Exciting NEWS my Friends!! My debut album "Oy Vesna Krasna" is OUT NOW on all online streaming platforms! / Kochani! Już można kupić nasza płytę przez poniższe linki: Buy digital album on Bandcamp: https://karolinawegrzyn.bandcamp.com/album/oy-vesna-krasna Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6FFDKwjsGOif0PDA7PP5dZ?si=nhSujAkHQoOYKPZkq8qT0w Other links: https://linktr.ee/karolina.wegrzyn If you'd like a physical copy, email me: karolina.wegrzyn11@gmail.com Videography - Jack Nelson 🎨Album artwork - Karolina Wegrzyn 📸Cover photo - David Shepherd Recorded and produced by Steven Banbury at Fushō Studios 2024 Special thanks to Don Laight for letting us use your farmhouse and Angus Hammersley for helping us make it all happen!! Featured artists: 🎤 Vocals, accordion 🪗, hammered dulcimer (cymbały) - Karolina Węgrzyn 🎻Violin - Ann Ka Ann Katherine Jones 🪘Percussion, acoustic guitar - Stephen Plummer Woodwind instruments - Dominic O'Sullivan 🎼Double bass - Mike Bethel 🎸Guitar - Chris Roberts Hafren Music Copyright ©Karolina Węgrzyn 2024 ®Karolina Węgrzyn 2024. All rights reserved. “Oy Vesna Krasna” in many Slavonic languages means “oh beautiful spring”. This debut album by Polish artist and musician Karolina Węgrzyn is a homage to her family’s traditions, but also a journey to connect the different cultures and minorities of Eastern Europe. Blending joyful and dynamic Balkan rhythms with a powerful and melancholic Northern Carpathian voice, Karolina and her eclectic band approach these songs with a deep respect, but also infuse with their own interpretations. This album is a celebration of beauty and diversity of Eastern-European cultures. “I am honoured to share my heritage with you”. Track no.1 Hej jedziemy & U hajičku travičku (Hey we’re on our way) by Karolina Węgrzyn A medley of two songs - “Hey we’re on our way” (Hey we’re on our way) is a traditional song from the Subcarpathian region in the South East of Poland. It is a mountainous province referred to as “the foot of the Carpathian Mountains”. Its music is varied, reflecting cross-cultural influences from neighbouring countries. This song has quite a rebellious feeling - a group of horse riders, possibly soldiers, are coming back from war. They’re looking for a place to stay as the nights are cold. They are demanding to be let inside villager’s homes to get warm, threatening that they will shatter their walls or climb through the windows. “U hajičku, travičku ja žala” is a Carpatho-Rusin song from the Slovakian side of Carpathian mountains. People from that region are known as Łemko or Rusini (Ruthenians). This is an unpretentious song about a girl’s love dream, told in a simple but charming manner. Songs collected and arranged by Karolina Wegrzyn.

Little Queens, or Královničky, as the festival is known in the Czech Republic, is the creative reimagining of an ancient tradition, which celebrates nature and the role of women within their communities.  The project also gives voice to female refugees and other expatriates who wish to express their identities within the intricate cultural context of their adopted home in the UK, bringing new colour, poetry and hope. ------ CREDITS ------- Creative Director Tereza Bušková Supported by Arts Council England Visit Sandwell   Project Partners Brushstrokes Community Project MotherShip Projects   Creative Practitioners & Supporters Bearwood Community Hub Blue and White Creative Multistory Oak House Museum Warley Woods Community Trust   Costumes Mariana Novotná   Embroidery workshops Tina Francis   The Queen Marketa Patelova   The King Karolina Wegrzyn   The Yarovit Goddess Zoë Simon   Little Queens Radka Saeedian, Lucia Húsková, Suchita Raj, Michaela Freeman, Mariana Novotná, Irena Jaitly, Siyona Raj, Maya Hurlow, Charlotte Freeman, Gréta Novotná, Jemima Gardener, Ellora Jaitly, Miri Emerson, Devi & Tali Patel   Musical direction / violin Oliver Clayton   Cello Bela Emerson Singing Karolina Wegrzyn   Songs Polish summer solstice song, “Kompałecka Mała Nocka” (Swimming In The Waters, Little Night) Ukrainian spring ritual song, "Oy Vesna Krasna” (Oh Beautiful Spring)   Canopy structure Studio Polpo   Camera Chris Keenan   Editing Stifani Brothers   Graphic design Jiří Bušek   Photography Carl Gibbons Dee Patel   Special thank you to Members of Sandwell Communities Jana Tillotson Jenine McGaughran Naomi St Juste Sorina Stallard Bianca Pirvuceanu Hasu Patel Tuckey Print Time Assist Ltd. Phi Forestry Billinghams florist

Hidden Mothers video was recorded as part of a public art project by Czech artist Tereza Buskova which is inspired by the cultural customs from Great Britain, Central and Eastern Europe. Its focus is the empowerment of women, in particular mothers, who experience isolation and routinely face stigma in the UK. Hidden Mothers began in Birmingham in 2019 with workshops inviting migrant and refugee mothers. The project was paused in 2020 - due to the pandemic and emerged again in summer 2021. It is a project in three parts, consisting of workshops, a procession, and an installation of a large-scale replica of a Slovak inspired cottage façade. Adopting a ritualistic approach, the final panels of the construction were carried and assembled by the participants of the ceremonial procession. The project encouraged community engagement through collaborative design, to stimulate transcultural conversations, and to link people who would not otherwise have access to art resources. Partners & supporters: Project supporters and partners: Arts Council England, Studio Polpo, London Festival of Architecture, Every Woman Biennale, Copeland Gallery, Czech Centre London, University of Birmingham and Use-It, E5 Bakehouse & E5 Poplar Union, Okenko.uk, Czech & Slovak Club Birmingham, Time Assist, Joseph Welden Studio, Mothership Projects, British Red Cross, Mariana Novotna, Zoe Simon, Tina Francis, Stifani Brothers, Chris Keenan, Karolina Wegrzyn & Tereza Porybna.

Fragment video prezentowanego na wystawie Sąsiedzi | сусіди. Projekt jest wynikiem współpracy między mną a Karoliną Wegrzyn, pieśniarką, akordeonistką i znawczynią kultury ludowej m.in. z Podkarpacia. Motywem przewodnim wystawy jest przeszłość kilku sąsiednich wsi z okolic Jarosławia, które przed II wojną światową były głównie zamieszkane przez ludność ukraińską: Koniaczów, Surochów, Sobiecin i Oleszyce. Docieram tam do miejsc świadczących o polsko-ukraińskiej przeszłości i spotykam się z ich wspołczesnymi mieszkańcami. W ramach projektu Karolina Węgrzyn wykonała ludowe pieśni z tych terenów w lokalizacjach związanych z ukraińską przeszłością a jej głos zachęcił współczesnych mieszkańców do podzielenia się wspomnieniami, często przekazywanymi przez ich matki i babki. Wystawę Sąsiedzi | сусіди można oglądać do końca stycznia 2023 w ACKiM UMCS Chatka Żaka w Lublinie.

Ballada z okolic Grodziska, w Leżajskiem, podkarpackie. Wykonanie - Karolina Węgrzyn Turniej Muzyków Prawdziwych Szczecin 2021

Lyrics are a translation of the song of the first Polish Romani poet, Bronisława Wajs "Papusza". Music written by Tim Botfield Arrangement by The Sun Dogs Vocals: Karolina Wegrzyn Guitar: Tim Botfield Violin: Edwin Podolski Banjo: Christopher Todd Drums: Stoyan Lazarov Jitela Recorded in Birmingham, UK @2021

Karolina Wegrzyn is a polish singer, accordionist and song collector; hailing from the Sub-Carpathia (south east) region of Poland. Karolina grew up surrounded by folk tradition; heavily influenced by her grandmother, who coached generations of local youngsters in traditional Polish song and dance. Together with some of Birmingham's finest musicians, they create a heart warming experience with archaic stories and rhythms that will move your feet to dance. Vocals, marching drum, accordion - Karolina Węgrzyn Violin - Ann Jones Guitar, percussion - Stephen Plummer Double Bass - Mike Bethel

Karolina is a folk musician, visual artist and a song collector, based in Birmingham, UK. She takes her inspiration directly from the archaic sounds of Eastern European villages, beliefs and stories enchanted in the lyrics. She comes from Sub-Carpathia in Poland, a region rich in echoes of many cultures, such as Romani, Łemko, Ukrainian or Jewish. She grew up in a village where folklore and traditional customs are still alive. PL Karolina jest śpiewaczką folkową, artystką wizualną i kolekcjonerką tradycyjnych pieśni mieszkającą obecnie w Birmingham, w Wielkiej Brytanii. Inspiracje czerpie z archaicznej muzyki wschodnio-europejskich kultur, z ich wierzeń i opowieści zaklętych w tekstach pieśni. Pochodzi z Podkarpacia, regionie kiedyś wielokulturowym, licznym w grupy etniczne takie jak Romowie, Łemkowie, Ukraińcy czy Żydzi. Dorastała w wiosce gdzie folklor i obrzędy są wciąż kultywowane.