‘Merope with Shahzad Ismaily’

Merope interweaves the kanklės – a traditional Lithuanian stringed instrument – with the voice, guitar, synths and electronics to create a modern sound. Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė (LT) and Bert Cools (BE) combine traditional music, ambient and indie in unique ways, resulting in restrained, atmospheric music and a soundscape that is both local and universal. Their new album Vėjula (Stroom) will be out on November 5 and will feature contributions from Bill Frisell, Laraaji and the highly sought multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily. For their concert at Bozar, Merope invites the latter, together with drummer, improviser and composer Toma Gouband. Along with Ismaily and Gouband, Merope pushes back the limits of the kanklės further than ever.