Kapela “Hāgenskalna muzikanti”

The ensemble “Hāgenskalna muzikanti” was founded in 1998, and its first leader was Ilmārs Pumpurs. The ensemble’s repertoire consists of old folk songs traditionally sung by people, as well as pieces they have transcribed themselves from old musicians, along with materials from folklore archives and museum collections. The group’s acoustic instrumentation and traditional playing style — ensemble interplay, improvisation, and individual mastery — create the distinctive sound of “Hāgenskalna muzikanti”. The ensemble combines musical creativity with careful research and stylistically appropriate interpretation of early 19th‑ and early 20th‑century song and dance music, complemented by Art Nouveau–inspired concert costumes. The members are Zane Kriumane (violin), Sandra Lipska (cithara), Rolands Zelčs (accordion), and Ilmārs Pumpurs (double bass, mandolin). Ilmārs Pumpurs is an ethnomusicologist and specialist in traditional culture, focusing on modern‑era instrumental folk music, developing programs for the transmission of ancient instrument skills, and directing the folk music festival “Dzīvā mūzika” (“Live Music”).