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A living legend is born. Førde ! Guitar legend Boubacar Traoré from Mali is one of the top international artists coming to Førde !
The theme of Førdefestivalen 2024 is ROOTS and when the 34th festival takes place from 3rd to 7th July this summer, the stage is set for a unique and diverse musical journey to cultures and musical traditions from all corners of the world. Roots and traditions have always helped define who we are and who we were. They stretch out and weave together with others to form a bridge between yesterday and today. - At this year's festival, we present musicians who uphold musical traditions, give them new life and make them relevant for new generations and new audiences, says festival director Sølvi Lien . Førdefestivalen is opened by Minister of Culture Lubna Jaffery.
Førdefestivalen is a unique festival in the large Norwegian festival flora, and the festival program is also noticed internationally, says Lien. She is proud to present a program with artists from 28 countries, a strong Norwegian and Nordic field and three world premieres.
Førdefestivalen has music in focus and the goal is to give artists and the audience the best musical experiences. Roots are the common thread in the opening concert, which is the largest concert production at the festival. Seven bands with roots from all over the world will be on stage. This year's keynote speaker is Liv Gulbrandsen, and the concert is directed by Jeff Pedersen.
Puuluup from Estonia has become a phenomenon on the international world music scene in recent years. This year they will play Førde "
Folk music trends
-One of the great bright spots for those of us who have a heart for folk music is what happens at Tuvas Blodklubb in Oslo, where a young audience goes from house to house to dance springar, gangar and more to solo Hardanger fiddle, mouth harp and kveding, says Sølvi Lien She hopes that this year's club at Larris with the Estonian duo Puuluup and Norwegian Naaljos Ljom can create some of the same vibes in Førde this summer. Puuluup gets everyone dancing to their incomparable mix of old and new, and Norwegian Naaljos Ljom, the same, with folk music combined with electronic music. Before the concert, the festival offers an informal low-threshold dance school with students from the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Living legends and international top names
Boubacar Traoré, the guitar legend from Mali, brings with him all the beauty of African blues. He was a superstar in Africa in the 60s, but was out of music for many years before he was accidentally rediscovered and got a record deal and a great international career. Today he is praised by the young people in Mali, he is being rediscovered. -It is great to have Boubacar Traoré to Førde , and quite naturally when the theme is roots, says the festival director.
Lina_ the big star in Portuguese fado at the moment!
Lina_ is the fado singer who has topped international charts in recent months with her new album Fado Camões. She presents fado in a modern and tasteful version. Aziza Brahim has also topped the charts with her latest album Mawja. Brahim builds bridges between her roots in Western Sahara, via her youth in Cuba, and adult life in Barcelona, where she now lives in exile.
Iranian Marjan Vahdat brings with her one of our leading jazz pianists, Tord Gustavsen, and a stellar cast of musicians, and comes to the festival with the project Our Garden is Alone. Vahdat conveys the pain of having to leave her homeland and roots, and live in exile.
Julie Fowlis and Ímar - two big Scottish names playing at Celtic Fest!
Julie Fowlis is one of the most respected Scottish musicians and traditionalists in Scotland, and world-famous from the title track of the Disney Pixar film Brave. She has performed on stage in Førde once before. This time she will be joined by Ímar, one of the most sought-after bands in Scotland at the moment, with major international tours behind them when they land in Førde , ready for Celtic party night.
Three world premieres
Musician, composer and dancer Tuva Færden is in charge of her festival commissioned work , which is entitled GREINER. She brings with her musicians with strong roots in different traditions, who also have the ability to stretch out their branches and move us with the way they are present in the music.
Erlend Apneseth and Karin Nakagawa will present specially written music for Japanese koto and Norwegian Harding fiddle.
Erlend Apneseth from Jølster will premiere the work The Way of the Wind. This is newly written music for the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle and the Japanese koto, and will be performed by the Jølster musician in collaboration with the world-renowned Japanese koto player Karin Nakagawa.
When Perkverket is premiered in Førde , drummer Birger Mistereggen fulfills his great dream of gathering drummers from percussion traditions in several parts of the world. He has brought Jon Balke on board as composer and the other performers are Helge Norbakken, Kaveh Mahmudiyan, Sanskriti Shrestha, Michaela Antalová, Nora Sjøgren, Solo Diarra and Jakop Janssønn.
Kobo Town offers calypso rhythms on Saturday nights!
Nordic and calypso on Saturday night
With the concert Nordic Roots, the festival invites you to a celebration of Nordic folk music in 2024! Here, a total of 20 musicians will be in action on stage: Winner of the Nordic Council Music Prize 2023, Maija Kauhanen, will play together with Johannes Geworkian Hellman. Lena Jonsson, the folk musician with the charisma of a rock star, is on hand with her sparkling trio and Spöket i köket serves up her home-grown folk music in big band format. - Our own groundbreaking Madam Jam is self-written for such a party evening, according to the festival director. Saturday evening will end with Festival Night, where this year Latin-alternative music by the colorful LADAMA will be served, and calypso with Kobo Town from Canada and Trinidad.
Lena Jonsson Trio are three of a total of 20 musicians who will be in action at the concert Nordic Roots in the sports hall on Saturday evening.
New venues
-We are delighted to be able to hold events in the theatre hall in the new Nynorskhuset, and Røyst will be the venue for Kaffipraten, the conversation series where the audience meets selected festival artists in conversation with Jo Frost, former editor of the international music magazine, Songlines, says Lien.
In addition, we have a concert in a venerable community center in the city, Førde house of prayer, right next to Førdehuset . Here we will have a close encounter with a trio of our finest folk musicians, Berit Opheim, Sigbjørn Apeland and Nils Økland. We will also have a concert in Sognefjord Akvarium in Balestrand for the first time.
"Sykkeli, lykkeli" is the title of a wild outdoor concert for the whole family. It takes place on Wednesday afternoon in the park at Festplassen.
The program also includes a trip with Indre Sunnfjord Turlag and Margreth Olin through Oldeskaret. Here, a concert at the fiddler's bog with Britt Pernille Frøholm is included. The festival also offers an art exhibition, courses, films, Førdekonferansen , a large family program, yoga to live music, festival breakfast, art performance, music in the city center and much more. -Now I encourage people to go on a journey of discovery in the program and get tickets, concludes Sølvi Lien , and if anyone has any questions or needs good advice, just contact us at the festival office.
Press contact:
Torill Gundersen , communications manager, mobile 90 73 85 27
Sølvi Lien , director, mobile 41692378