Folk Spot Denmark is a project created to give folk musicians and industry professionals the opportunity to talk together and create new contacts and collaborations. This year’s edition was no exception, and delegates from near and far made the trip to Tønder to experience Tønder Festival and the selected orchestras for Folk Spot Denmark 2023.
We have spoken to some of the delegates to get a little insight into their work with folk music elsewhere in the world, and their experience with Folk Spot Denmark.
Name: Lisa Schwartz
Company: Alchemy Arts Consulting / Cambridge Folk Festival
Title: President / Senior Consultant
Based in: Maryland, The United States
What was your purpose for participating at Folk Spot 2023?
I am the programmer and curator for the Cambridge Folk Festival in England where we have a legacy of presenting emerging artists from around the world. I was very excited to attend Folk Spot and to see some new Danish and Nordic artists that I could possibly present
What trends and tendencies do you see in folk music right now?
I’ve always considered all music to be Folk music and I think the rest of the world may be following suit and not becoming so hung up on genre labels. During the pandemic, people learned to consume music differently. They took chances and pushed outside of their comfort zones, ’trying out’ new music online and expanding their taste. Now that we can attend festivals and concerts again, I see people giving new music a try where they wouldn’t before.
What is your impression of the Danish folk scene versus folk music in the USA? (Differences and similarities)
Honestly, I think that the Danish folk scene seems to be more sophisticated than the US folk scene with less reliance on clearly defined genres and more pushing the boundaries. The level of musicianship is very high and the dedication to craft is as well, but there is no expectation that anything will be handed to them. Unfortunately, in the US, many of the artists believe that they are ‘owed’ or ‘due’ a break. I have not seen this in Denmark.
Did you make some new contacts relevant for your future work?
Absolutely! I am looking forward to continuing to build relationships with several of the delegates as well as artists I met this year
Which were the best musical experiences during Folk Spot Denmark and Tønder Festival?
I really enjoyed all of the Folk Spot artists, but standouts for me were Solsort, Danish Fiddle Quartet, Optur, Erlend Viken Trio and Høst. From Tønder, highlights were Jeremy Dutcher, Aoife O’Donovan, Gentlemen’s Circle, The Dead South and Mec Lir.
Folk Spot Denmark er et projekt skabt for at give folkemusikere og branchefolk mulighed for at networke og skabe nye kontakter og samarbejder. Årets udgave var ingen undtagelse, og delegerede fra nær og fjern tog turen til Tønder for at opleve Tønder Festival og de udvalgte orkestre til Folk Spot Denmark 2023.
Vi har talt med nogle af de delegerede for at få et lille indblik i deres arbejde med folkemusik andre steder i verden, og deres erfaring med Folk Spot Denmark.
Navn: Lisa Schwartz
Firma: Alchemy Arts Consulting / Cambridge Folk Festival
Titel: President / Senior Consultant
Land: Maryland, The United States
Hvad var dit formål med at deltage på Folk Spot 2023?
Jeg er programansvarlig og kurator for Cambridge Folk Festival i England, hvor vi har en tradition for at præsentere nye kunstnere fra hele verden. Jeg var meget spændt på at deltage i Folk Spot og se nogle nye danske og nordiske kunstnere, som jeg måske kunne præsentere.
Hvilke tendenser ser du i folkemusik lige nu?
Jeg har altid betragtet al musik som folkemusik, og jeg tror, at resten af verden måske følger trop og ikke bliver så ophængt af genre-etiketter. Under pandemien lærte folk at forbruge musik anderledes. De tog chancer og skubbede uden for deres komfortzoner, ‘prøvede’ ny musik online og udvidede deres smag. Nu hvor vi kan deltage i festivaler og koncerter igen, ser jeg, at folk giver ny musik en chance, hvor de ikke ville før.
Hvad er dit indtryk af den danske folkescene kontra folkemusik i USA? (Forskelle og ligheder)
Helt ærligt, så synes jeg, at den danske folkescene ser ud til at være mere sofistikeret end den amerikanske folkescene med mindre afhængighed af klart definerede genrer og mere skubbe grænserne. Niveauet af musikerskab er meget højt, og dedikationen til håndværk er det også, men der er ingen forventning om, at noget vil blive givet til dem. Desværre mener mange af kunstnerne i USA, at man ‘skylder’ dem en pause. Det har jeg ikke set i Danmark.
Fik du nogle nye kontakter, der er relevante for dit fremtidige arbejde?
Absolut! Jeg ser frem til at fortsætte med at opbygge relationer til flere af de delegerede samt kunstnere, jeg mødte i år.
Hvilke var de bedste musikalske oplevelser under Folk Spot Denmark og Tønder Festival?
Jeg nød virkelig alle Folk Spot-kunstnerne, men de fremtrædende for mig var Solsort, Danish Fiddle Quartet, Optur, Erlend Viken Trio og Høst. Fra Tønder var højdepunkterne Jeremy Dutcher, Aoife O’Donovan, Gentlemen’s Circle, The Dead South og Mec Lir.
