NEW TRADITION
The 10th Folk Music Festival of the Polish Radio
Polish Radio's Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio
May 11-13, 2007

The tenth edition of Polish Radio's Folk Music Festival "Nowa Tradycja" (New Tradition) will be held on May 10-13, 2007. This is an important event for Polish culture, considering all that is rooted in folk tradition. Since 1998 our festival has featured several hundred ensembles, and among the laureates, numbering more than fifty, there have been representatives of a wide range of music, from mainline traditional folk to Ethno jazz or Ethno rock. Ten years ago, when New Tradition was created, the folk movement in Poland was young, fairly unknown and groups were few, especially groups playing Polish music. Today, folk is a domain in its own right, where "tradition" is a word of weighty importance and "New Tradition" is a byword for musical mobilization. For the record: this is where began "Kapela Ze Wsi" (later to add "Warszawa", i.e. the Warsaw Village Band), laureate of the first edition of the contest, "The Cracow Klezmer Band" (Grand Prix 2000), "Swoją Drogą" (2002, a wonderful band, alas, no longer existing). Among the laureates was Nina Stiller (2003), Anna Chowaniec-Rybka with Sebastian Karpiel Bułecka (today's "Zakopower"), Anna Kiełbusiewicz, "Się Gra", "Chudoba", "Odpust Zupełny", "Klezzmates", "Klezmafour" and many others, marking out new directions in the music of the sources. Always Polish or ethnic, in accordance with the competition rules. The rules remain unchanged despite certain announcements last year, because the condition of Polish folk is not as good so as its promotion can be completely abandoned. Musicians still hesitate to reach for inspiration from mazurka rhythms or old wedding songs or ancient ballads. "New Tradition" is every year the reason for new cultural and musical phenomena, and a celebration, to which young performers look forward.

Maria Baliszewska, Editor-in-Chief of Polish Radio's Folk Culture Centre

PROGRAMME:

10 may, 18.00h
18.00 - 19.00 "Music of the Sources" - folk concert
19.15 - 20.00 concert by the laureate of "Folkowy Fonogram Roku 2006" (Folk Phonogram of the year 2006)
20.15- 21.15Kroke

11 may, 18.00h
18.00 - 20.30 Contest performances
21.00 - 22.00 Kapela Ze Wsi Warszawa

12 may, 18.00h
18.00 - 20.30 Contest performances
21.00 - 22.00 Kwadrofonik - Grand Prix 2006 laureate

13 may, 18.00h
18.00 - 19.00 Concert of the laureates of the Festival "Nowa Tradycja '2007"
19.15 - 19.45 Kapela Brodów
20.00 - 21.00 Fonó Orchestra / Hungary (in collaboration with the Hungarian Cultural Institute)