Biography

A voice that seems to speak to us from the heart of the Estonian forest, Mari Kalkun’s music is at once of a place and deeply personal. Rooted in ancient Estonian and Võru traditions, and played on a variety of instruments including kannel and accordion, her music—for those of us with ears and hearts open—resonates deep within us to touch our spirits, our souls, even when the language is strange to us. Songs and musical arrangements that are sparse and stripped down allow emotions to surface, and the song breath and reveal itself as something organic and real. Hers is an intimate music—born of Baltic winter forests and icy landscapes— and yet there is renewal, hope and celebration to be heard. Mari Kalkun’s music has a timeless quality and unhurried sense of time and space. Mari has toured through Europe and Japan. She is an internationally acclaimed artist who will in 2023 release her long-awaited new solo album ‘Stories of Stonia’. Mari Kalkun takes old stories into a new, maybe even unexpected context. "The motivation for this album is my own curiosity to turn back to a very old layer of tradition and find out what my ancestors have thought and sang and how it will resonate in the era of skyscrapers, steel and metal," says Kalkun. New album “Stories of Stonia” is co-produced with beloved Sam Lee and the album will be released by Real World Records. Mari's music—for those of us with ears and hearts open—resonates deep within us to touch our spirits, our souls.