The members of the Bodnárová – Szabó – Nosál trio come from diverse artistic backgrounds and experiences, yet they share an exceptional on-stage chemistry. Elena Bodnárová played the violin as the lead fiddler in the Živel folklore ensemble and sang in the women’s vocal group Ulijanky from Nitra, as well as in other projects. Her voice has a calming and healing quality, and although she has studied various forms of singing, she says she is most inspired by traditional Indian and Chinese singing.

Štefan Szabó is a jazz guitarist who studied in Brno and Copenhagen. He performs and records with various experimental groups such as the duos Duo uOuO and Ranvejš & Óbasz, the trios Szaturma and KIN, and has also guest-played on Mammatus by Sisa Fehér. In addition, he is the artistic director of the N:Ear Festival of improvised and experimental music in Banská Štiavnica. His guitar playing is marked by depth and a constant search for new sonic possibilities.

The third member is Martin Nosál, a cittern player and singer. All three sing (with Štefan Szabó specializing in Hungarian songs), and in addition to her vocals, Elena plays violin, Martin also plays viola, and Štefan plays drum.

Their song repertoire draws from regional collections, including the Hont region field recordings made by Béla Bartók in 1914, as well as from Transylvania. They choose lesser-known songs, and their original interpretations respect the archaic nature of the melodies while leaving room for improvisation.

If you haven’t yet seen or heard them live (even within the regular unplugged folklore series U strún at Rómer’s House in Bratislava, curated by the trio), it’s high time to change that at our festival.