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"Alutaguse rahvamuusikud" ("Alutaguse Folk Musicians") came together in the autumn of 2022 to take part in the Youth Song and Dance Festival. The ensemble has 8 members, 5 of whom still go to school. "Alutaguse rahvamuusikud" is special because all its members come from different towns to rehearse and attend different schools. The traditional musicians include those who play the kannel, garmon or are even proficient in several traditional instruments. The ensemble is particularly happy to have a talented violinist who can impress with spontaneous and masterful solo parts. The ensemble is slowly filling up, with members of the musicians' families deciding to join. Meeli Õunap, the leader of "Alutaguse rahvamuusikud", says that the ensemble is made up of golden nuggets who dedicate their time to working together. She is pleased that the young people, with a multitude of other activities to choose from, are choosing to learn traditional music and thus preserve the cultural heritage of their ancestors.

Folklore band Svātra came together in 1994 for the first time to regale folklore art lovers’ eyes and ears. In the songs of Svātra the inkling of the traditions and life of our ancestors is felt. More than 25 singers and dancers receive advice on how to live their lives in the most varied, humane and harmonized way. There are traditional mythological, honorary, social songs, quadrilles and ring dances in the repertoire of the folklore group. The songs and dances are accompanied by traditional Latvian music instruments – kokle, violin, pipes, drum, cither, accordion, and double-bass. The first CD Lobreiteņ, reitā agri was issued in 2008. With later published albums Seši reiti nedeļā and Latgales danči un ne tikai folklore ensemble Svātra is inviting the listener to dance along with the music.

The Gruppo Terra del Sole cultural folk association was founded in Lodi in February 1998 at the behest of Miriam Catanese and Felice Torre, who had been lovers of traditional and popular music and dance since the 1970s. Over the course of 26 years, the Terra del Sole group has represented Italy and specifically their city abroad by participating in prestigious international folklore festivals: from Portugal to Greece, passing through Spain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Czechia, the Baltic countries, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria. Terra del Sole has performed on the stages of important theatres in large European cities, not forgetting the prestigious Sharija Heritage Festival in the United Arab Emirates. The group presents three different regions which highlight clear differences in dances, songs and costumes.

Aaron O’Hagan is a multi instrumentalist and renowned instrument maker from Co Antrim. Playing uilleann pipes and wooden flutes, he is joined by Belfast based bouzouki player, Luke Ward, on their first offering together entitled ‘From the Devil’s Punchbowl’ Aaron recorded, toured and performed for many years with the band Réalta. He continues to be a regular fixture on the Belfast traditional music scene as well as a highly sought after teacher. He is also a highly acclaimed Uilleann Pipe and wooden flute maker whose instruments are played all over the world. Luke Ward has been a busy and in-demand musician on the Irish music scene for many years, notably since the 2005 release of the album Clan Ranald with Donegal accordinist, Martin Tourish. Luke has toured the world over including the US, Canada, Australia and all over Europe. Melanie Houton is a fiddle player from the coastal townland of Glengad outside Malin in Co. Donegal. She has won numerous Fleadh competitions at county, provincial and national level and was recipient of the prestigious Senior Oireachtas Fiddle title in 2009. Melanie has performed all over the world including at Celtic Connections, Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy, Earagail Arts Festival, Ennis Trad Fest, Belfast Trad Fest, the Semaines Irlandaises en Artois-Gohelle Irish music festival in France and the Fiddlers Farm weekend in the Netherlands. Melanie was a guest musician on the Luke & Aaron’s recent album, From the Devil’s Punchbowl and also performs as part of the live band. A song from From the Devil's Punchbowl's repertoire:

The women's group Babskyi Kozachok (eng. Women's Cossack), initiated in 2009 by Irina Klymenko and Olena Honcharenko, presents a wide range of Ukrainian women's musical tastes in the way folklore collectors recorded them at the end of the 20th century. These include ancient lyrical songs about unhappy love, an angry mother-in-law, an unfaithful husband, which have been relevant to women throughout history, and old ritual melodies (spring, rye harvest), which have been preserved miraculously in the living tradition until our times. The lyrical and archaic themes are contrasted with the mocking, humorous and even sarcastic themes typical for Ukrainian women, which reign supreme in the dance sing-alongs. The title of one such sing-along from Pohoryne, Babskyi Kozachok, gave its name to the ensemble. The core of the group is joined on various occasions by talented Ukrainian folk performers from other groups. Halina Pshenichkina, Tania Chuhno (from the ensemble Volodar), and Nadia Khanis (from the ensemble Viltse) came together to the festival "Skamba skamba kankliai". The ensemble's repertoire also includes works performed by male voices, such as recruits' songs, Cossack songs and traditional chants. In this festival, the Ukrainians are joined by the Lithuanian "Cossack" - Rytis Ambrazevičius has been asked to play this role. A song from the Babskyi Kozachok repertoire:

Nøringen is a fiddle duo from the west coast of Norway. Two young students of folk music Ingrin Sofie Midtbø Bruner(14) and Ida Mikkonen(13) play different styles of old dance music from the Norwegian fjords. Nøringen is forwarding the tradition of the old greats like Alexander Røysland, Håkon Høgemo and Finn Varbøe among the others. Their repertoire is played on Hardanger as well as common fiddles. Group participant‘s names Ingrid Sofie Midtbø Bruner (musical leader) Ida Mikkonen Mikko Mikkonen (tour leader and Ida`s father)

The ensemble plays ancient melodies such as mazurkas, obereks, kujawiaks, polkas, tangos and foxtrots, as well as Jewish melodies. This, they say, confirms that such music is still alive, existing here and now, immediately flooding the body and soul with the energy of dance. "We love this music very much, it is full of content, but in an economical form, you could say it's elegant," says Bartosz Pulinski, the band's leader. So far, DiaBuBu's main source of inspiration and repertoire has been folk musicians such as accordionists Sławomir Czekalski, Czesław Kocemba, violinist Jan Szymański and the Rochale brothers: accordionist Wiesław, violinist, clarinet player and drummer Janusz. The ensemble also uses recordings made by Professor Andrzej Bieńkowski between 1985 and 2000, archives of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in Łódź, recordings of Polish Radio and the Institute of Arts of the Polish Academy of Sciences, etc. DiaBuBu captures the hearts of listeners, their music inspires dancing, and the extraordinary temperament and talent of the performers leave no one indifferent. The group has played at the most famous folk festivals in Poland and abroad and has been awarded in numerous competitions. Members of the group: Bartosz Pulinski (accordion) - band leader Jakub Stefanowicz - violin Jakub Korona - drum Song from DiaBuBu repertoire:

The folklore group Banga was founded in 2016 by friends who grew up together in the families of participants of the Latvian neo-folklore movement, and who now represent the new generation of Latvian folklore culture. Over time, the group has grown and expanded its repertoire by studying traditional culture and creating conceptual concerts and performances based on the folklore of Latvia and neighboring nations. The members of Banga have mastered traditional singing techniques, especially polyphonic and drone singing, and play a variety of traditional instruments such as bagpipes, kokle (Latvian plucked string instrument), flutes, accordions and others. The group also has both ethnographic costumes and costumes made as reconstructions of archeological clothing that were partly handmade by themselves. Banga’s biggest projects have been the study of Latvian Jewish folk music, as well as a collective work called "Talka", which is the central theme of their new studio album (scheduled for release in 2022). A song from Banga's repertoire:

The polyphonic group Chaonia was founded in 1996. Its name is related to the country name Chaones, where the polyphonic songs of the Epirus region are preserved. These songs are the main focus of the ensemble, although they also sing other Greek or Greek-speaking polyphonic songs. The group has appeared in hundreds of concerts all over the country, from the biggest cities to the smallest border villages, as well as on television, cinema and theatre. The group has participated in numerous festivals and events in different countries (France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, and Spain) and has collaborated with a lot of famous artists. Members of the ensemble are regular teachers of polyphonic masterclasses in Greece and abroad. Chaonia has been awarded for its efforts to preserve polyphonic songs. Its members, Alexandros Lampridis and Aliki Gkana, are the leaders (“kiratzides”) of the Polyphonic Caravan, an institution that was recently inscribed on UNESCO’s Register of Good Safeguarding Practices in the field of the intangible cultural heritage (2020), It is the first Greek initiative in this Register and one of 29 activities in the world on this list. A song from the Chaonia repertoire:

Once again, the international folklore festival Skamba skamba kankliai will invite you to flood the Old Town of Vilnius with beautiful songs and traditional dances. The 51st Skamba skamba kankliai will take place on 23-26 May this year. As every year, the festival programme is packed with concerts by Lithuanian and foreign artists, traditional dances, activities for the little ones and cosy get-togethers. The detailed programme for this year's Skamba skamba kankliai will be announced as the festival approaches. As you wait for the 51st Skamba skamba kankliai to start, follow the festival's Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts for the latest information and memories from the previous year's events. The festival is organised by Vilnius Ethnic Culture Centre. The festival is funded by Vilnius City Municipality and the Lithuanian Council for Culture.