Aasmund Nordstoga is a songwriter and farmer. He is also widely used as a program leader / presenter. He has been nominated for the Spelemannspris twice, the first for the debut album Ein visefugg, and the second for the album 12 dagar i jola. Aasmund picks up his repertoire at home. Old shows are refreshed with new arrangements or new melody, with…

Bjørn Oksnes, or MusikkBjørn gives children an engaging and close encounter with folk music. He gets the children to sing and dance to the bagpipe, clarinet and flute. At several previous festivals, he has become a popular folk music communicator in kindergartens. Bjørn holds kindergarten concerts on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the festival in addition to a concert at Backes Bu on…

Emilia Amper is one of Sweden's most sought after folk musicians, she is nominated for Swedish and American Grammy, Norwegian Grammy winner. She has been named musician of the year during the Swedish Folk & World Music Awards, she is world champion on the key harp, and the winner of the Nordic Composer's NPU award. In her music, Emilia Amper combines a deep knowledge and…

FullSet is considered one of Ireland's leading trad bands. After the critically acclaimed debut album, Notes that Liberty came out in 2013, there has only been one way with Fullset; upwards. The band was recently named "Top Traditional Group" by the Irish Music Association. Superlatives such as energetic, innovative are often used about the band. When they visited Folk Music Week in Ål earlier this year, the organizers wrote…

Folkesong på ny Kor: z is a mixed choir from the Stavanger region with about 35 members. Conductor is Inger Vagle. The choir has been around for 25 years and has i.a. participated in four CDs with Ragnar Bjerkreim. They have had a number of concert collaborations with, among others. a Ole Paus, Kjetil Bjørnstad, Frode Fjellheim «Folkesong på ny» is the title of…

Dance, dance, dance! Jutullaget is a Norwegian old dance group that was started in 1988, when Jon Amund Karusbakken, Inge Gjevre and Stig Ove Kveen joined forces. The group comes mainly from Vågå. The name comes from the legend of Jutulen and Blessomen. Jutullaget consists of: Jon Amund Karusbakken, two lines, Inge Gjevre, two lines, Kjell Arne Kolden, two lines, Svein Ove Brun,…

Two years have passed since Josie Duncan and Pablo Lafuente won the BBC "Folk Awards". A Spaniard, a Scotsman, one guitar and one voice are the simple recipe for success of the young musicians. Josie sings as well in English as in the two Scottish languages Gaelic and Scots. The lyrics are highlighted by Pablo's dynamic and sensitive guitar playing.

The festival's good friends from Inverness in Scotland with Douglas Stuart, Jean MacKay, and Les Hutt. Several of the musicians have participated in all festivals since the start in 1999. Like some of the festival's regulars, they have become well known in the district and with the audience, and we are happy that they will also come in 2019.

Douglas Montgomery (fiddle, violin) and Brian Cromarty (vocals, guitar, mandolin), make up the duo "Saltfishforty". They come from the Orkney Islands and are crooks in the folk music there, but have loyal fans far beyond Scotland's borders. "Saltfishforty's" music is deeply rooted in the traditional music of the Orkney Islands, but at the same time the soundscape is raw and rich with elements of American and Eastern European folk music, interspersed with a…

The North Sea Festival is proud to present two of Britain's foremost young musicians in folk music, Ryan Young, fiddle, and Jenn Butterworth, guitar. Ryan Young In 2016, Ryan Young was named "Newcomer of the Year" at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards. He focuses on Scottish music, often songs and melodies that have been forgotten, as he…