AARHUS FOLK FESTIVAL 2024
26/9/2024 - 29/9/2024
Once again, it’s time for dance, music, and fun as Aarhus Folk Festival takes over the city. The festival is organized in collaboration with turkis, Roots Aarhus, Kultur Gyngen, Skt. Lukas Church, and supported by European Folk Days, Aarhus Municipality, the Danish Arts Foundation, the Tækker Foundation, and DMF.
TICKETS AND ACCESS
The festival takes place in central Aarhus, spread across various venues, community centers, and cafés. Below are the events happening at turkis. Tickets can be purchased via the Aarhus Folk Festival website
PROGRAM PÅ TURKIS
THURSDAY, 26/9
Stemmer i voks (Voices on wax)
Concert and lecture about the folklore collector Evald Tang Kristensen – and the lives of the poor in the heathlands at the turn of the last century.
Voices on Wax is a concert lecture by 2/3 of the core of Sorten Muld; singer Ulla Bendixen and composer Martin Ottosen. They shine a light on the powerful legends and songs that still thrived among the poor in the heathlands at the start of the 20th century, as well as the man who dedicated his life to collecting these folk tales before they disappeared forever – Evald Tang Kristensen. Their storytelling is intertwined with the couple’s fresh interpretations of songs from raw phonograph recordings. Instruments like the reed organ, mandolin, nyckelharpa, Jew's harp, and slightly out-of-tune piano support these timeless tales, which – despite the hardships of everyday life – sing of humanity’s relentless pursuit of happiness and love.
➤ Doors open: 16:00
➤ Stemmer i voks: 16:30 - 18:00
➤ Entry: 120 / 100 DKK at the door or with a festival pass
FRIDAY, 27/9
Music Workshop with Kristian Bugge
Play for dance with Kristian Bugge! We will play some of the best dance tunes and work on driving the dancers around with a good swing. Take home some strong melodies, along with tips on how to spice them up with variations. All instruments are welcome, and we will mostly play by ear, so feel free to bring some simple recording equipment.
Kristian has been deeply engaged with folk music from different corners of Denmark for many years. He has visited, played with, and learned from several of the older fiddlers, such as Karl Skaarup in Thy and Dwight Lamb from Iowa, USA. In 2014, he was one of the first in Denmark to be appointed as a national fiddler and has received several awards at DMA Folk for his bands, albums, and projects.
➤ Døre åbner: 16:15
➤ Music Workshop with Kristian Bugge: 16:30
➤ Entré: 100 / 80 DKK i døren eller med partout
Festive Concert with Marvara + Mia Guldhammer & Morten Alfred Høirup
Thread, Tune, and Tradition with Mia Guldhammer and Morten Alfred Høirup
Tradition bearer and singer Mia Guldhammer and guitarist and singer Morten Alfred Høirup invite you to a wide selection of folk songs. Some may be old and perhaps in a foreign language, but the melodies are full of beauty and drama. The stories behind the songs are not only entertaining and moving but also thought-provoking, even today, many hundreds of years after they were composed.
Marvara (BE/DK/SE)
Get ready for a festive evening when Marvara takes the stage at Aarhus Folk Festival! Led by Belgian Marieke Van Ransbeeck, the band also features some of the best young musicians from Denmark and Sweden. Prepare yourself for an evening of captivating melodies and rhythmic dances that will make you feel “high on life.” Marvara is ready to bring folk music closer to you with open arms and open hearts. Don’t miss this unique chance to experience some of the most talented musicians from the Nordic folk music scene!
➤ Doors open: 19:00
➤ Mia Guldhammer & Morten Alfred - Thread, Tune, and Tradition: 19:30
➤ Marvara: 20:45
➤ Entry: 150 / 120 DKK at the door or with a festival pass
SATURDAY, 28/9
Children’s Ball with Grandma’s Singing Games by Musikflyveren
Traditionally, singing games were played both indoors and outdoors, passed down from family to family, street to street, and backyard to backyard, often sung without accompaniment. Musicians Clara Aaholm and Sofie Christiansen from Musikflyveren have delved into the archives to find a handful of old singing games from when grandma was a child. As these songs disappear from schoolyards and playgrounds, so does their connection to children’s play. To keep these singing games as part of children’s lives, they need to be used and integrated into everyday life. So, bring your child, grandchild, niece, or nephew, and come play.
➤ Doors open: 09:30
➤ Children’s Ball: 10:00
➤ Entry: Free
Rod & Fod + Concert with FLOOK
Rod & Fod
The group of young people aged 15 to 30 is new every year, but the sense of community remains the same: they are united by their love for folk music and dance. At their annual gatherings, they play and dance together, learning new melodies, dances, and songs from each other. Throughout the year, they perform at festivals across Denmark, where they help out and play with great enthusiasm. Rod & Fod will perform music and dance for about 25 minutes as a warm-up for Flook.
Flook
Flook was formed over 25 years ago by four friends and burst onto the international music scene with their debut studio album, Flatfish. The band enjoyed remarkable success in both performance and recording, with their joy of playing together shining through on their albums. However, it was their live performances that truly touched the hearts of those who watched and listened. The bond between these four musicians and the sheer delight they found in playing together has been praised by both audiences and critics alike.
Look forward to this firework of flutes, guitar, and bodhrán!
After the concert, you can enjoy a jam session with Flook! The band will lead the jam for the first hour, after which the jam will take on a life of its own. The repertoire will mainly consist of Irish/English/Celtic tunes.
➤ Doors open: 15:15
➤ Rod & Fod workshop: 15:30
➤ Flook: 15:30
➤ Jam with Flook: 18:00
➤ Entry: 150 / 120 DKK at the door or with a festival pass – the ticket gives access to the Flook concert. The jam is free to join.
SUNDAY, 29/9
Children and Youth Workshop and Jam + Generational Jam for All
The jam starts with about an hour of melody workshop led by Bodil Frimodt Rønnow and Louise Vangsgaard. After that, it’s free play. At 11:30, the adults from Folk Jam in Aarhus will join, and we’ll transition to what we call a generational jam. This means that everyone is welcome, regardless of age, but we will start by letting the young participants from the Children and Youth Jam choose the first tunes, after which there will be free jamming for all ages.
➤ Doors open: 9:45
➤ Children and Youth Workshop and Jam: 10:00
➤ Generational Jam: 11:30
➤ Entry: Free
Workshop with Line Rothmann - Jazz Up Your Knitting! + Concert with Meidell & Hedin
The perfect activity to soothe tired dancing feet and festival ears. Before the concert with Meidell & Hedin, we’ll open the doors at Turkis for the “Jazz Up Your Knitting” workshop. Bring an old sweater and get guidance on how to jazz it up with needle felting, various embroidery techniques, beads, and buttons. Bring your own materials if you have them! We will provide yarn, wool, and tools.
After the workshop, we’ll move into this year’s craft concert, where we are very proud to present this Swedish duo, who play both traditional folk tunes and 18th-century music from the classical Baroque tradition.
Meidell & Hedin
Ida’s baroque violin and Johan’s various nyckelharpas create rich soundscapes as this duo moves through the changing forms of the melody tradition. The music is rooted in the 18th century but stretches into our time, shaped by Ida’s many playing styles and influences from near and far, and Johan’s unique way of accompanying and pushing the boundaries of the nyckelharpa’s possibilities. A musical experience where old melodies are brought to new life in beautiful arrangements and heartfelt interplay.
➤ Doors open: 14:30
➤ Workshop: 14:30
➤ Meidell & Hedin: 16:00
➤ Entry: 120 / 100 DKK at the door or with a festival pass
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The full program can be downloaded here