Bernsku-Brek
Iceland
Artists: Harpa Thorvaldsdóttir, Johann Ingi Benediktsson, Gudmundur Atli Petursson, Sigmar Thor Matthiasson
Brek was formed in 2018. The band mainly plays original, folky music with influences from various sources, the bandmembers focus on creating an interesting atmosphere in their playing. In addition, there is a focus on the multifaceted use of the Icelandic language in the band’s lyrics. Members are Harpa Þorvaldsdóttir singer and pianist, Jóhann Ingi Benediktsson guitarist and singer, Guðmundur Atli Pétursson mandolinist and Sigmar Þór Matthíasson bassist.
BREK was nominated for the Icelandic Music Awards in the category of folk music two years in a row and won the Icelandic Music Awards for Folk album of the year in 2022 for their self-titled debut album, as well as being featured as Album of the week on Iceland National Radio - Rás 2 in early 2022.
In 2022 BREK developed a program for kids that they called Bernsku-Brek (bernska transl. to youth) for the Big Bang festival that was held in Reykjavík that year. The program is based around the band’s music incorporating storytelling, participation and listening. Bernsku-Brek was developed and directed by artistic director Wouter Van Looy the founder of the Big Bang Children's Festival. Bernsku-Brek has since been performed for children in Reykjavík a few times and has gotten a great feedback from the schools that have attended.
In 2023 Brek played an official showcase at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City, USA in February, Nordic Folk Alliance in Roskilde, Denmark in April, Folkelarm in Oslo Norway in November. Brek also played an official showcase at Your Roots are showing in Dundalk Ireland in January of 2024.
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Abraham Réunion
France
Artists: Clélya Abraham, Cynthia Abraham, Zacharie Abraham, Tilo Bertholo
Zacharie (double-bass), Cynthia (voice) and Clélya (piano) are brother and sisters. Raised in a family of musicians, they play together with a great complicity. The drummer Tilo Bertholo completes the magic with subtility.
They share a common vision of jazz and music in general : a call to perseverance, optimism and openness, not forgetting their strong Caribbean roots.
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Tänk om - What if
Sweden
Artist: Karin Nakagawa, Lotta Sjölin Cederblom
Momonga is a Swedish-Japanese duo who together create music and performing arts for children. The artistic driving force is a poetic narrative where the body and various instruments move the performance forward together with Karin Nakagawa's paper cutting art. Lotta Sjölin Cederblom plays steel tongue and bass clarinet and Karin Nakagawa plays koto (Japanese stringed instrument). Both sing and play various percussion instruments.
Lotta Sjölin Cederblom is educated at the Academy of Music in Gothenburg and Stockholm. She has made music and theater for children and young people for over 25 years together with Markatta Musikteater, which she co-founded in 1991. Lotta Sjölin Cederblom is also known from the band SIMBI, which has toured around the world with its soulful dance music inspired by the Haitian roots music.
Karin Nakagawa comes from a musical family in Tokyo. She started playing the piano at the age of three, studies which she, at the age of 12, switched to the 25-string koto. After graduating (Tokyo University of Arts), Karin has performed as a "storyteller" where she explored different ways of expression with the koto, solo or in collaboration with other artists. Since 2013, Karin Nakagawa, together with Lena Willemark and Anders Jormin, is one of the members of the group Lyöstraini; the album "Trees of Light" won a Swedish Grammy in 2016 in the category "Folk Music of the Year".
Päivi Hirvonen Trio
Finland
Artist: Päivi Hirvonen
One of a kind trio of singing fiddlers.
Päivi Hirvonen is a singer, fiddler and bowed lyre player and one of the rising international folk music artists from Finland. She is a pioneer of simultaneous fiddling and singing. Her music takes inspiration from film scores and pop music. Hirvonen’s use of Finno-Ugric vocal techniques gives the songs their distinctive tone while the hypnotic and archaic sound of bowed lyre and rootsy fiddling set the ground. She sings about women’s rights, childlessness, love and sorrow - in the point of view of a grown woman - and gives a voice to those who are usually not heard. On stage, Hirvonen is joined by Tero Pajunen and Mirva Ormin.
Ingrid Jasmin
Norway
Artist: Ingrid Jasmin Vogt
A musical pilgrimage between Norway and Spain: Ingrid Jasmin balances elegantly in a mixture of Norwegian folk music and flamenco, performed with a characteristic voice. With her distinctive expression and passionate performance, Ingrid Jasmin takes the young audience on a journey through different musical landscapes. She creates a magical tonal image that captures the audience and invites reflection and reflection. Ingrid Jasmin's music is magical and timeless. It is a celebration of cultural diversity and a reminder that music can bring people together across geographical and cultural boundaries.
Kajsa Balto
Norway
Artist: Kajsa Balto, Ragnhild Tronsmo, Aleksander Sjølie, Aleksander Kostopolous
"Buot eallá" means "everything is alive" in Northern Sámi, and is an ancient Sámi way of viewing the world - where humans share the earth with much other life, not just with other humans. Kajsa has learned the old traditions from Kárášjohka through her father, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, and in this concert, she joiks, sings, and tells about them. But what is a joik? And why joik? Through music, Kajsa takes us on a journey up through the Karasjok Valley, and opens up for everyone to think freely and slowly about how we as modern people still may need the knowledge from those who were here before us.
Kajsa is a Sámi artist who grew up and lives in Oslo. In everyday life, she mostly speaks Norwegian, but to keep the language alive, she sings in Sámi. With her, she has her band consisting of cello, guitar, and drums, and in that way, they bring the old stories into our time through music. Together, they will share Sámi culture both by singing, playing, telling, and joiking! The concert lasts about 35 minutes, and Kajsa opens up for questions and conversation with the children along the way.
Goin’ back to New Orleans
Denmark
Artist: Gregory Boyd, Jens Chr. Dam, Joakim Øster
Goin’ Back to New Orleans (GBTNO) serve up a high-octane, energetic show that reaches beyond the limits of the stage. The group performs old fashioned, funky New Orleans style party music with steelpans, drums, bass and vocals. GBTNO wants the audience to join in on the experience in true New Orleans fashion, with a lot of emphasis on audience participation. During the show the story of New Orleans’ unique musical heritage is told; an eclectic mix of styles and genres that has given the city the tagline “the birthplace of jazz”.
Kowari
Belgium
Artist: Damien Chierici, Louan Kempenaers, Edouard Little, Hugo Vandendriessche
Two years after "Trail" and a fifty-date European tour, Belgian band Kowari is back with a new album in 2024. With this second album, Damien Chierici (violin, programming) and Louan Kempenaers (piano, programming) create a modern electronica ode to travelling and letting go. Downtempo and essentially instrumental on "Trail", Kowari's universe is enriched here by epic backing vocals, hypnotic organic drums, intoxicating loops and stronger electro beats. "The Kowari DNA we imprinted on 'Trail' is still there," explain Damien and Louan. The piano, the violin, the search for melodic power in the compositions, the drive of the loops, the soothing moments that herald flights that are more evocative of cinema... But there was also a desire to add organic warmth and go even further in the use of electro elements. "In concerts, people cry on some tracks and dance on others. That's exactly what we're looking for."
Trolle og Smørfolket
Denmark
Artist: Morten Trolle, Marco Diallo, Jakob Thomhav, Justo and Gambula Larsen
Reggae's infectious rhythms have influenced much of today’s music, but where did it all begin? This exciting show takes children on a musical journey to the birthplace of reggae: Jamaica. The group Trolle og Smørfolket will guide the audience through the rich history of Jamaican music, performing their own reggae-inspired tunes. Through the performance, the children are invited to sing, clap, and dance along as they explore various sub-genres of reggae, such as roots, ska, and dancehall.