Two duos playing Estonian and Scottish traditional music!
Estonian and Scottish music and musicians Cätlin and Marko from Estonia and Finlay and Ali from Scotland come together for the second time in this unique collaboration to share their music not only with each other but also with their audiences. Their first performance was at the Edinburgh International Festival in the summer of 2024, where their shared passion for music and performing brought immense joy. Now, they aim to bring this same jolly and heartfelt experience to the audience at the Viljandi Folk Music Festival.
Both duos, Cätlin & Marko and Finlay & Ali, have played together for a long time in their respective ensembles. Now, these two established duos unite and form a dynamic quartet that breaks stylistic and cultural boundaries with their music.
Cätlin & Marko Mägi play mainly Estonian traditional music. Their tunes offer a unique mix of ancient bagpipe and jaw harp melodies paired with modern saxophone improvisations.
Finlay MacDonald is one of Scotland’s top pipers, who blends tradition with modern influences to create a distinctive sound. He joins forces with Ali Hutton, a talented multi-instrumentalist skilled in guitar, whistles, and bagpipes, whose energy and versatility add vigour and diversity to their performances.
Cätlin Mägi - bagpipe, Jew’s harp, whistles
Marko Mägi - saxophones
Finlay MacDonald - Scottish bagpipes, whistles
Ali Hutton - guitar
Artists
Cätlin and Marko Mägi with Finlay MacDonald and Ali Hutton
Estonia/Scotland
Curly Strings
Estonia
Curly Strings is an acoustic four-piece band that draws its inspiration from their own personal heritage in the current Estonian cultural space. Intense and playful ensemble work paired with a sincere presentation of their original music forms the main basis of
Curly Strings’ soundscape. The band’s rise in the Estonian music scene in 2013 was a phenomenon unlike any other: a folk music artist became mainstream by collecting national music awards and being the top seller in music stores for more than a year. They bring their unique Baltic take to the acoustic music world in combining the familiar with the unfamiliar, having catchy heartfelt songwriting side-by-side with folk music aesthetics, making them an exciting act to look out for.
Eeva Talsi – fiddle, lead vocals
Villu Talsi – mandolin, vocals
Peeter Priks – guitar, vocals
Taavet Niller – upright bass, vocals
Curly Strings’ soundscape. The band’s rise in the Estonian music scene in 2013 was a phenomenon unlike any other: a folk music artist became mainstream by collecting national music awards and being the top seller in music stores for more than a year. They bring their unique Baltic take to the acoustic music world in combining the familiar with the unfamiliar, having catchy heartfelt songwriting side-by-side with folk music aesthetics, making them an exciting act to look out for.
Eeva Talsi – fiddle, lead vocals
Villu Talsi – mandolin, vocals
Peeter Priks – guitar, vocals
Taavet Niller – upright bass, vocals
Džambo Aguševi Orchestra
North Macedonia
Džambo Agušev leads the funkiest brass band throughout the Balkans, which is reshaping Balkan music with his 21st century brass fusion. Džambo Aguševi Orchestra is the only non-Serbian band to ever win the award of Guča, the best known festival of brass bands in Serbia. The Orchestra have performed to huge acclaim in Sweden, Germany, UK, France, Colombia, Hungary, USA, Italy, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Spain, Slovakia, Austria, Norway, Turkey, Austria, Greece, Mexico etc. The Džambo Aguševi Orchestra’s music is dynamic, fierce, funky and innovative: the orchestra was declared by Songlines Magazine (UK) as one of the world’s most exciting bands. Over the last 10 years, the orchestra has received many invitations from the top world music festivals. Their album Brasses For The Masses has been released for Asphalt Tango Records and was praised by international critics and received German Critics Pool award. They have played with many highly acclaimed musicians, including Husnu Senlendirici, Dubioza Kolektiv, Jovan Pavlović, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Olcay Bayir, Serhan Cagri, Mamak Khadem, Natsha Atlas and others.
Džambo Agušev - trumpet, vocals
Kočo Agušev - trumpet
Sunaj Mustafov - trumpet
Kjerem Jusinov - trumpet
Ali Zekirov - tenor horn
Džafer Fazliov - tenor horn
Mustafa Zejnelov - tenor horn
Shukri Djevatov - helicon
Orfej Chakalovski - big drum, vocals
Redjep Nedjatov - drums
Džambo Agušev - trumpet, vocals
Kočo Agušev - trumpet
Sunaj Mustafov - trumpet
Kjerem Jusinov - trumpet
Ali Zekirov - tenor horn
Džafer Fazliov - tenor horn
Mustafa Zejnelov - tenor horn
Shukri Djevatov - helicon
Orfej Chakalovski - big drum, vocals
Redjep Nedjatov - drums
Haydamaky
Ukraine
The Ukrainian ethno-rock band Haydamaky are known not only in their home country but also across Europe and beyond the ocean. The band, which has been on stage for 20 years, continues to surprise their fans. Their music is a modern blend of global styles – from Ukrainian folk to Jamaican reggae. The artists are constantly experimenting with sounds, but one thing remains constant: Ukrainian folk melodies and dynamic brass section.
Since 2001, Haydamaky have recorded and released 8 albums, 2 of which have become "golden" records.
The band frequently collaborates with international stars such as Che Sudaka, Apollo 440, Kamil Bednarek, Kellerkomando, Vavamuffin, Brother Culture and others. Thanks to these collaborations, they bring Ukrainian musical DNA to international audiences and have earned a prominent place in the European music scene. Haydamaky have performed at the most famous European festivals, toured across the old continent, played hundreds of club concerts, and earned two European Golden Discs. For this reason, fans refer to the band as "ambassadors of Ukrainian culture."
The band is actively involved in the democratic transformations and events taking place in Ukraine. The most significant events in the country's recent history are constantly reflected in the band's creative work. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, three of the band's musicians have taken up arms to defend their homeland, while the others are involved in volunteer efforts and continue their concert activities.
Ímar
Ireland/Scotland
BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners, Irish/Manx/Scottish quintet Ímar are amongst Glasgow’s hottest folk property. With a wide-reaching fanbase throughout the UK, Europe, USA and Canada, the quintet have fast become one of the trad scene's most talked about group – thanks in no small part to their debut video, “L’Air Mignonne”, becoming a viral smash in 2016, catapulting the group to the attention of audiences and media worldwide.
Their two albums – Afterlight and Avalanche – have since amassed a devoted listenership, whilst live audiences are transfixed by Ímar's collective and individual technical prowess. With a line-up boasting a heavyweight haul of top solo prizes – including nine All-Ireland and eight All-Britain titles – the group's collective synergy and live energy is positively electric.
The five men share a strong background in Irish music; a grounding that underpins many of Ímar’s distinctive qualities, in both instrumentation and material. Indeed, the group's very being embodies a personal reconnection with its members’ formative years, dating back long before their recent camaraderie around Glasgow’s celebrated session scene. The shared cultural heritages between Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man are well documented: all three once shared the same Gaelic language, and a similar, clearly potent, kinship endures between their musical traditions.
“Striking musicianship, artful arrangements and sheer absolute delight” | Songlines
Adam Brown - bodhrán
Adam Rhodes - bouzouki
Mohsen Amini - concertina
Ryan Murphy - uilleann pipes
Tomás Callister - fiddle
Their two albums – Afterlight and Avalanche – have since amassed a devoted listenership, whilst live audiences are transfixed by Ímar's collective and individual technical prowess. With a line-up boasting a heavyweight haul of top solo prizes – including nine All-Ireland and eight All-Britain titles – the group's collective synergy and live energy is positively electric.
The five men share a strong background in Irish music; a grounding that underpins many of Ímar’s distinctive qualities, in both instrumentation and material. Indeed, the group's very being embodies a personal reconnection with its members’ formative years, dating back long before their recent camaraderie around Glasgow’s celebrated session scene. The shared cultural heritages between Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man are well documented: all three once shared the same Gaelic language, and a similar, clearly potent, kinship endures between their musical traditions.
“Striking musicianship, artful arrangements and sheer absolute delight” | Songlines
Adam Brown - bodhrán
Adam Rhodes - bouzouki
Mohsen Amini - concertina
Ryan Murphy - uilleann pipes
Tomás Callister - fiddle
Kukerpillid
Estonia
Kukerpillid, a folk band formed by students of the Academy of Arts, had their first public performance on the 1st of April 1972, on an Estonian TV show. Since then, they’ve performed in Estonia and around the world, sometimes alone and sometimes with well-known Estonian singers and dance groups, played folk songs, country music (particularly bluegrass and cajun styles), rockabilly, and their own original compositions, won awards at festivals, studied folk music archives, and recorded songs from traditional singers across Estonia. Kukerpillid have recorded over hundred songs and tunes, released 24 albums, some of them compilation albums, many cassettes and collaborative albums with other artists. Now, they are in their 53rd year of making music, which even they find hard to believe!
Toomas Kõrvits – vocals, guitar
Ike Volkov – vocals, bass
Tiit Kõrvits – guitar, vocals
Heiki Vahar – fiddle
Paabel
Estonia
As part of a special production, dedicated to the theme of this year's festival, the band Paabel will reunite for one night only. The group, featuring Sandra Sillamaa, Tanel Kadalipp, Arno Tamm, Lauri Kadalipp, Tõnu Tubli, and Jaan Jaago, will perform a full concert of brand-new music, inspired by the theme "Off the ground!".
Trad.Attack!
Estonia
Trad.Attack! have made it their mission to constantly challenge themselves, to be dedicated and to surprise not only their fans but themselves as well. This year, the band will celebrate its 10th anniversary! During the last ten years, the band has released five studio and three digital albums, all of which open up a world of complexities. The band’s goal to perform in every country of the world has taken them to 38 countries already and to almost every continent, with concerts in Australia, Canada, Chile and Malaysia. In their home country, the band tours nationwide and gives large scale concerts. Trad.Attack! have been recognised and honoured in Estonia with 29 music awards, including Band of The Year and Album of The Year. Their latest full-length album, "Bring It On", was released in March 2023, and reflects the changes in the band members themselves and the world around them. In addition to new instruments, the band members have crossed musical paths with a number of musicians from home and abroad, such as the Georgian vocal choir Iberi, the Canadian folk-pop band The East Pointers, the founder of the band Yemen Blues, Israeli-born musician Ravid Kahalani, the authentic seto choir and others.
Sandra Sillamaa - Estonian bagpipes, Jew's harp, glockenspiel, whistles, vocals
Jalmar Vabarna - guitar, vocals
Tõnu Tubli - drums, brass instruments, vocal
Sandra Sillamaa - Estonian bagpipes, Jew's harp, glockenspiel, whistles, vocals
Jalmar Vabarna - guitar, vocals
Tõnu Tubli - drums, brass instruments, vocal
Match not found