During the years we've seen the Nordic brand develop on quiet at few areas across the world in gastronomy, architecture, theater, living and that the list goes on. This branding have made the way of brands across the nordic countries - but what about Nordic folk music?
During this conference we've touched upon this subject from many angles and to wrap up these days we've gathered a panel of the different specialists on this area. Here we'll talk about how we can use the knowledge of this conference and how the future seems for our part of the industry.
In the panel:
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Jakob Kragesand is deeply involved in the nordic folk music industry as Musician in his bands VÍÍK and Som Os, project manager at Tempi, producer of Nordic Folk Alliance in Denmark and with his background as Master of Arts in Musicology where he did his final theses on Nordic Folk Music in a Marketing Perspective, we're happy to have him as moderator of this panel.
Additionally, besides his touring with his bands in the global nordics and masters degree, Jakob has done education at Malmö Academy of Music and The Liszt Academy in Budapest on double bass. When he doesn't play music or work as project manager he's booking music for Gimle in Roskilde and in the event organisation FOLKAMOK! in Copenhagen.
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Dublin-born Tom Sherlock has worked as a full-time music business professional since 1982 when he began employment with leading Irish folk music label, Claddagh Records. He helped establish Claddagh as one of the world's largest distributor of traditional music and opened up many new international territories for the label and its artists. During his fifteen years with the label Tom worked as A & R manager and also as production manager. Among the artists he worked closely with were The Chieftains. He also established a retail arm for the company and successfully managed Irelands leading folk and roots music record store.
Since 1997 Tom has worked in music management and event consultancy. He has represented many of the leading Irish traditional music acts among them Altan, Liam O'Flynn, The Poet and the Piper (Seamus Heaney & Liam O'Flynn), The Chieftains, Lankum, Karan Casey, Seamus Begley, Usher’s Island, Lunasa, Paddy Glackin and Roisin Elsafty. In recent years he has taken on management of the Danish band, Dreamers’ Circus and has overseen their growth to becoming a leading name in the Nordic Music scene. Tom has worked hard in developing the Nordic folk brand internationally.
Tom has wide experience of organizing tours in the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Japan, China, Australia and has worked in most European countries. He works as a programming consultant and advisor to a number of festivals. A contributor to the respected reference works,The Encyclopedia of Ireland and The Companion to Irish Traditional Music, he is an occasional lecturer in music business.
In 2012 he was Programme Manager of the North Atlantic Fiddle Festival (NAFCo2012) which ran in Derry/Londonderry and Donegal and where he introduced Norwegian music to the programme in the guise of Frikar and Majorstuen. Along with Professor Ríonach uí Ógain of University College Dublin he was co-editor of The Otherworld -Music and Song from Irish Tradition -an illustrated book with 2 CDs on Irish music and folklore published by The Folklore Council of Ireland.
He recently produced and presented a 6 part radio series entitled "Transmissions" that explored commonalities between various international folk musics - this ran successfully on RTÉ Radio 1 (Irish national broadcaster). Previously he served as a music advisor to the Irish Arts Council and has also worked in consultancy roles for the Government of Canada, the European Commission, the Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland), The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and Danish Roots amongst others. Tom is currently engaged by Music Estonia and Tempi (Denmark) to offer mentoring courses to musicians in those countries. He served, as treasurer, on the board of the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin for six years (www.itma.ie) and previously served at board level for Open House Festival in Belfast and the Dublin Folk Festival.
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Ánnámáret belongs to the Arctic indigenous people Sámi. In her Nieguid duovdagat – Dreamscapes entity she combines Sámi vocal music joik to the ancient sound of Finnish bowed lyre jouhikko and organic live electronics. The music gains influence from both the rich tradition of joik and the vibrant Sámi culture and Arctic nature, by taking to strongly experimental worlds by means of music and images.
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A son of the melancholic eastern fjords and the seldom seen north of Iceland, the gruff, yet gentle Troubadour Svavar Knútur summons his inner demons and outer storms to reflect upon the existential crises and frolicking joys of modern day rustic fjord dwelling men.
In perfect harmony with his vocation as a lifelong nonconformist, ever dismantling myths and post-colonial gentle-savage stereotypes about his “elfish and magical” people and country, the eclectic musician has in recent years blossomed into a serene and sublime singer and songwriter. Knutur's songs of misery and redemption deliver a healthy dose of hope in the midst of despair. A humoristic storyteller and avid diver into the murky waters of the human condition, Svavar Knútur, sows and reaps a fertile hybrid of art and entertainment.
Drawing upon a wide range of influences, three of Svavar Knutur's most governing ones are without doubt Nick Drake, Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy) and Kris Kristofferson, although such artists as Leonard Cohen, Cat Stevens, Joni MItchell, Nick Cave and many more singer/songwriters have contributed to the icelandic troubadour's development.
Knutur's songwriting has not gone unnoticed internationally, as his song Astarsaga ur fjollunum (Love story from the mountains) propelled his former band Hraun to participate in the final 5 competition on BBC World Service's Next big thing, playing for millions of viewers and listeners all over the world. Knutur released two albums with Hraun, where he was the main songwriter.
Svavar has released five solo albums over his career, spanning just over a decade, featuring collaborations with Czech singer/songwriter Marketa Irglóvá, along with some Icelandic fellow artists. All of Svavar Knútur’s albums have resonated well with his listeners and contributed to a steady growth in popularity, both in Iceland and internationally.
In 2018, Svavar Knútur released the first part of a larger project called Ahoy. The album, Ahoy! Side A, featured five new and four repainted songs. An eclectic mix of songs, all exposing different sides of Svavar's sometimes mercurial, but ever loving attitude to life and the world. The album landed Svavar Knútur two nominations for the Icelandic Music Awards, one for Best album and one for Singer of the year. In 2020, he was a participant in the Global Music Match project.
His album art is a collaboration with his young daughter Dagbjört Lilja, an ever developing series of portraits of the artist.
Svavar Knútur has in the recent years toured Australia, the U.S.A., Canada, Great Britain and Europe extensively and is resolved to keep up the pace.
Svavar is also the first recipient of the Anna Pálína Árnadóttir memorial award for folk music excellence in Iceland. The award was in recognition for Svavar’s continued exploration of new waters in modern folk music both lyrically and musically, a tireless effort to bring older folk music to young audiences and for his continous work on helping out young and emerging artists."