GRIEŽYNĖ - 2004

Opapaa  (Estonia) 

There are 3 persons in a band. We play Estonian traditional music and our own tunes. So it is not totally authentic music, but our own tunes are strongly inspired by traditional music. Arrangements are modern rather than traditional. We are all students or teachers (of traditional music) in Viljandi Culture Academy.
Anu Taul- voice, bagpipe, jews harph, quitar
Kristjan Priks- quitar, voice, percussion
Tarmo Noormaa- 2 and 4 rowed diatonic accordion.

Roger Watson   (England)

Born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. Involved in English traditional music since 1964. Singer, song writer, musician for social and ceremonial dance, dance animator, Artistic Director, project organiser and project leader, author of instrument tutor methods. Organised and performed at folk music events in School and both Universities. Research into music and song collections and traditions in Derbyshire and surrounding area. Published tutor methods for English concertina, anglo concertina and melodeon. 1979. Made recordings with groups.
Founder and Artistic Director of Traditional Arts Projects (TAPS) since 1989.
Instruments played and taught: Melodeon (diatonic accordeon), English Concertina
Song styles performed and taught: Narrative ballads, agrarian and industrial lyric folk songs, songs from seagoing traditions, both social and work songs. Traditional polyphonic styles.
Dance music styles played for and taught: Social set dance, ceremonial dance (e.g. morris, longsword)
Dance style taught; Social set dance.

Abdullah Boyraz (Turkey)

Abdullah was born in Antakia (1000 km off Stamboul) where he grew up and received his musical education. Playing the bahlama, a national Turkish instrument also called saz, ran in the family. Music had been Abdullah's lifelong aspiration yet fate decreed otherwise. Nevertheless he has not given up his instrument. As the owner of a restaurant in Vilnius, he performs before his guests, or at anyone's request. Many people flock to his restaurant not only to enjoy his wonderful kebab but also to hear the Turkish national music.
Together with Abdullah, Ferhat Aykac, a music teacher from Ankara, will take part in the festival.

Hurvomhey !   (Norway)

Bjørn Sverre Kristensen: Military Drum, Triangle, Devil´s Fiddle, Spoons, Over tone Flute, Jaw's Harp, Vocals.
Atle Lien Jenssen: Fiddle, Accordeon, Rural Clarinet, Ram´s Horn.
In Norway there existed a tradition for fiddle-and-drum. Up to the end of the last century, military drummers often played together with fiddlers at weddings and other social gatherings.
The fiddle and the drum are the main instruments used in the duo HURVOMHEI!, but we also sing and play other traditional instruments such as: accordeon, rural clarinet, triangle, Devil´s Fiddle, ram´s horn, and spoons.
HURVOMHEI has toured for the National Norwegian Concert Agency and in Latvia and Namibia. They have also appeared on Norwegian, Latvian and Namibian radio and television.

Todar Kaskurevich   (Byelorussia)

Todar Kaskurevich is professional artist, one of founders of ethnocosmological center "KRIVIJA", expert and virtuoso of bagpipes. He studies tradition of bagpipes in Belorsussia, Lithuania and Latvia. He also reconstructs and produces such kind of instruments. He writes a book "Bagpipe in lands of Grand Duchy of Lithuania" and works on film about Belorussian bagpipes.

Aliaksandr Los   (Byelorussia)

A professional artist and investigator into the traditional technique of fiddle playing in West Belarus, he reconstructed, on the grounds of existing ancient samples, the following traditional musical instruments: the pipe, the lyre, and the basetlė. A. Los is the founder of the "Batleika" folk puppet theatre.

T. Kaskurevich and A. Los have been giving their joint performances for a number of years.

Lizhoun Wang   (China)

While at school he learned to play a big number of Chinese musical instruments and was a member of Chinese Folk Instruments' Company.
Having graduated from North East Pharmacy Medical University in 1982, he was awarded a degree of a Master of Medicine in 1985 at the West China Medical University. In 1991 he came to Lithuania. Currently he acts as the head of several Chinese restaurants.

Sadūnai village orchestra    (Lithuania)

Created in 1997 in the Zarasai Region, the orchestra represents four men, namely Ramûnas Lisinskas (concertina), Gintaras Andrijauskas (fiddle, mandolin), Aurelijus Leleika (contrabass), and Giedrius Leleika (drum) performing traditional folk music played in Aukštaitija and other Lithuanian regions. The orchestra takes part in the events organised on the local, regional, and Lithuanian level. It has given a number of performances in Poland, Hungary, Italy, and Belarus. The frequent winners of the "Ant rubežiaus" Festival held in Šiauliai, the orchestra members themselves organise the "Sėlos muzikantai" Folk Music Festival.

Balsi   (Latvia)

There are four beautiful girls in the band, playing meditative folklore and postfolk music. They are amazing singers too.
Leader Vita Talla