GRIEŽYNĖ - 2008

Folklore group „ABRA” - Latvia

The folklore group „ ABRA”  has played together since 2005, but its members are experienced musicians from other groups in Latvia.
The group plays mainly instrumental music, using latvian traditional ancient instruments – bagpipes, whole wooden drums, kokles, pipes, flutes etc. The way of playing is very close to traditional, authentic as well as our nowdays interpretation. Repertoire is based on the traditional folkmusic developed over several centuries, including different melodies of latvian traditional songs and dances. Some of them are accompaned with singing and dancing.
Most of instruments and costumes are made by members of the group, according to historical materials.
„ABRA” is regular participant of international and national festivals and events.
At the moment there are five members in the group.

Roger Watson – England

Roger Watson plays English dance music on 2- and 3-row diatonic accordions. He is also a singer of English traditional songs and new songs in traditional style, a teacher of music, singing, songwriting and dancing, and a project director.
His career has spanned more than 40 years and he has been involved in many developments in that time. He now leads a band that brings together music from several of England’s ethnic groups to blend into a new and inclusive acoustic sound.
He was a guest at Griezyne in 2004 and is very excited to return in 2008!

www.rogerwatson.co.uk
www.bokahalat.co.uk

Alban Faust – Sweden

Born 1960 in Aachen, Western Germany. Already as a child he was interested in music.
His special interest was focussed on folk music. As a youth he started his first attempts in instrumentmaking and got in touch with drone-musicians. Today he works especially as a
bagpipesmaker and "-doctor". As he is an experienced "Spelman" (player) he can offer the following services as well : "Spelman" and musician on many instruments with different programs as a solo performer or with artist from Sweden and foreign countries, folk music (mainly from Dalsland), medieval music, drone and overtone-musics. For many years he leads classes for bagpipes in his house.

Andris and Aida Kapusts - Latvia

It is a family duet. Andris Kapusts is an folklorist, multiinstrumentalist, organizer of various festivals, musical events and seminars, founder and leader of folklore group "Grodi", the author of world music project "Arpus Laika". Together with his wife Aida Rancane, who is a daughter of good folk fiddler, they play Latvian folk music from various regions and times. Besides restoring and reproducing archaic folklore the couple creates their own model of musical folklore.

Todar Kaskurevich - Belarus

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.

Vilniaus Griežynė - Lithuania

is a special festival project. Evaldas Vyčinas, Gaila Kirdienė and Algirdas Klova are representatives of traditional Lithuanian violin playing. They all have outstanding individual manner of playing the violin but when they play together they keep to the traditional style. They will play melodies that were collected in folklore expeditions.