Minga festival

Minga Festival

Known for creating dynamic and innovative musical encounters, Minga Festival is proud to offer an exclusive taste of its unique philosophy during the fourth edition of the HERE Festival. Minga, a name derived from an Inca language meaning "joint action for a collective purpose", brings together musicians from different cultures and musical backgrounds. The result is new, exciting repertoires that emerge during an intensive work week, and which challenge both musicians and listeners to explore new musical universes.

In connection with this year's HERE festival, the audience now has the opportunity to experience some of the outstanding artists from Minga's previous editions, and see how the festival's vision is realized on stage. Among the participants we hear the duo Afra Rubino and Andreas Krambias, who beamed together in a first musical meeting at the Minga festival just a year ago.

Their concert shows evidence of the magic that can occur when different musical worlds meet and intertwine. In addition, award-winning piper Fan-Qi Wu from Taiwan will perform a solo concert, a Minga Festival tradition that highlights the unique expression of the individual artist.

To make this concert even more unforgettable, the duo Sonja Bahlenberg and Mariano Godoy will be joining the lineup.

Fan-Qi Wu (TW)

Fan-Qi Wu is an award-winning Pipa player from Taiwan. Her works go beyound the boundaries of tradition through free improvisation, avant-garde, and experimental elements. With a distinctive approach, she reimagines the pipa’s sonic possibilities, exploring the intersections of sound, culture, and identity. In late 2024, she released her debut album, Memories Flow Like a River, on the Austrian label redp music.

Her unique sound has taken her to festivals and stages across Asia, the Americas, and Europe.She has been invited to perform at major improvisation, jazz, world music and experimental music festivals, including Bingsjöstämman (SE), Babel Sound Festival (HU), IMPRA Jazz Festival (SE), Building Bridges (CH), Romantic Route 3 Art Festival (TW), the U.S. State Department’s OneBeat program , Arena:Klassik (NO), Red Light Jazz Festival (NL), Vestafor Festival (NO), Aarhus Jazz Festival (DK) and (s)Nodi Festival (IT).

Besides her own project with electronic Pojecting 1+1, she is also a member of Wooli Duo and PIPA-ensemble.

Afra Rubino (IT/SE)

Afra's music is a captivating mix of classic flamenco, Latin American rhythms and innovative compositions. She studied flamenco in Andalusia with Spanish guitar masters and is today based in Gothenburg where she continues to develop her unique sound.

Andreas Krambias (CY)

Andreas Krambias is a musician from Nicosia, Cyprus, with a rich and diverse musical journey. He has specialized in Greek traditional music, focusing on the bouzouki and secondary instrument oud.

Andreas graduated with honors from the Department of Musicology and Arts at the University of Macedonia in Greece. Since 2022, he studies at the World Music Department at the Academy of Music and Drama in Sweden, where he immerses himself in the oud under mentor Ahmad Al Khatib. During his career he has performed in concerts and festivals internationally, including in Macau, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia.

Sonja Bahlenberg (SE) is a percussionist and composer based in Malmö, with a special focus on marimba, synthesizer, and computer. Since 2019, her creative process has revolved around her rosewood marimba, for which she both composes music and uses as a primary tool in her compositional work. In 2021, she formed the band Sonny och Vargen, performing original music and playing venues in Örebro, Stockholm and Gothenburg. In 2023, Sonja composed and premiered the piece “STENAR DROPPAR MÄNNISKAN – eternity shapes finitude” at Gotlands Museum. She is currently working on an experimental ambient project, supported by the Swedish Arts Grants Committee, where she explores the harmony between sine tones and marimba.

Mariano Godoy (AR) is an Argentine singer-songwriter, bandoneonist, inventor, and sound artist. He is known for his innovative approach to the sound and poetics of the bandoneon, expanding the instrument’s expressive range beyond the traditional boundaries of tango. His eclectic music is deeply rooted in Argentine culture, and his invention of the bandólica – a digital bandoneon – is a testament to his creative spirit. Mariano has performed and shared the stage with numerous renowned artists around the world, including Buena Vista Social Club, Brazilian musician Toquinho, violinist Lindsey Stirling, singer Loreena McKennitt, the band Aterciopelados, and Norwegian artist Aurora Aksnes.