World Music School Helsinki

Revitalizing Helsinki’s Downtown

The World Music School was invited by the City of Helsinki to contribute to the program of Revitalizing Downtown – summer streets and city center (Kadut Elävät). We brought on the 26.6 a series of our “Folk Dances with Live Music” events to the Finnish National Museum

We taught there how to dance some folk dances of the world. The event counted with three groups of musicians and dance teachers that played during the 2022 Juhannus celebrations. The music was acoustic, requiring no electricity.

– Ivory Coast (Africa)
– Yiddish (Europe)
– Nicaragua (America)

We believe these events are a great way to strengthen the connectedness among the different members of the participating diasporas. Enhancing the bonds between people of Helsinki is our way to participate in the city’s community. Indeed through Music and Dance people are sharing beyond simple words, they convey their own enthusiasm and energy towards each other.

The venue was held at the Finnish National Museum backyard between 13-16.

https://www.facebook.com/events/723823568671370/

Program:

13.00 – Welcoming words by Pedro Aibéo, Chairman of the World Music School

13.05 – Ivory Coast Folk Dances with Live Music (Lassina Ouattara)

14:00 – Yiddish Folk Dances with Live Music (Helsinki Klezmer Kapelye)

15:00 – Nicaraguan Folk Dances with Live Music (José Robelo and Mariano Vega)

WMS Ivory Coast 2022 (1)

WMS Ivory Coast 2022 (2)

WMS Ivory Coast 2022 (3)

WMS Ivory Coast 2022 (4)

WMS Ivory Coast 2022 (5)

WMS Ivory Coast 2022 (6)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (1)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (2)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (3)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (4)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (5)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (6)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (7)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (8)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (9)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (10)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (11)

WMS Nicaragua 2022 (12)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (1)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (2)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (3)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (4)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (5)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (6)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (7)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (8)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (9)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (10)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (11)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (12)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (13)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (16)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (15)

WMS Yiddish 2022 (14)

All photos and videos by Pedro Aibéo 2022

International Carnaval of Ouidah

International Partnerships

The World Music School Helsinki is supporting the International Carnaval of Ouidah in Benin, from the 28^th till the 31^st December 2023.

We are looking for experts on the following competences:

Visual artists for exhibition and realization of mural fresco in Ouidah. December 22 to 31, 2023
Carnival groups to participate in the Popular and artistic Carnival of the IOC. December 26 to 31, 2023
Art photographers to photograph all IOC events. From December 26 to 31, 2023.
Documentary directors to produce documentary films and training of young people. From December 26 to 31, 2023
Singing artists to collaborate with Beninese and African artists. From December 26 to 31, 2023.
Televisions and international media for a stay of cultural and worship report Vodun. December 27 to 31, 2023.
Volunteers to help and work in the Carnival organizing committee. December 23 to 31, 2023.
Financial and material partners (Associations, Foundation, Municipalities, companies, and patrons). From February to December 2023.

Please contact directly [email protected] for any inquires.

The World Music School Helsinki

04.03.2023

OpenMic with Colombian Cellist Sergio Castrillon

Open Mic

Next wednesday the 23 November 2022, at 16:00, we will interview live from Helsinki, the great Sergio Castrillón at the Helsinki Open Waves-HOW.
Interview will be conducted by Pedro Aibeo, in spanish.
Tune in at https://www.helsinkiopenwaves.com/

Sergio will be playing two pieces from his latest solo album GLOBAL SOUNDSCAPES.

Sergio Castrillon is a Multidisciplinary Sonic-based artist/researcher focused on
experimentalism. Over the last years he has been working on the creation of multi-sonic
performances and developing the notion of Multi-process creativity, taking as bases
improvisation, composition, comprovisation and soundscape. Within his last works Castrillón has
been using only domestic/recycled technology as a way to foster more sustainable and
ecological strategies in art and research making.

The new peer-reviewed paper on The World Music School

Publications

Just out now, a peer-reviewed academic paper on the work of the World Music School, “Observing the World Music School Helsinki as a social ecological system to enhance community connectivity and resilience”. Published at an important journal, “Systems Research and Behavioural Science”.

Click here to read it, it is of open access! 🙂

OpenMic with Mayim Alpert

Open Mic

This wednesday the 29th June 2022, at 16:00, we will interview live from Helsinki, the great Mayim Alpert at the Helsinki Open Waves-HOW.
Interview will be conducted by Pedro Aibeo, in english.
Tune in at https://www.helsinkiopenwaves.com/

Mayim Alpert is a luthier, composer and multi-instrumentalist who has created music for theatre and film as well as performing in bands across many genres from soul to klezmer. He
is a professional violin and bow maker serving string instruments players in Helsinki and around Finland, with his colleague Lauri Kallinen, at Alpert & Kallinen Fine Violins, in Töölö.
He is also interested in experimental instruments and musical sculpture, and has built unique instruments such as the räätäliira, or tailor’s lyre, from an old sewing machine, and the
runopiano, or poet’s piano, incorporating an old typewriter. He is an active musician in Krepsko Theatre Group, Helsinki Klezmer Kapelye, and Helsinki Balalaikka Orchestra,
among others. Born in the USA, he has however spent the last 20 years in Europe, primarily in Prague and Helsinki, and has 4 boys.

MENT Festival 2022

WMS events

The World Music School (WMS) attended the MENT festival 2022 in Ljubljana, invited to be part of a discussion group on European music export (EMX – Exporters Meeting – 9th June).

Representing the WMS was me, Pedro Aibéo, the chairman of the WMS. On that group were, among others, representatives of the national export offices of different countries such as Belgium, Poland, Austria or Latvia.

During the discussions there was also time for presentations. For example, Yvan Boudillet introduced us to some tech innovations for the export of music and Aymeric Pichevin briefed us on the opportunities of music in esports. We talked too about some hot topics around royalties, buy outs, the market volume, etc.

There was plenty of time for networking and to listen to the many live performances. For me, the band Tukan from Belgium impressed me the most.

When landing in Slovenia, the bus and the airport play Coldplay music incessantly, in opposition, the train station of the Helsinki airport plays soundscapes.

The experience is completely different. I prefer, without any doubt, the latter experience of Helsinki and this strategy likely promotes too local artists.

MENT festival promotes local and international music, long live such festivals.

Pedro Aibéo
11.06.2022
Ljubljana

Revitalizing Downtown

WMS events

The World Music School was invited by the City of Helsinki to contribute to the programme of Revitalizing Downtown – summer streets and city center (Kadut Elävät). We will be bringing on the 26.6 a series of our “Folk Dances with Live Music” events to the Finnish National Museum

Program:

13.00 – Welcoming words by Pedro Aibéo, Chairman of the World Music School

13.05 – Ivory Coast Folk Dances with Live Music (Lassina Ouattara)

14:00 – Yiddish Folk Dances with Live Music (Helsinki Klezmer Kapelye)

15:00 – Nicaraguan Folk Dances with Live Music (José Robelo and Mariano Vega (in the picture above))

Open Mic Shows

Open Mic

The World Music School Helsinki is continuing its live radio shows at the Helsinki Open Waves.

This Wednesday the 25th May 2022, Timo Tuhkanen will be our guest improvising on microtonal music.

Listen to other previous podcasts at the Helsinki Open Waves.

A visit to the Porto’s branch

International Partnerships

The World Music School Helsinki’s chairman, Pedro Aibéo, visited this week the World Music School Porto and his Ambassador Ricardo Coelho.

At the headquarters of the WMS Porto, we watched a live music performance and discussed the ongoing projects, which include some really nice EU cultural calls. 🙂

Lithuania + Hungary Folk in Helsinki

Monthly WMS events

On the 30th November 2021 we combined Lithuania with Hungarian folk dances with live music. Despite the corona restictions (many people left as they did not have covid passes), we had a good crowd! :-