What is ETHNO?
ETHNO is an international program for folk and traditional music from around the world that works with young musicians aged 16-30.Founded in 1990 in Falun, Sweden, ETHNO’s mission is to revive, strengthen and spread our global traditional musical heritage. Today, ETNO is represented in over 40 countries by holding a series of annual international music camps, seminars and concerts that embrace peace, tolerance and understanding.
ETHNO is a program of Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI), the world’s largest youth music non-governmental organization based in Brussels, Belgium. JMI reaches over 6 million youth from 80 countries through more than 40,000 activities annually. During ETNO events, everyone has the opportunity to learn new music – sometimes around 15-20 tunes are taught and performed, many more are shared in impromptu jam sessions. ETHNO concludes with a series of concerts where participants present their work during the workshop. The program of these final concerts is always very rich in interesting arrangements, virtuoso performances and a lot of positivity.
Goals and Vision
- Community building and social networking
- Professional development for young musicians
- Encourage and facilitate networking among musicians
- Upgrading musical skills
- Fostering respect for world cultures
- Cultural exchange of traditional folklore from different countries around the world
Photo credit: Pierre Chesneau
At the heart of ETHNO is a democratic approach of equal learning, through which young people learn music from each other’s native traditions. It is an informal pedagogy that has been refined over the last 30 years, embracing the principles of intercultural dialogue and understanding.
ETHNO provides a unique opportunity for young people from around the world to come together and engage through music in a way that is characterized by respect, generosity and openness.
ETHNO Bulgaria
Behind ETHNO Bulgaria stands a small team of young professionals in the field of music and cultural management, united in the Outhentic Foundation.
“We believe that given the cultural and natural wealth of Bulgaria, this is an ideal place to hold an ETHNO seminar. Foreign participants will be able to meet our culture up close, but local musicians will also have the opportunity to practice and enrich their musical knowledge in an interactive way. Furthermore, we deeply believe in the power of music and cultural dialogue as a way of inclusion, understanding and personal development, and we are convinced that we can provide a valuable experience for all participants.”
The Outhentic Foundation is exclusively authorized by JMI to fully organize and manage all ETHNO events in Bulgaria.
Photo credit: Pierre Chesneau
The first edition of ETHNO Bulgaria took place in 2023 between August 31st and September 11th 2023 in the cozy “The Compositors” hut in Vitosha, Sofia. The wonderful moments of the events during the festival were captured by the talented photographer and videographer Pierre Chesneau, who, in addition to unique photos, also created an exceptional after film for the event. You can find the photos on the Facebook page of ETHNO Bulgaria. There was also a live stream of the final concert from the festival, which you can find here. The after film created especially for the event by Pierre Chesneau can be viewed below.
Ethno Bulgaria is managed by Outhentic Foundation with the financial support of National Culture Fund, Bulgaria, Sofia Municipality, Musicautor and Ethno World, JM International, as well as Bulgarian National Radio as media partners.
For up-to-date information about the festival, you can follow ETHNO Bulgaria on Facebook and Instagram.
How to support us?
Anyone who wishes to participate in the festival as a volunteer and support its implementation, can contact us through the contact form on our website.
If you wish to support us with a financial contribution, you can do so to the following bank account:
IBAN: BG90RZBB91551011605438
BIC: RZBBBGSF
HOLDER: Outhentic Foundation
NUMBER: 2049796648
ADDRESS: Sofia, gh. Druzhba bl. 72, entrance D, floor 2, apartment 95
BANK NAME: Raiffeisenbank
BANK ADDRESS: Sofia, Iskarsko Shose Street 7
BASIS: Donation
Thank you for your support!
