Etno na Wesołej

„Etno na Wesołej” is an international forum for ethno, folk, and world music, featuring a series of outdoor and intimate concerts, as well as workshops held in the creative district of Wesoła. The music will be performed at the concert hall of the Strefa Nowa in the former three-century-old Carmelite monastery, on the outdoor stage by the "Stara Kuchnia," and at the "Meadow at Wesoła." The program includes traditional Polish music, Estonian folk, French-Polish ethnojazz, and the once-forbidden maloya music, now a cultural symbol of the island of Réunion. The autumn edition of the 'Festival Orchestra' (EtnoKraków/Rozstaje) will also kick off—a series of traditional Polish music workshops, culminating in a live concert and dance event. In September and October, there will also be vocal, frame drum, and handicraft workshops, including the making of traditional Krakow paper cuttings called fajerki. Events will take place at the Strefa Nowa, Apteka Designu, and in the Meadow at Wesoła.

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Etno na Wesołej – concerts:

August 25 | Sunday | 8:00 PM | Free Admission

ZIELNIK NOWY | Joanna Słowińska & Stanisław Słowiński Octet | Inaugural Concert

Outdoor stage by Stara Kuchnia | Entrance from Mikołaja Kopernika 19

Zielnik by the Słowiński Family: a palette of musical colors, shades, and references to the interweaving symbols of the sacred and the profane that surround us.

Zielnik Nowy is a composition by Stanisław Słowiński set to the texts of Jan Słowiński, performed by Joanna Słowińska and the Stanisław Słowiński Octet. The literary layer serves as a calendar of the coexistion disciplines of the seasons and annual customs ('Zielone Świątki', 'Zielna', 'Siewna'), interpretations of deeply rooted hagiographic and apocryphal motifs. The music offers a diverse range of forms: from jazz ballads ('Kolęda polarna'), through ascetic, ostinato string textures ('Zofia', ‘Ignacy’) to rock energy ('Via dolorosa', 'Zielna').

Lyrics: Jan Słowiński | music: Stanisław Słowiński, Joanna Słowińska | musical arrangement: Stanisław Słowiński | graphic motif: Zosia Słowińska.

Performers: Joanna Słowińska – vocals, Stanisław Słowiński Oktet: Stanisław Słowiński – violin, Franciszek Raczkowski – piano, Szymon Frankowski – double bass, Adam Stępniewski – drums, Krzysztof Katana – 1st violin, Agata Front – 2nd violin, Aleksander Frankiewicz - viola, Dominik Frankiewicz - cello.

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September 9 | Monday | 8:00 PM | Hamdam (Syria/Iran)

Strefa Nowa, Mikołaja Kopernika 19

Persian music rooted in Sufi tradition. Compositions drawing from the radif repertoire; lyrics by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi set to traditional instruments.

The members of Hamdam invite us on a journey through archaic songs—in Aramaic, Arabic, Persian, Kurdish—that contribute to the cultural mosaic of the Middle East. This is spiritual world music, a unity in song—a story of peace. The musicians draw inspiration from their native cultures. The group consists of Dariush Rasouli, Wassim Ibrahim, and Arad Emamgholi. In their joint project, the artists undertake musical interpretations of the texts by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi—the Sufi poet, Persian mystic, and Islamic theologian known as the "poet of love." They are inspired by the radif repertoire, Iranian classical music derived from traditional melodies, orally transmitted from master to disciple, serving as the basis for improvisation.

Dariush Rasouli – ney, tora, tombak, vocals

Wassim Ibrahim – vocals, oud

Arad Emamgholi – daf, bendir, dayereh, vocals

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The Harvest Festival concert at "Meadow at Wesoła" is organized in cooperation with the Krakow Festival Office and the Metropolia Krakowska Association, which brings together several municipalities bordering Krakow. From Zielonki to Igołomia-Wawrzeńczyce, they are known for various crops, dishes, and preserves that will be showcased during the event by their producers. The event will take place at Wesoła, where forming small and large communities around various artistic, social, or (yes!) gardening activities has become a norm and a way to spend time creatively. There will be a musical highlight as well. Joanna Słowińska will perform with a vocal group, presenting Songs of Summer and Autumn—inspired by the musical traditions of Małopolska, Podkarpacie, and the Eastern Borderlands.

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September 19 | Thursday | 8:00 PM | Lumpeks (Poland/France)

Strefa Nowa, Mikołaja Kopernika 19

The Polish-French band Lumpeks creates a thoughtful fusion of jazz and Polish rural dance music.

The band was founded by French double bassist Sébastien Beliah, who resides in Warsaw. For Lumpeks, he invited two outstanding improvisers from the jazz scene—Pierre Borel (saxophone) and Louis Laurain (trumpet), along with talented singer and barabanist Olga Kozieł. Lumpeks won the highest award at the Polish Radio Nowa Tradycja Festival. The jury justified the Grand Prix with the following words: "A free, bold, imaginative, and sensitive interpretation of musical traditions." [Piotr Kędziorek, Polish Radio]

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September 26 | Thursday | 8:00 PM | WoWaKin

Strefa Nowa, Kopernika 19

The WoWaKin band was founded in 2016, debuting at the Polish Radio Nowa Tradycja festival, where they won 3rd prize. Since then, they have become one of the most renowned Polish folk bands, creating, among other things, the soundtrack for the series 1670.

Drawing from the repertoire of folk music, the musicians strive to present it in contemporary versions. They improvise and play with form, rediscovering forgotten melodies and bringing them to contemporary audiences. Their music is exciting, captivating, fresh, often inviting to dance. The WoWaKin trio, while remaining faithful to the traditional performance style, reinterprets old Polish melodies. They search for new harmonies, play with trance rhythms, and improvise on them. Their passion and mission are to showcase the beauty of Polish traditional music, which is not written down in scores but passed down by older generations of village musicians, and to successfully bring it into contemporary culture. The band consists of personalities from different musical worlds—traditional, classical, and jazz music: Paula Kinaszewska – violinist and singer, Bartłomiej Woźniak – composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and Mateusz Wachowiak – harmonica player.

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September 28 | Saturday | 7:00 PM | Zène'T Panon / maloya | Music of Réunion Island

Strefa Nowa, Kopernika 19

For 15 years, Zène-T Panon has been conquering international stages, standing out in the musical world with their unique style.

The group has woven music from Afro-Malagasy and Tamil cultures, which strongly intertwine on Réunion Island. This fusion gave rise to a new harmony, resonating with contemporary maloya music, deeply inspired by Tamil ritual music. Zène-T Panon's music is also a lens on spiritual experiences, filled with sacred depth; it is a celebration of life, faith, and culture. During concerts, the audience is encouraged to interact, co-create the experience along with the musicians. Maloya is a musical genre and dance style, a musical tradition of islanders, the sound of the Indian Ocean. This unique genre is gaining increasing popularity around the globe. However, until the 1980s, it was banned, as it originated from slaves brought to Réunion and symbolized resistance to oppression.

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4.10 | Friday | 20:00 | Mari Kalkun (Estonia)

Strefa Nowa, ul. Mikołaja Kopernika 19

Mari Kalkun is a singer, instrumentalist, and composer specializing in discovering and reinterpreting ancient Estonian musical traditions. After graduating from music school, she began her quest, uncovering various ethnic instruments, including the kannel, an Estonian instrument similar to the zither, which she still plays today. According to the artist, her encounter with folk music and the sound of traditional Estonian music was like regaining her sight. Kalkun hails from the Voro region in southeastern Estonia. The locals here speak a regional language, Voru, which today is spoken by around 70,000 people. Mari creates her music both in Estonian and in this local Voru language.

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18.10 | Friday | 20:00 | Kinior & Saren: Trance Ceremony

Strefa Nowa, ul. Mikołaja Kopernika 19

TRANCE CEREMONY is a duo composed of Włodek 'Kinior' Kiniorski and Anna Rutkowska, performing under the pseudonym Saren. Their shared direction is improvisation, love for music, and playfulness. It's a minimalist yet energetic and eclectic musical spectacle, created mainly with percussion, wind instruments, and electronics. Both are multi-instrumentalists from different musical backgrounds. Kinior, who plays saxophones, flutes, and African drums, has a strong jazz background. Saren, on the other hand, comes from a classical and contemporary music background, and her instruments include the marimba, vibraphone, as well as piano and percussion.

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26.10 | Saturday | 20:00 | Festival Orchestra (EtnoKraków/Rozstaje) | Concert and Dance

Strefa Nowa, ul. Mikołaja Kopernika 19

On Sunday, October 6th, the autumn edition of the 'Festival Orchestra' (EtnoKraków/Rozstaje) kicks off—a series of workshops culminating in a concert and dance event with live music. In the hall of Strefa Nowa—the home of Kraków's Dance House—two groups will meet again: beginners and advanced. Anyone can join either group, playing any instrument, and the main theme of the workshops is traditionally the 'Polish suite.' In the past, a 'suite' referred to a cycle of dances played in succession without interruption, from the slowest to the fastest. The most beautiful dance melodies from various regions of Poland will be taught by Maria Stępień—a singing violinist, lover of source music, and experienced instructor. The culmination of the workshops will be a joint performance—a concert and dance event—on October 26th in Strefa Nowa. Although the workshops will be based on the 'suite,' this time, Maria Stępień will weave sonoristic accents into traditional melodies from various regions, posing the question to herself and participants: can traditional music be experimented with?

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Etno na Wesołej

Organizer: ROZSTAJE: u Zbiegu Kultur i Tradycji. Stowarzyszenie

Supporting Partner: Agencja Rozwoju Miasta Krakowa Sp. z o.o.

Partners: Krakowskie Biuro Festiwalowe, Apteka Designu

The „Etno na Wesołej” project is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the National Center for Culture program: Culture – Interventions. Edition 2024. :::

Etno na Wesołej

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