Program 2026

Nordic Folk Alliance presents an inspiring conference program that brings together artists, organizers, and industry professionals from across the Nordics and around the world. Over the course of two days, panels, workshops, and discussions will explore current topics within folk and world music. It is a unique platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and inspiration – a gathering at the heart of Nordic music.

Theme for NFA and the Conference Programme:
Tradition in Motion – Networks, Mobility and New Paths for Folk Music

Downloadable version of the program:

A4-format
Digital

Thursday, April 9

• 18:00–20:30 Malmö Old Town Hall

Kickoff – Nordic Folk Alliance

Opening gathering for delegates, artists and partners of Nordic Folk Alliance 2026.

Organisers: RFoD and Mix Musik in collaboration with Malmö Stad
Music by and performed by Tania Naranjo

Opening gathering for delegates, artists and partners of Nordic Folk Alliance 2026.
An informal evening to meet, reconnect and begin the event together ahead of the conference and showcase days.
During the evening the annual Årets Kompositör (Composer of the Year) award will be presented – a prize presented by the Swedish National Association for Folk Music and Dance (RFoD) in collaboration with STIM, recognizing outstanding and innovative composition within Nordic folk and world music.

Organisers: RFoD and Mix Musik in collaboration with Malmö Stad

• 20:30–23:00 Malmö Live – Kubenfoajén

Nordtrad Dance Music Session

Live dance music session with young Nordic musicians.
Young musicians from Nordic and Baltic music academies invite everyone to the dance floor for a live dance music session.

Organiser: Malmö Folk Festival & Nordtrad

Young musicians from Nordic and Baltic music academies invite everyone to the dance floor for a live dance music session.

Friday, April 10

• 09:00–09:30 Dance Studio – Palladium

Welcome to Nordic Folk Alliance

Introduction to Nordic Folk Alliance 2026 and overview of the programme and venues.

Organisers: RFoD / Nordic Folk Alliance

• 09:30–10:30 Dance Studio – Palladium

Hyperlocal vs Global:
Can Folk Music Be an Industry?

Panel discussion exploring the relationship between folk traditions and global markets.

Organisers: Vaka Folk festiva
Representative: Josie Gaitens
Panel: Ylle Ljungdah, Tom Sherlock, Åsmund A. Farstad

Folk music is rooted in community practice and yet it also exists in an economic paradigm based around ticket sales, international touring, funding, and streaming revenue. From this we experience the tension of the drive for authenticity vs commodification. Digital platforms and global reach mean that there is the opportunity to export and exchange traditional, local music forms in an international forum, but is this a sustainable model? Can inherently collective art forms ever be viable for individual profit.
Key questions:
• What does “export” mean in a folk context?
• Does globalisation dilute or amplify local identity?
• Is resisting the “industry” model itself a political stance?
• How do we pay artists fairly while preserving community roots?

• 09:30-10:30 Marble Foyer - Palladium

Online Education & Folk Music:
Building The Folk Music Academy

Folk music is deeply local — yet the learners are everywhere. In this session, The Folk Music Academy shares perspectives on building a self-funded online platform for tradition-based learning.

Together, we’ll examine a challenge many of us recognize: how do we invite people into slow, time-consuming, and deeply rewarding learning in a world that constantly pushes for speed and distraction?

We’ll leave plenty of space for conversation in the room. How can local traditions meet a global audience with care? What should we protect, what should we open up — and what could the next chapter of online folk learning look like?

Host: Jens Linell

• 10:00–11:00 Noble House – Conference Room

Folk Dance on the Folk Music Stage
– What Will It Take?

Seminar about the role of folk dance within folk music programming.

Organisers: FolkOrg Norge
Moderator: Ann-Helen Erichsen
Panel: Klara Andersson, Leonora Danzi, Atli Freyr Hjaltason

Despite a growing interest in the interplay between music and dance in Scandinavia, folk dance is still rarely included in the programming of folk music presenters. Why is this the case – and what would it take to change it?
In this seminar, we ask whether dance is perceived as legitimate and “natural” as long as it appears in social contexts, but seems to lose its place once it moves onto the stage. Is staged folk dance automatically interpreted as “dance art” – and therefore as something other than folk music?
How can we break down these artificial boundaries and instead highlight the diversity, quality, and contemporary relevance of today’s olk dance expressions? And what needs to happen for more presenters to see the potential in programming folk dance productions alongside folk music?
Through conversation with performers and field experts, we explore barriers, opportunities, and concrete pathways to strengthen the position of dance within the broader folk music landscape.

Short coffee break / room change

• 11:00–12:00 Noble House – Conference Room

How to Integrate and Support Folk Dance
in Our Venues

Workshop exploring how organisers can support folk dance.

Registration form for the workshop:
https://forms.gle/N9inS5K69JaT6LKY7

Organisers: RFoD
Facilitators: Klara Andersson & Leonora Danzi

Welcome to a facilitated brainstorming session where we want to gather organizers, creators and audience perspectives regarding folk dance within the folk scene today.
A place where we can inspire and guide each other, creating a sense of agency in shaping the folk field together.
Here we will meet and converse around questions that address the format and need for the following:
1. social dance floors
2. performative spaces

3. courses and teaching environment.
The format is something between a conversation and workshop where we mix and divide the group into smaller groups that will explore the questions and other topics that arise along the way. The conversations will be documented and the material available to the participants afterwards.
A limited number of spots are available. Participants will be both invited to ensure a broader perspective and welcomed at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.

Facilitators of the session are Leonora Danzi and Klara Andersson, freelance dancers and teachers active mainly in Sweden and Denmark, engaged in questions regarding the development of folk dance today and forward.

• 10:30–12:00 Hotel Temperance

Speed Meetings

Pre-booked meetings connecting artists and industry professionals.

Host: Export Music Sweden

For inquiries, please contact
Veronica Nielsen
veronica@exportmusicsweden.org
Mobile: +46 73 525 32 93
The Speed Meetings at Nordic Folk Alliance provide a unique opportunity for artists, managers, and industry professionals to connect with key representatives from the Nordic and international music scenes.

• 11:00–12:00 Dance Studio – Palladium

Maximize Membership:
Getting the Most out of Folk Alliance

A moderated panel on how artists, presenters and music professionals can make the most of Folk Alliance membership and conference participation.

Organisers: Folk Alliance International
Moderator: Jerod Rivers

This panel will feature 3 to 4 long-time members of FAI from different roles (artist, presenter, industry professional, media, student, or fan) sharing how they’ve successfully leveraged their Folk Alliance membership and conference attendance. Moderated by host Jerod Rivers, Conference Director of Folk Alliance International, the conversation will explore current benefits and strategies for maximizing the value of membership and attending FAI.
Followed by a 15-20 minute audience Q&A. Attendees will leave with practical insights, peer testimonials, and a handout with more information about Folk Alliance International and its conferences.

• 13:00–14:30 Dance Studio – Palladium

Identity, Development and Sustainability
– The Future of Festivals

A workshop on the future of festivals, focusing on identity, development and sustainability.

Organiser: Korrö Folk Music Festival / Musik i Syd
Moderators: Anders Smedenmark & Emily Tatlow

Keynote/Introduction Korrö Folk music festival (Anders Smedenmark and Emily Tatlow)
Roundtable/breakout discussions ca. 50 min based on these themes and questions: Identity, Development & Sustainability
What is a festival? Is there a future for festivals, can they survive? Are festivals sustainable?
How will organisers manage long term?
Short break with musical guests from the 2026 Korröfestival Act, young and upcoming: Irina Westling and Frid & Fröjd.
Conversation continues informally at a small reception.
Moderators: Anders Smedenmark, festival manager Korrö Folk Music Festival and Emily Tatlow deputy CEO Musik i Syd

• 13:45–15:00 Noble House – Conference Room

Folk / Root Train – Building a Regional Network

Session exploring a regional collaboration network for folk and roots music.

Organiser: Musikcentrum Syd

Join a session to create a new network for genres of folk, roots and world music. In 2029 the Fehmarn Bält tunnel will open and give south Sweden, Denmark and northern Germany a region of 12 million inhabinants with quick and easy access by train. The aim is to be ready with a functioning music business network when the tunnel opens. The blueprint is the already started - Jazz Train - which during 2025 launched several activtiies focusing on jazz. Come and be creative in our workshop!

• 15:30 Lobby Bar, Hotel Noble House

EPOS after work

EPOS will gather at the bar at Hotel Noble House at 15:30, for those who would like to network with women and non-binary participants.

Host: EPOS – Equality and Plurality on Stage, Anna Fält

○ Suggested Evening Activities:

• 19:30 Malmö Live Konserthus – Kuben

The Forbidden Melodies – A Tribute to Nashenas

An evening combining film, conversation and live music dedicated to Dr. Nashenas.

Ticketed event: Get tickets here

Organiser: Malmö Live Konserthus & NBV

An evening combining film, conversation and live music dedicated to Dr. Nashenas, one of Afghanistan’s most influential musicians and composers. Through his story and music, the programme reflects a cultural heritage shaped by exile, resilience and artistic resistance. The evening concludes with a live concert performed by Swedish and Afghan musicians.

• 19:30–21:3019:30–21:30 Sir Tobys (Davidshallsgatan 21, Malmö)

North Atlantic Song Circle
– Voices Across the Ocean

Informal participatory singing circle with songs from across the North Atlantic cultural space.

Facilitator: Brian Ó hEadhra
Format: Informal Nordic Folk Alliance gathering

An informal, participatory singing session where singers share traditional songs from their own regions and languages.
The focus is on unaccompanied, voice-led traditions from across the North Atlantic cultural space – including the Nordic countries, Scotland, Ireland and coastal North America.
This is not a concert, but a respectful singing circle where participants take turns to share songs. The session is lightly facilitated to ensure flow and inclusivity, with an emphasis on listening, language diversity and artistic exchange.
The format is inspired by the North Atlantic Song Convention (NASC), where it has become a central and much appreciated part of the gathering.

21.15 Malmö Live konserthus, Kanalscenen

OPEN STAGE FOLK MUSIC

Folk music and bar hangout 'til late! Students from music academies in the Nordic and Baltic countries will keep the folk and world music beats going. Special guests for the evening are students from the Folk and World Music program at Skurups Folk High School.

Free admission! + more info

Presented by:
Malmö Live Konserthus, Nordtrad

Saturday, April 11

• 09:00–10:00 Dance Studio – Palladium

Folk You – Folkultur för Unga

Getting started - different approaches to supporting the next generation of performers and organisers.

With this session we want to create a space to share experiences of working with and within different structures and support systems for young or new voices in the field of traditional arts. The format of this session is a mix between a panel discussion and an open discussion so we hope to see you there!

Organiser: Folk You - Folkkultur för Unga
In the panel:
Isa Holmgren
Brian Ó hEadhra
Ville Syri
Studieförbundet Bilda

Folk You is an umbrella organisation for youth folk arts organisations in Sweden. Active in its current form since 2017, they train and support young people to be able to register their not-for-profit organisations and run their own events. They are regularly consulted on youth issues by other organisations in the Swedish folk scene and offer funding and bursaries for youth-led activities.

• 10:30–11:30 Dance Studio – Palladium

Building International Collaboration Through Song
– The NASC Model

A case study exploring how the North Atlantic Song Convention has developed as a platform for artistic exchange and collaboration.

Organiser: North Atlantic Song Convention

Format:
Presentation followed by moderated conversation and Q&A.
This session explore how the North Atlantic Song Convention has developed as a platform for artistic exchange, cultural dialogue and sustainable international collaboration.
NASC brings together singers, researchers and organisers from Scotland, Ireland, England, Sweden, Norway, the USA and beyond. The 2026 programme includes artists such as Synnøve Brøndbo Plassen, Steve Byrne, Óskar Freyr Guðnason and Bennett Konesni, alongside discussions on safeguarding song, participatory practice and living heritage frameworks .
The presentation addresses:
• How a focused thematic gathering can generate meaningful international relationships
• The role of participatory formats in building trust and artistic exchange
• Practical considerations: funding models, partnerships and reciprocal invitations
• Opportunities for Nordic collaboration within future NASC gatherings
• How festivals and networks might adopt or adapt the “North Atlantic Song Circle” concept within their own contexts
The aim is to offer a practical case study relevant to organisers, funders and artists working in the Nordic folk and world music sector.
North Atlantic Song Convention (NASC)

• 11:30–12:30 Dance Studio – Palladium

Beyond Visas: Rethinking International Cultural Mobility for Nordic Artists

A structured talk and moderated discussion on barriers and future possibilities for international cultural mobility.

Speaker: Nigel Jenkins

Format:
Structured talk + moderated discussion
Session Description:
International touring has become increasingly complex for folk and world music artists operating across Nordic, EU, UK, and global markets. While short-term visa-free entry often exists, paid cultural activity remains fragmented across national work authorization systems.
This creates uncertainty, administrative burden, and disproportionate barriers for small and mid-scale artists.
This session introduces the International Cultural Mobility Waiver (ICMW), a proposed multilateral framework designed to create a standardized, visa-waiver-like authorization for short-term paid cultural activity. The session will explore how a shared rulebook based on clear scope definitions, risk-based eligibility tiers, presenter accountability, and explicit tax and labor compliance could reduce touring friction without weakening regulatory safeguards.
The discussion will situate ICMW within the Nordic context, examining how export offices,
cultural ministries, and sector organizations might collaborate to pilot mobility corridors. It
will also address practical realities: Schengen limits, UK touring constraints, tax withholding, and the administrative load faced by independent presenters.
The goal is not advocacy for a finalized instrument, but informed dialogue: what would a credible, balanced, and implementable mobility mechanism look like for Nordic folk and world music professionals?

• 11:30–12:30 Noble House – Conference Room

Organizer’s Get-Together

An informal meetup for organisers of festivals, concerts, dances and other trad music events.

Hosts: Ylle Ljungdahl (Norrköpings folkmusikfestival) and Agneta Hedvall (Ransätersstämman)

Are you an organizer of festivals, concerts, dances or any other trad music events?
New in the game or an old hand, managing large festivals or putting on the odd music night at the local café - this meetup is for anyone wearing the organizers’ hat.
Join us for a chat where we share experiences and best practices, tackle our challenges together and get inspired by each others ideas.
Hosted and facilitated by Ylle Ljungdahl (Norrköpings folkmusikfestival) and Agneta Hedvall (Ransätersstämman).

• 13:30–14:30 Dance Studio – Palladium

Building Nordic Block Booking Networks

A panel conversation about new models for sustainable touring in the Nordic region.

Moderator: Laia Canals
Panel: Julie Runge Bendsen, Jakob Kragesand, Astrid Selling, Kamilla Haugaard

Format
Panel conversation with audience Q&A
Duration
60 minutes
Description
Across the live music sector, festivals and venues are looking for better ways to support international touring while keeping it financially and environmentally sustainable. One
approach that has proven effective in several regions is block booking, where festivals and
venues coordinate their bookings so artists can play multiple shows across a region during
the same tour.
In the Nordic region, there is growing interest in developing similar collaborations between
festivals and presenters. By coordinating bookings across countries, Nordic organisers can
help artists tour more efficiently, reduce travel costs and emissions, and create stronger
touring routes for both Nordic and international artists.
This session will explore how block booking could work in a Nordic context. Alexandra
Archetti Stølen will share her experience building the Nordic Festival Network, connecting
festivals such as Oslo World, Tromsø World, Resonator Festival, and Iceland Airwaves.
Kamilla Haaugard will present insights from Tempi’s work mapping and supporting
international block booking networks through collaborations with partners in Canada,
France, Belgium, and the Nordic region.
Together, the speakers will discuss practical steps for developing stronger touring collaborations between Nordic festivals and venues, and what this could mean for the future of Nordic folk music touring.

Showcase Concerts

Thursday – MALMÖ OLD Town Hall

Tania Naranjo (SE)

18:00–20:30
Malmö Old Town Hall

Friday – Palladium

Kjeltring (NO)

15:00–15:30
Concert Hall – Palladium

Nuka Alice (GL)

16:30–17:00
Concert Hall – Palladium

Ragga Gröndal (IS)

17:15–17:45
Gold Foyer – Palladium

Hostikka (FI)

18:00–18:30
Concert Hall – Palladium

Fromseier Hockings (DK)

18:45–19:15
Gold Foyer – Palladium

Saturday – Palladium

Marianne Maans (FI)

15:45–16:15
Gold Foyer - Palladium

Fredy Clue (SE)