Kokles, kannels and kankles – these three musical instruments unite the Baltic countries, and with them in the foreground we are also presenting ourselves at the world music forum “Womex” this year.
For the first time, the three neighboring countries tried to get closer four years ago, when “Womex” took place in Tampere, but this time with more capacity, a single stand and a Baltic family table.
“We are visible, we are significant, people see us, they understand us as a single, common music market of the Baltic countries. Often they confuse the countries, but when they understand that the Baltic Sea, the Baltic countries – they are us, and if we are like this, big, strong, they just don’t miss us, we are big,” says Egīls Šefers, director of the Latvian Music Information Center.
The representatives of all three countries admit that although we tend to compete and try to outdo each other on a daily basis, we can achieve success in the global context only if we cooperate.
“People may think that we cooperate more than it is in reality. We even have initiatives to cooperate more strongly at the level of festivals and concert venues, but any cooperation is difficult – we must be ready for long discussions, joint decisions, but it seems that we have met with at the end of it, and the result is wonderful, in total we are here 50 professionals from three countries,” explains the director of “Music Estonia” Ave Sofija Marija Telpta.
Working together does not mean losing one’s identity, but it gives more strength and the opportunity for new projects to be born.
“We try to preserve the uniqueness of our traditions, we don’t try to artificially create common things, but at the Baltic Pavilion in Tampere, three singers met and united, now it is the group “Baltic Sisters”, and such cooperation is a natural result of our unity,” emphasizes Radvile, director of the Lithuanian Music Information Center Buividiene
The cohesion and common strength of the region is also emphasized by foreign partners.
Christian Plifke, head of the record company CPL Music, said: “Your music is dark and melancholic, with strong voices. It appeals to me, so I decided to work with this music and introduce it to other countries, especially Germany.”
The director of Womex, Aleksandrs Valters, also appreciates the ability of the Baltics to unite, emphasizing the need to visibly and strongly present themselves directly in person: “Now we have proof of how important Womex is, because during the pandemic, when the forum was digital, we got confirmation that it there’s no substitute for a face-to-face meeting. Everyone here will tell you how important it is to meet once a year to build trust. When working with people on the other side of the world, that’s one of the most important things.”
Next year, Womex will take place in Manchester. It is not yet clear whether we will go there under the same Baltic flag.
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2023-10-31 17:45:57
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