2,500 artists and music industry professionals (agents, managers, producers, festival and club reps, promoters and journalists) have been invited to participate in Folk Alliance International. Over five days, the conference will feature exhibitions, lectures, discussion panels, presentations and informal meetings, which are an ideal opportunity for networking between folk professionals.
During this year’s edition, the Polish artists will perform at the Pershing South Ballroom are Maria Pomianowska (16th February) and the Sutari trio (20th February). Maria Pomianowska will also present a panel on the ‘Rediscovery of Polish Instruments.’
Maria Pomianowska is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and teacher. She has founded several important Polish folk bands, including Raga Sangit, Zespół Polski, San-Nin Trio and Arcus Poloniae. She has also played a fundamental role in the reconstruction of two forgotten Polish instruments: the Biłgoraj suka and the Płock fiddle. Besides working on Polish folk projects, she collaborates with Arab and Pakistani musicians, organising intercultural music projects in Asia and Africa.
The Lithuanian word ‘sutarti’ means ‘to be in harmony, consonance’ – hence, Sutari is a fitting name for a trio of voices (Zofia Barańska, Katarzyna Kapela and Barbara Songin), entwined in canons and polyphony. The artists draw inspiration from traditional folk repertoire, but they do not translate it literally – each of them adds her own sensitivity and interpretation to the Polish vocal tradition.
Source: press materials, translated by OK, 11 Feb 2016