The Breath + Sudan Dudan

It was at WOMEX – a trade fair for global music in Spain – that the artistic director of Cosmopolite took notice of The Breath. The band delivered a heart-wrenching, raw, and powerfully honest concert, prompting an instant invitation to perform at Cosmopolite Scene.

"Quiet, relentless, The Breath has become one of the ... most exciting folk musicians ... 'Only Stories' ... an acoustic recording that unfolds like a paper flower" – THE FINANCIAL TIMES

The Breath is comprised of British guitarist Stuart McCallum and vocalist and flutist Ríoghnach Connolly from Ireland. McCallum was an experienced member of The Cinematic Orchestra, and Connolly a powerful personality with a mighty voice. Together, the singer-songwriter duo set out to create folk music with a contemporary edge.

"Roots in folk music, but with different horizons ... the startling, wonderful, intoxicating voice of Ríoghnach Connolly" - THE GUARDIAN

Connolly is the storyteller – singing about childhood summers, first love, the injustices following colonial times, and sorrow. 

The duo has released three albums on the Real World label, and following their 2019 album "Only Stories," where they recorded music they had created earlier in a more acoustic version, Connolly was awarded both "Best Folk Singer" and "Singer Of The Year" at the BBC R2 Folk Awards.

"Raw, soulful, often mesmerizing, rich texture, and lushly constructed ... versatile convincing vocals" - MOJO

Line up:
Ríoghnach Connolly – vocals and flute
Stuart McCallum - guitarist

Sudan Dudan

To create an even more complete musical experience, we have booked the Norwegian folk music duo Sudan Dudan to perform after the Irish-British duo The Breath.

Sudan Dudan is a duo consisting of Anders Erik Røine and Marit Karlberg on vocals, guitar, langeleik (zither), fiddle, harmonium, and jew's harp.

The band has released four albums so far, with the latest being "Heimen der ute" from 2018. In a review of the album, Folkemusikk.no writes: "There are a number of good duos in the world. The best of them create a new voice from two existing ones, and often also something quite new from established forms. This is also something Sudan Dudan has done."

Aftenposten was also very enthusiastic about the album, which the reviewer called a "welcome return from Sudan Dudan":

"Both stand firmly in traditional music, but the duo carries much more. When they sing 'Du arme sjel, som vandrer der,' the opening line of 'Festen,' one is deeply moved. What a soundscape. So stripped down and effective as they play with light and darkness in an exquisite way."

Line up:

Anders Erik Røine – vocals, guitar, jew's harp, fiddle
Marit Karlberg – vocals, langeleik