Ganna feat. Laura Robles

Since emigrating from Ukraine in 2022, Ganna Gryniva has become one of the most impressive voices in the European jazz and global music scenes. Around a decade ago, she started devoting herself extensively to her home country’s folklore, which she blends with jazz, experimental music and electronic elements in various line-ups. Describing her strong bond to Ukrainian song, she says “Ukrainian folk songs are my utopia. A space for my country, where I can make my culture visible.”

Her compositions are the result of meticulous research. Gryniva collected original recordings from archives and on travels throughout Ukraine, speaking with those who can still remember the old folk songs themselves. It is from these fragments that she has formed her own unique sound, where traditional motifs meet loops and synthesizers. At times introspective and dream-like, at times driven by powerful, danceable energy, the result is a multi-layered musical cosmos that extends far beyond the scope of mere nostalgia.

For this concert, Gryniva is teaming up with percussionist Laura Robles. Born in Swaziland and raised in Peru, Robles is considered one of the international virtuosic greats of the cajón. Her complex rhythmic structures join Gryniva’s multi-facetted vocals to create a soundscape that playfully undermines geographic and stylistic categories. Together, they conjure up an intense musical experience, in which the deep roots of tradition meet the dynamism of contemporary innovation.

Ganna Gryniva - Vocal / Electronics

Laura Robles - Percussion