, and experimental music scenes.
Oliver Steidle (drums) and Chris Pitsiokos (alto saxophone) know each other well and have extensive experience performing together – for example, in Oliver’s quartet Rokc Music.
However, this will be their first time performing as a duo, making their concert at the 29th “Ring Ring” Festival a world premiere!
Berlin-based saxophonist, composer, and improviser Chris Pitsiokos (1990), originally from Brooklyn, composes music as a framework that enables performers to express their own aesthetic vision and creativity without subordination. In this way, his compositional approach challenges the traditional role of the composer as the dominant or sole decision-maker who pre-defines the musical flow. “Rolling Stone” magazine praised Pitsiokos for his surprisingly original vision and astonishing speed on the saxophone.
Oliver Steidle (1975) is one of Germany’s most innovative jazz drummers, known for his virtuosic, polyrhythmic playing and wide stylistic range. With roots in both jazz and hardcore punk, he first played piano before switching to drums at age 11. After experience in garage rock bands and jazz orchestras, he studied in Nuremberg and went on to become a key figure in Berlin’s jazz scene. He co-founded the bands Klima Kalima and Der Rote Bereich, both recipients of the “German Jazz Prize”. Steidle’s versatility is reflected in his many projects – from avant-garde trios to large ensembles – and collaborations with a variety of musicians. A regular presence at festivals worldwide, he continues to push the boundaries of contemporary musical expression.
This premiere duo performance of Oliver Steidle and Chris Pitsiokos is presented in place of the canceled concert by the trio Schick/Ingebrigt Håker Flaten/Steidle.
The concert by the Oliver Steidle & Chris Pitsiokos duo was supported by the Goethe-Institut in Belgrade.
These four well-known and experienced improvisers will perform together on stagefor the first time. Although their paths have crossed many times – and they have played in various combinations of duos and trios – the “Ring Ring” Festival has brought them together for this unique new collaboration.
Luís Vicente is a Portuguese trumpet player based in Lisbon. A highly active musician, he performs in numerous ensembles with a variety of approaches – from fully improvised to composed music – always maintaining a deep sense of freedom, which remains central to his artistic identity. He has performed at dozens of venues and festivals across Europe and North America, and his long list of collaborators speaks to his versatility. He also leads his own trio and quartet, performing original compositions.
John Dikeman is an American saxophonist currently based in Belgium. Drawing inspiration from a wide range of sources, his playing spans the full spectrum of improvised music and technique. He is an active member of numerous ensembles, including a trio with William Parker and Hamid Drake, a duo with Steve Noble, collaborations with Dirk Serries, and projects with Jasper Stadhouders, Joe McPhee, Luís Vicente, Alexander Hawkins, Roger Turner, Aleksandar Škorić, among many others.
One of the local heroes is Aleksandar Škorić, a drummer known for his intense yet nuanced performances with the Charles Gayle Trio, Akira Sakata & Entasis, Muzika iz unutrašnjosti, and numerous spontaneous collaborations throughout Europe.
Also featured is Branislav Radojković, a bassist from the Serbian bands Fish in Oil, Naked, and Muzika iz unutrašnjosti. He has performed on four continents and collaborated with artists such as Marc Ribot, Monika Lakatos, Jelena Popržan, Matthew Ostrowski, and George Cremaschi.
The duo of Serbian pianist Marina Džukljev (1983) and Austrian artist Dieter Kovačič (1973), known as dieb13, who works with turntables and computer, began during the COVID era, in October 2020. In line with the circumstances at the time, their collaboration took the form of remote sessions – dieb13 based in Vienna, and Marina in Novi Sad.
Their partnership evolved into a remote live concert streamed on YouTube on November 11. Both the performance and the collaboration were part of the artistic residency program NOISM, organized by kuda.org, aimed at developing new artistic productions in the field of improvisation.
Thanks to the recording sessions in October 2020, material was created for the acclaimed album “Štrudel”, released in April 2021 on the “Tak-ta-t” label. The album features a single continuous piece lasting nearly 43 minutes, presenting a wide spectrum of improvisations, dynamic contrasts, and rich sonic textures.
The duo’s first and so far only live performance took place in Vienna, at Echoraum, in June 2024. Their concert at the opening of the 29th “Ring Ring” Festival is not only their Balkan premiere, but also a rare opportunity to witness in person the perfect synergy between two highly creative minds working within improvisation, minimalism, repetition, and free jazz.
Marina Džukljev, throughout her extensive career as a pianist and pedagogue, has been merging the worlds of classical, contemporary composed, applied, and improvised music. She has collaborated with numerous (primarily European) musicians over the years.
Dieb13 has been a prominent name in the electroacoustic improvisation scene since the early 2000s, known for his work with improvisers such as Mats Gustafsson, Phil Minton, John Butcher, and Ken Vandermark.
The concert by Marina and Dieter is supported by the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade and Radio Belgrade 3.
Pavel Fajt (1957) is a drummer, composer, and producer, and one of the key figures in the Czech and European experimental and improvised music scene. His extensive career includes collaborations with numerous international musicians such as Fred Frith, Tom Cora, Anna Homler, and many others, as well as performances at prestigious festivals across Europe, the Americas, and Canada.
Fajt is also known as the co-founder of the cult bands Dunaj and Pluto, the leader of the international drumming project Slet bubeníků, and a member of several creative formations including Autopilote and the Mia Zabelka Trio. As part of the duo Bittová & Fajt, he left a lasting mark on the music scene of former Czechoslovakia and beyond—their self-titled album was voted one of the best LPs of the decade by “Rock & Pop” magazine.
He is the author of music for numerous theatre and film projects (“Hamlet: Neúplný sen”, “Don Quixote”, “Macbeth”), and was nominated for the prestigious “Alfred Radok” Award for his work. Fajt is also active as an educator, heading the audio department at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno, and collaborates with writer Václav Cílek on music-literature projects.
Pavel Fajt has previously performed at the “Ring Ring” festival, most recently in 2012 with the Mia Zabelka Trio. This time, he will present his solo project – a Balkan premiere!
This performance is supported by the Czech Centre in Belgrade.
Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Quintet (ONJQ) is a Japanese free jazz/experimental ensemble led by a composer, sound producer, turntablist and guitarist Otomo Yoshihide.
What John Zorn means to the New York scene, Otomo Yoshihide means to the Japanese. Like an iconoclast, Otomo tackled the jazz repertoire, always with untold respect, virtuosity and skill. After more than 100 releases, including eight with his New Jazz Quintet, Otomo continues to search for a captivating balance between melodic structures and intense moments of improvisation.
ONJQ toured across Europe in January/February 2024 with 15 concerts in 8 countries – it was a successfull, almost completely sold out tour. Seeing Otomo live with his quintet or any other projects is an absolutely unique experience!
Jelena Popržan is a charismatic and vocally expressive violist, singer, and sound artist from Serbia, who has brought fresh vitality to the Austrian music scene through projects like Catch-Pop String-Strong, Sormeh, and Madame Baheux. Among her newest projects, alongside her acclaimed solo program “La Folia”, is the JELENA POPRŽAN QUARTETT, a venture she’s been nurturing since its concert debut at the “Glatt & Verkehrt” festival in Krems in 2021.
The quartet is formed by three renowned figures from the Austrian jazz scene: Christoph Pepe Auer, Clemens Sainitzer, and Lina Neuner.
Jelena discovered the poems of Polish-Viennese poet Tamar Radzyner (1927 – 1991) in a publication by the “Theodor Kramer Society”, which deeply moved her. Radzyner, a Polish Jew who survived the Shoah and participated in armed resistance, later found a home in Vienna and in the German language. She worked with figures like Georg Kreisler and Topsy Küppers. Her poetry, marked by a blend of wry humor and bittersweet pessimism, left a lasting impression on Jelena.
In tribute, Jelena has crafted a song cycle as a musical homage to Radzyner. However, the majority of the program is dedicated to Jelena’s brand-new instrumental compositions, which feature rich sonic imagery and melodic storytelling.
In September 2022, the Jelena Popržan Quartett released their self-titled debut album.
Jelena Popržan Quartett’s concert at the “Pocket Globe” Festival will mark their debut performance in Serbia!
This event is supported by the Austrian Cultural Forum in Belgrade.
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POSTAVA KONCERTA
Jelena Popržan: viola, voice
Lina Neuner: double bass
Clemens Sainitzer: violoncello
Richie Winkler: clarinet, alt saxophone
🔗 LINKS
Jelena Popržan: Website ǀ Jelena Popržan: Facebook ǀ Album “Jelena Popržan Quartett”: Bandcamp
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TEIJA NIKU
(Finland)
Teija Niku (photo: Antti Kokkola)
TEIJA NIKU is a Finnish accordionist, known for her expertise in Nordic and Balkan folk music. She has been described as a composer with an excellent sense of melody, as well as an inventive arranger, and her lyrical style of playing the accordion transcends technical accomplishment or pose.
In the summer of 2019, Ääniä Records released Niku’s third solo album “Hetkessä”, which features the artist in a truly solo performance. The wide range of registers, as well as the dynamic and technical possibilities of the accordion, combined with in-the-moment improvisations, form the foundation of the music, which is entirely composed, arranged, and recorded by Niku herself. Hetkessä received glowing reviews and airplay across Europe.
Since 2022, Niku has been working on new music, supported by a three-year artist grant awarded by the National Council for Music in Finland.
Teija Niku’s performance at the “Pocket Globe” festival marks her debut concert in Serbia!
This concert is supported by the Sounds of Europe project.
MANIUCHA & KSAWERY is a duo that uniquely combines jazz improvisation with the traditional, endangered songs of the Polissya region in Ukraine. In their compositions, they evoke spring, wedding, and love songs, as well as lullabies, weaving them into narratives that trace the cycles of nature and human life. Their music tells tales that cross eras and genres, drawing from Maniucha’s years of traveling to meet Ukrainian village singers, along with their shared musical imagination.
In their concerts, they not only sing and play but also share the stories and folklore connected to their repertoire.
Maniucha Bikont is a vocalist, musician, and anthropologist who has conducted numerous field recordings in Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. She is a member of various music and theater groups dedicated to traditional music, rituals, improvisation, and unconventional vocal techniques. She sings and plays the tuba with Tęgie Chłopy and collaborates with groups like Janusz Prusinowski Kompania, along with jazz and avant-garde musicians.
Ksawery Wójciński is a double bass player and composer, known for his broad musical sensitivity and adventurous experimentation. His range spans early music to sophisticated contemporary improvised music, and he has collaborated with musicians like Charles Gayle, Satoko Fuji, Ken Vandermark, and Mats Gustafsson.
The album “Oj borom, borom…” (2017) by Maniucha & Ksawery is a layered narrative rooted in ancient songs from Western Polissya. Traditional songs, tales, and fairy tales are the starting point for a dialogue of voice and double bass, which serve as equal storytellers. The bass doesn’t merely accompany the voice; it narrates its own stories and engages in dialogue with the voice, creating a fluid, balanced musical exchange. In this process, traditional and improvised music emerge as kindred languages, as if they were local dialects of a shared musical language.
The duo’s performance at the “Pocket Globe” Festival will be their debut in Serbia!
This concert is supported by the Sounds of Europe, the Polish Institute in Belgrade, and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Hiram Salsano & Marcello De Carolis (photo: Vito D’Andrea)
The music project “Fronni D’alia” was born from the meeting of Hiram Salsano’s young yet ancient voice and Marcello De Caroli’s modern, virtuosic chitarra battente.
Together, the two artists fully express the sonic and evocative potential of the sounds and rhythms of southern Italy. Their musical exploration merges tradition with original compositions, enhanced by the use of loop stations.
Each note, like a gentle breeze, caresses the soul, carrying the sounds of narrative songs, serenades, and work chants across the landscapes of southern Italy. At the same time, the driving rhythms convey strength and vigor, echoing the resilience and passion of a community that has lived its history with tenacity.
HIRAM SALSANO, an independent ethnographic researcher from Cilento (Salerno), explores the voice as an instrument and plays southern Italian frame drums (tammorra and tamburello). In 2023, she released her debut album, “Bucolica. In 2024, her ethnographic research book “Chi fa ammore va Camminanne was published. She has earned several prestigious Italian awards for her contributions to the world music scene.
MARCELLO DE CAROLIS is an artist specializing in the chitarra battente. His recordings include “The Eclectic Beating – Contemporary Music for Chitarra Battente”, “Venti” (with Francesco Loccisano, a project selected for the official Womex ’23 lineup), and “Cordaminations” (with Luca Fabrizio). In 2019, he co-authored “La chitarra battente – Metodo Base” with Francesco Loccisano, the first beginner’s method for the chitarra battente.
Salsano’s and De Carolis’s concert at the “Pocket Globe” Festival will be their debut performance in Serbia!
This event is supported by the Italian Cultural Institute of Belgrade.
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CONCERT LINEUP
Hiram Salsano: voice, frame drums, Jew’s harp, loop station
Marcello De Carolis: chitarra battente, loop station
Offering polyphonic creations rooted in traditional song, the trio SAMAÏA creates a sound that is entirely their own, woven from harmonies, drones, and polyrhythms. Their voices, solidly anchored in the earth, reinvent traditional stories of Eurasia. Their repertoire draws from traditions dear to each of the three singers and honors the regional languages of France (Occitan and Breton), as well as other regions of Europe and the Middle East.
Their music is a powerful blend of their different life journeys:
Eléonore Fourniau, a specialist in Kurdish and Anatolian music, lived in Istanbul for six years to study languages and music, focusing on singing and the saz. With her powerful voice and unique style of playing the hurdy-gurdy, drawing inspiration from various stringed and wind instruments, she has won over Kurdish audiences and a wider global following;
Noémie Nael, a singer-songwriter in the French chanson tradition, trained as an actress before turning to singing and songwriting. She began composing and performing her own songs, accompanied by Joël Simon on piano. In 2017, her singing career took a leap with the creation of Trio Samaïa;
Luna Silva, a singer-songwriter of folk/world music, is the daughter of an English actress and a Spanish circus clown and grew up immersed in diversity and travel. Trained as an ethnomusicologist, she journeyed around the world, making it her open-air conservatory. Her passion lies in exploring various vocal techniques, which she incorporates into her songwriting.
The name “samaïa” comes from a traditional Georgian dance performed by three women, symbolizing the different facets of Queen Tamar: the young princess, the wise mother, and the all-powerful sovereign.
On stage, the three expressive singers accompany themselves with percussion and the hurdy-gurdy. They offer an intimate performance that is both moving and refreshing, leaving no one untouched.
Their second album, “Traversées”, celebrates life and its challenges through stories from various rural traditions across Eurasia. Each song narrates a rite of passage, a welcome, a farewell, a plea, or a celebration.
Their concert at the “Pocket Globe” Festival will be their premiere performance in Serbia!
This event is supported by the French Institute in Serbia.
ANA ALCAIDE is a musician and composer from Toledo, Spain, known for her research on ancient traditions and cultures. She is one of the most recognized Spanish artists in the folk and world music scene.
Alcaide has performed her music at major festivals, theaters, and venues across Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, Morocco, China, Malaysia, Tunisia, Canada, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Estonia, Switzerland, Hungary, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, Uzbekistan, Argentina, Uruguay, and more – over 600 concerts on four continents!
She has played a pioneering role in introducing and popularizing the nyckelharpa in Spain. Rooted in ancient traditions yet distinctly modern, her compositions blend musical styles from various cultures with finesse. Inspired by the city of Toledo, Ana writes and produces her songs, crafts new arrangements, and adapts the nyckelharpa to ancient melodies from medieval Spain that have traveled throughout the Mediterranean region. In recent years, her personal and artistic evolution has led her to explore new creative territories.
In Novi Sad, Ana Alcaide will perform her “Essentia” program, alongside her husband, Bill Cooley, a multi-instrumentalist originally from the USA.
Ana Alcaide’s concert at the “Pocket Globe” Festival will mark her premiere performance in Serbia!
This event is supported by the Embassy of Spain in Serbia.
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CONCERT LINEUP
Ana Alcaide: vocals, nyckelharpa, Hardanger violin
Bill Cooley: oud, psaltery, bouzouki, bass pedal, programming
CONFERENCE “ROMA PEOPLE AND MUSIC: FREEDOM, ADAPTATION, TAKING OVER”
International Conference “Music on the Move“, Todo Mundo Festival, Belgrade, RTS Club – Radio Belgrade, 2022 (photo: Vladimir Milisavljević)
The CONFERENCE “ROMA PEOPLE AND MUSIC: FREEDOM, ADAPTATION, TAKING OVER” will be held at the Jewish Cultural Center “Oneg Shabat” (Jevrejska 16) on September 22, 2024, starting at 11 AM.
The conference will feature SPEAKERS from nine European countries: 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).
The Roma are undeniably a very attractive topic for artists and their audiences, as well as for scholars and a wider circle of people. This has been the case for a long time, and it is still true today. The Roma are a theme through which various elements, interpretations, and stereotypes intersect: truths, falsehoods, assumptions, imagination, idealization, belittlement, and assumed associations with certain talents and temperaments…
At the top of the most common associations with the Roma are music and passion. The proverbial connection of the Roma with music (and dance), as well as the presumed need for freedom in behavior and expression (of passionate) feelings, has inspired numerous artistic music names from different eras: Tartini, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Bizet, Liszt, Sarasate, Dvořák, and others. Their compositions inspired by the imagined or real life and creativity of the Roma are generally extremely attractive to audiences, both from past centuries and contemporary ones. One reason for this perception and taste lies in the fact that the Roma are a paradigm for freedom and overcoming social boundaries and demands, which can be found as at least a latent, inherent need in almost every human being.
This very story of freedom carries a question mark… Are the Roma really the embodiment of freedom and some kind of social relaxation, considering the strongly patriarchal environment in which they have functioned for centuries up to the present day?
Aren’t the Roma actually quite framed by patriarchy and superstitions that largely shape their lives? Do we perhaps recognize freedom in the Roma because they have long lived a different way of life, which is not free, but precisely – different?
In addition to various dilemmas and themes related to the Roma and the question of freedom, there are also several issues concerning the Roma in music. In Serbia, the attitude of the non-Roma population towards Roma musicians has often been ambivalent – from admiration for their ability and openness to various types of music to some derogatory views, characteristic of the past (in the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, more often in smaller communities), where music was considered an unworthy “Gypsy job” or certain instruments (e.g., the violin) were seen as typically “Gypsy” and thus unsuitable for Serbs, Serbian peasants, Serbian children to play…
It is true that the Roma in Serbia have popularized music as a profession, as a craft, which is also the reason for their musical openness and ability to perform and combine different types of music. In the past, in Serbia, the Roma began to play Serbian music to approach the dominant people, to perform what they needed, loved, and wanted to hear for them as a reward.
In this process of adopting the foreign, they added something of their own to the foreign, some kind of temperament, sensibility, ornamentation in music…
The famous Vranje singer Stana Avramović Karaminga (1897 – 1969) once described the difference between the true, Vranje urban singing, which was “pure”, in which no melisma was allowed in the middle of the melody or at the end, as she believed applied to Roma singers when they performed Serbian, Vranje songs.
In the 1990s, primarily influenced by film art, the Roma seemed to become a synonym for the Balkans, Serbia, and the legacy of brass bands for the West (and not only the West). Although traditional Serbian music is rich and diverse, and despite the fact that Serbs themselves have a strong brass tradition spanning over a century, what makes Serbian music most recognizable to the rest of the world remains the Roma and Roma brass bands.
Today, the Roma continue to adapt to the needs of contemporary listeners, not only to the Serbian rural, urban, and city populations but even more to the listening habits of audiences in the West.
Hence, among today’s Balkan brass bands (Boban and Marko Marković, Džambo Aguševi, etc.), we observe an increasing tendency towards a pure, “polished”, and highly produced sound, as well as the use of various well-known motifs, i.e., quotes from pop, funk, rock, Latino, and other genres.
What is the current situation with Roma musicians today, in Serbia, Europe, and the world? How many Roma musicians and bandleaders are there, as well as international groups and non-Roma bands that don a Roma guise or in any way allude to the Roma? To what extent are the Roma turning to musical literacy and education today? What is the role and place of Roma women in music and on the contemporary music scene? What about the modern audience and their relationship to Roma temperament and creativity?
All these and many other anticipated and unforeseen questions will be discussed and debated at the carefully planned fourth conference organized by the Ring Ring Association.
The conference will bring together local and international, primarily music professionals, to provide insights from their perspectives – musical, managerial, organizational, scientific, ethnomusicological, ethnological, journalistic, and research – on the complexity of Roma life and work in society and the music world, both past and present, especially within the polygenre milieu known as world music.
With the support of the moderator of the conference, which will be divided into two sessions, a debate will develop among the participants, and at the end of each session, the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions, comment, and engage in lively discussion with the speakers.
The conference is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, which has also supported all previous conferences organized by the Ring Ring Association: “Women in the World Music – Artists, Managers, Journalists…” (2021), “Music on the Move” (2022), and “Tradition Nowadays, in the World Music” (2023).
Admission to the conference is free.
TERNE ČHAVE
Terne Čhave, 2023 (photo: Dušan Sviba)
TERNE ČHAVE is considered probably the oldest active, and definitely one of the most well-known Roma bands in the Czech Republic. The band is famous for its distinctive sound that blends traditional Roma music of Central Europe with funk, rock, soul, ska, jazz, blues, and other influences.
Many years ago, these musicians have stood on their own feet, crossing the boundaries of the Roma ghetto. By bringing their gadjo friends among musicians and working with them together, Terne Čhave took confident steps into the big world.
Traveling across Europe, from the Czech Republic and Slovakia through Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Benelux, to England and Scotland, wherever they perform, people happily dance along with them.
Today, Terne Čhave is a band that has transcended the phenomenon of genre boundaries, but their Roma roots provide a solid base for musical journeys to destinations that are too far for many.
The band is not burdened by questions of style, but they don’t leave the audience time to think about it either, as they are mostly stunned by the devilish pace of the group’s songs. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Terne Čhave’s slogan is: It’s only Rom’n’Roll!
The band ROMANO DROM (meaning “Gypsy’s Road” in Romani), today the most prominent representative of contemporary Roma culture in Hungary, was founded in 1999 by a father and son, both with the same name and surname – Antal Kovács. Father Antal Kovács has since passed away, but the group has continued to work and preserve the tradition, thanks also to the grandchildren who joined the band.
The group performs predominantly composed music by Antal Kovács Junior, based on tradition and roots, as well as the language of the Vlach Roma, but with distinctly modern arrangements and a contemporary concept that combines old Roma heritage with Catalan rumba, as well as Arabic and Balkan rhythms.
Romano Drom, a band whose every performance is marked by an eruption of musical energy, with moments of melancholy and warm emotion, boasts an international career with a series of concerts and tours in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. The band has released seven albums, with the latest being “Give Me Wine” (2019) – for the prestigious British label “Riverboat”.
At the “Todo Mundo” festival, the group will, with guest participation, present their special project marking 25 years of work.
The unique musical world of Romano Drom has brought them great success and made them one of the most sought-after global music ensembles dedicated to Roma heritage.
Lenhart Tapes feat. Tijana Stanković, 2022 (photo: Vladimir Opsenica)
Vladimir Lenhart, known by his stage name LENHART TAPES will happily drop Ethno-Noise on you, then leave you to work out what that might mean. You’ll have a pretty good idea after about a minute of the “Dens” album (Glitterbeat, 2023) - or indeed if you’ve spent any time in the Balkans generally, surrounded by folk music in all its incarnations, and in Belgrade specifically, which yields up the ghosts of the Yugoslav punk and industrial scenes of the 1980s and the city’s current experimental excursions to anyone with time to listen and explore.
Vladimir’s grandfather Ján was a popular interpreter of Slovak folk song in the 1950s, and the careful marshalling of national minority cultures in Yugoslavia produced a musical heritage that continues to resonate for those that have come after. Being younger, however, means that they have their own musical stories to tell and influences to work around.
Vladimir’s tapes-by-the-kilo, car-boot-sale approach is something familiar to turntablists and hip-hop artists, but it’s his love of industrial sound that’s key, producing a magical, beauty-and-the-beast encounter of dirty noise, improvised violin and righteous folk.
Lenhart Tapes is only one half of the story here, however. Enter Tijana Stanković: singer, classically trained violinist, ethnomusicologist and Radio Belgrade music editor. By Vladimir’s own admission, her encyclopaedic knowledge of the music he had grown up with turned the project from something somewhat ironic to something very sincere.
He recalls an immediate connection, over a shared love of that music, and it’s a connection that has since developed in perhaps unforeseen directions, with Tijana herself pushing Vladimir into an even more uncompromising sonic stance.
The slow burn of Lenhart Tapes’ emergence has been built upon a set of scorching small-venue performances, with Vladimir’s Walkmans laying down a collage of beat, noise and tune for Tijana’s voice and violin to respond to and, at times, work against. But if you think that makes them more of a live than a recorded proposition, you’d be wrong. A decade of sporadic releases, frequently on cassette, was followed by 2021’s “Duets”, a sweeping, sample-heavy progress report. Now comes “Dens”, which hits a different kind of stride.
The loops and samples of the previous record are still there, but are joined by an expanded roster of musicians. It’s denser, more considered, but still spacious; and it’s as rackety as Belgrade, one of Europe’s most intense capitals, but beautifully put together.
Šalter Ensemble operates on the border between free improvisation and composition, focusing on collective processes as a central part of its practice. The project is an international electroacoustic ensemble initiated in 2017 by Jonas Kocher in collaboration with Zavod Sploh Ljubljana and Izlog Festival Zagreb, and has since performed at numerous venues and festivals in Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland and Serbia.
In 2021, the ensemble released the album Štiri dela and in 2024 it’s second album Tri dela.
The ensemble consists of outstanding personalities from the international music scene. The musicians come from a wide range of backgrounds – from jazz to traditional and folk music to contemporary improvised and electronic music – and are from different generations.
In its current programme, Šalter presents new compositions, which were developed especially for Šalter during a residency in Venice in May 2023: “Interstices / Interferences” (Jonas Kocher & Gaudenz Badrutt), “šum III” (Elisabeth Harnik) and “My Wish Your Command” (Tomaž Grom).
Line-up:
Gaudenz Badrutt – electronics; Estelle Beiner – violin; Ilia Belorukov – saxophone; Tomaž Grom – doublebass, electronics; Elisabeth Harnik – piano; Josef Klammer – drums, electronics; Jonas Kocher – accordion; Samo Kutin – hurdy gurdy; Alfred Lang – trumpet; Irena Z. Tomažin – voice
The Cologne-based ensemble, Trio C / W | N consists of three accomplished and experienced improvisers and personalities of the international improvised music scene: pianist Dušica Cajlan, saxophonist Georg Wissel and percussionist Etienne Nillesen.
Since 2016, Trio C / W | N has been continuously developing their concentrated ensemble language and convince with fascinating, imaginative, lively and subtle playing.
A trialogue of musicians who simultaneously co-create, react, complement each other and always act highly musically. In doing so, they place the qualities of sound, tone and noise with open forms, precisely formulated structures and accentuated rhythms at the centre of their music composed in real-time.
In November 2022, their album Thirty Nine Fifty Five was released on the New York label Acheulian Handaxe and was enthusiastically received by the critics. In March of 2023, C / W | N performed at renowed ART ACTS Festival in Austria, one of the most important European festivals for contemporary Improvised music and free jazz.
Currently, the trio is concentrating on a kind of analogue granular-synthetic ensemble playing, in which the music creates itself, so to speak.
