The songs of Mari Kalkun, most of which she writes herself, explore general themes of being human, while drawing inspiration from nature, contemporary poetry and life itself. Her warm, ethereal compositions are largely accompanied by the kannel, an ancient Estonian string instrument related to the zither, but she also plays the accordion in concert. Her latest album, Ilmamõtsan (In the forest of the world), interweaves the sounds of her immediate homeland with those of the wider world. Her repertoire blends contemporary compositions with unusual-sounding dialects. Of her four albums, Ilmamõtsan this year made it onto the top ten of the World Music Chart Europe. She has been nominated for the Estonian Music Prize in two categories - 'Ethno Album of the Year' and 'Female Artist of the Year'. In 2015, a renowned Finnish record label released her album (Tii ilo), recorded with the band Runorun, which was met with approval from the northern media and was nominated as the 'Ethno Album of the Year' in Finland. This is not the first time Mari Kalkun will visit Hungary, she previously performed with great success with her international formation Runorun four years ago. In 2016, she started collaborating with Aleksandra Kremenetski, who plays various percussion instruments at jazz concerts and in acoustic line-ups. Their collaboration has enriched Kalkun's music with fresh nuances and unique rhythms.

The concert is part of the Estonian music week organised by the Estonian Institute and will close the programme series to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the nation's independence.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest, Estonian Institute in Hungary