GANNA mit Laura Robles

In the organizer's words:

Mermaid spirits, Ukrainian grandmothers and Peruvian rhythms - singer and composer Ganna Gryniva brings it all together on her new album UTOPIA, which will be released by BERTHOLD records on October 17, 2025. Inspired by Ukrainian folk songs and complemented by indie-pop-oriented original compositions, Gryniva draws on folklore, jazz and electronic soundscapes.
Arriving in Germany from the Ukraine in 2002, she is regarded as "one of the most impressive singers and musicians on the European jazz and world music scene" (Ö1 Radio). Her quintet album Home won several awards, her solo debut Kupala (2023) was honored as "New European Sound 2024".
It all begins with a simple melody that is brought to life by the artist and opened up to new musical spheres. For her new album, GANNA researched archives, collected original recordings and spoke to contemporary witnesses. This resulted in Malanka, a playful arrangement of a Ukrainian carnival song, which was given a new twist together with Laura Robles - improviser, composer, multi-instrumentalist and researcher, born in Swaziland and raised in Lima, Peru - and the unusual percussion instrument quijada. In addition to folk song arrangements, there are original compositions and, with The Man in the Moon, also a German adaptation based on Mascha Kaléko.
Gryniva describes her music as "improvised electro-folk with solo parts". "I love discovering new things. It's a completely new world of sound that draws as much from folklore as it does from jazz. I have to find my own musical language - sometimes dreamy, sometimes danceable - with synthesizers, loops and other musicians. I allow myself complete freedom and use what works best for each piece."
GANNA's creative power can also be described in the words of London Jazz News: "The level of talent - almost wizardry - musicological, compositional, vocal - that she possesses, and which shows itself in so many facets, is extraordinary."