Ten times Budapest Ritmo
‘Ten times Ritmo is 10 times 10 fond memories, 10 thousand gleaming faces. I usually scan the faces at concerts; the joy, the tears, the wonder, the curiosity. These faces, your faces are what brighten up my Ritmo memories. It’s the tenth time, let it all in, let’s dance, cry, laugh and wonder together!’
Balázs Weyer
AWARDS
RITMO AWARDS
Ritmo Award expresses our gratitude towards the personalities who have done immeasurably much for world music in the Central and Eastern European region, as well as globally.
BEN MANDELSON
2017
Ben Mandelson was one of the few who helped to jump kick world music from the very beginning. As one of the founding fathers of the world music term and WOMEX and also as a wonderful musician himself, nobody contributed to world music more profoundly than Ben. He helped an uncountable number of artists as a producer, mentor or simply just always being available listening, answering, encouraging. Ben is a specialist in all styles but he had an ongoing relationship with Hungary as a táncház passionate, a doromb aficionado, avid supporter of Hangvető projects like UPBEAT and MOST, and a returning guest to Budapest.
SIMON BROUGHTON
2018
Simon Broughton has a very deep connection and understanding of the folk music of Central and Eastern Europe. His first chance encounter with a Hungarian dance house in 1978 was a life changing experience that has led to numerous travels, friendships and research. Without Simon, his magazine, Songlines, his articles, his radio programs and his films, we would be voiceless – he showed world music aficionados around the globe how to talk about our musical experiences, how to embrace what we feel and how to express our affection to these sounds of the world.
He authored Eastern European chapters for the Rough Guide to World Music, compiled numerous albums on the music of the region, directed documentaries on the music of Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic. Most recently, the Fly Bird, Fly documentary, directed by Broughton traces the past and present of the Hungarian Dance House movement, in Hangvető’s production.
Hilde Bjørkum
2019
Hilde Bjørkum, co-founder and former artistic and managing director of Førde Traditional and World Music Festival, built up Førde step-by-step during her 29 years as the festival’s director, to be Scandinavia’s biggest such event. Many Hungarian artists have enjoyed Førde festival’s hospitality over the years: dance house legends Muzsikás, Olah Gypsy band Romengo, violin maestro Félix Lajkó, and proponents of traditional cimbalom Cimbaliband have all gained access to Scandiavian audiences under Bjørkum’s directorship. Bjørkum has also done a lot to build international networks for music professionals; as the president of the European Festival Network European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals (EFWMF) since 2008.
Helen Sildna
2022
Founder of Tallinn Music Week, Helen Sildna received the Ritmo Award for building a connected music community across the Eastern region and Europe. As Ritmo’s Programming Director Balázs Weyer put it: “not many noticed when Tallinn Music Week started 14 years ago that we would be witnessing a turning point regarding the global connectivity of the Estonian and wider region’s music scene.” He added: “But Helen knew all along, and her commitment to the case resulted in a lasting change – growing Tallinn Music Week into one of the most influential global hubs of the music industry and inspiring all of us with its innovative mindset, musical offering and mindblowing exchanges at its conference.”
Marija Vitas and Bojan Djordjević
2023
Marija Vitas and Bojan Djordjević (Ring Ring Association, RS) form the most heartwarming world music powerhouse. Their individual and joint efforts have forwarded the case of the Balkan music scene and built connections through ethnomusicology, media, festivals and the Balkan World Music Charts. Balázs Weyer, Ritmo’s programming director handed over the Ritmo awards and the custom-made LPs to the couple and their daughter: a family within Ritmo’s expanding tribe.
Chris Eckman
2024
Musician, record producer, and co-founder of Glitterbeat Records, a label “built upon sounds and artists that transcend cultural pre-conceptions and genre specificity”. Now based in Slovenia, Glitterbeat is a mainstay of global music with local impact, and a consistent artist-oriented approach. Eckman has produced over thirty albums for artists like Tamikrest, Aziza Brahim, and more. He is a returning guest at Ritmo, a friend and supporter of Hangvető’s work.