Finalists of the 4th Sons Competition

Riu, Naia, Katroi Ensemble and Borinots Tres Quar-trance, finalists of the 4th Sons Competition

The groups Riu, Naia, Katroi Ensemble and Borinots Tres Quar-trance are the finalists of the 4th Sons de la Mediterrània (Mediterranean Sounds) Competition. All four will be performing in the final, planned for Thursday 3 November on one of the stages at the 14th Fira Mediterrània of Manresa in the Bages capital.
Riu, from Sant Boi, combine their Catalan-rooted repertoire with Celtic music harmonies; Naia is a band with members from various villages in Valencia and whose music moves between folk and singer-songwriter numbers; Katroi Ensemble, from the Girona area, blend traditional ballads with jazz-style arrangements; and Borinots Tres Quar-trance, from Mataró and Sants, take the traditional "cobla de tres quartans" (a group of three musicians) formation and give it an electronic club sound.
The Sons judging panel, made up of representatives from Fira Mediterrània of Manresa, Centre Artesà Tradicionàrius de Gràcia, iCAT FM radio station, Festacarrer and Sons de la Mediterrània magazine, has picked these four out of the 56 entries received. The competition prize consists of a tour of seven performances at the Tradicionàrius Festival in Gràcia, Barcelona; Fira Mediterrània of Manresa; two venues in the Circuit Folc; the International Traditional Folk Music Festival in Vilanova i la Geltrú; Festcat-escola at the Festa de Llívia festival; and the Festacarrer d'Ondara event in the Valencia region. They will also record a CD and take part in a promotional campaign run in Sons de la Mediterrània magazine and via iCAT FM radio station.

article posted by:Jordi Bertran, Fira Mediterrània Manresa