WORKSHOP “LET’S SING THE WALLOON REPERTOIRE”
In Wallonia, as elsewhere, oral tradition has left us thousands of songs and instrumental tunes. Work songs, children’s rhymes, evening songs, dance tunes… This music is now being rediscovered. The Melchior project offers a chance to immerse yourself in this music through a unique conference-workshop. The programme includes: a musical conference between past and present that will tell the story of these little-known musical traditions and, above all, that will show what they have to offer today through musical interventions. This will be followed by a singing workshop in which participants will learn a cramignon (a song from the Liège region) in a refined, contemporary arrangement. The afternoon will end with a public performance by all the participants, to open the concert by Zouratié Koné Trio.
ZOURATIÉ KONÉ TRIO
Burkinabe griot, master percussionist, inventor of sounds and creator of instruments, Zouratié Koné makes Mandingo rhythms vibrate like no one else. Trained orally in the traditions of West Africa, he wields the djembe, the tama, the kora, the balafon and the ngoni with breathtaking virtuosity. Based in Belgium, he blends jazz, electro and traditional sounds in projects such as Electro Mandingo Groove and ZKE! Zouratié Koné Ensemble. On stage, it’s a breath of Africa, a deep pulse, an invitation to trance. With him, tradition dances with the future.
DELI TELI
A retro wind from Athens is blowing across the stage! This colourful quartet dust off laïko – the popular Greek pop of the 60s and 70s – with panache, humour and a good dose of glamour. Under the disco balls, they set fire to the nostalgic rhythms of a troubled era, mixing melancholy, irony and raw joy in a show that is as quirky as it is catchy. A supercharged and retro wind from Athens is blowing across the stage! The Greco-Marseilles of Deli Teli, united around the sacrosanct triptych of bongo, bouzouki and Farfisa organ, revive the forgotten musical hits that used to set Athenian nights alight. With their fiery energy and a hint of Mediterranean melodrama, Deli Teli are a disco version of laïko, with a twist… that’s highly infectious.
COCANHA
The voices of Caroline Dufau and Lila Fraysse, taut as strings ready to vibrate, intertwine in a raw, scorching polyphony. Accompanied by the dry breath of stringed tambourines, the stamping of feet and the rhythm of hands, they weave songs from another time that are yet so relevant today.
Cocanha is rooted in the Occitan language, digging deep into oral memories and bringing out a wild, joyful, indocile femininity. Their music is a hand-to-hand encounter with tradition, a call to dance, to stand up straight, to listen to what is beating under the skin. Between minimal tension and organic power, between the echoes of the countryside and the energy of amplified stages, Cocanha shifts the lines, rekindles the embers. An ancient breath in a new cry.
Fredy Massamba
Born in a working-class district of Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo, Fredy Massamba stands out for his strong, powerful voice, his commitment to defending African languages and above all, his ability to touch each and everyone’s heart. In Huy, he’ll be presenting his new opus, Trancestral, inspired by the joy of returning to his ancestral roots.
Circlesong workshop “chant pour tous”
The Labophonique collective invites you to take part in a giant circlesong workshop. Popularised by Bobby McFerrin, the principle of the circlesong is based on an “almost” ancestral form of improvised singing in which a group of singers, placed in a circle, pass on one or more vocal patterns to each other. Come and experience this ephemeral creation as an active participant, guided by the members of the collective. Whether your singing voice is still a mystery to you, or whether you’re an opera singer, “Singing for all” events are always an opportunity to surprise yourself.
Maria Spyroglou Trio
Born in Brussels, Maria Spyroglou has always had a close connection with her Greek roots. Following in the footsteps of the great Roza Eskenazi, she immersed herself in rebetiko, the rebellious underground music born in the slums of Athens at the crossroads of East and West.