Krregades de Romanços, Els Laietans, Stukat del Bolet and Arnau Obiols Quartet, finalists of 5th 'Concurs Sons'

55 ensembles took part in the competition

The four chosen groups will perform in the final at the 15th Fira Mediterrània

The female four-part group Krregades de Romanços, the bombard 2.0 ensemble Els Laietans, folk group Stukat del Bolet and the jazz folk Arnau Obiols Quartet are the four finalists of the 5th 'Concurs Sons'. All four will be performing in the final at the forthcoming Fira Mediterrània of Manresa, to be staged from 8 to 11 November. This year a total of 55 groups entered the competition organised by the Enderrock Group, the Fira Mediterrània and the Tradicionàrius Craft Centre.

Krregades de Romanços are the four women from the Terres de Ponent region, who in 2009 formed a group combining the power and energy of Mediterranean vocal multi-part music, performing a traditional repertoire ranging from the Lleida Plateau to the High Pyrenees.

Els Laietans are a group of gralla players from Mataró who claim to be the first gralla 2.0 group in the world, adapting for the traditional wind instrument works such as  “Waka Waka” by Shakira, “Wa Yeah” by Antònia Font and ’“Ai Se Eu Te Pego” by Michel Teló.

Stukat del Bolet was formed at the Pyreneean Folk School summer camps in Arsèguel when the band members were aged between ten and fifteen. They have since then been very active on the folk circuit, with a repertoire of traditional arrangements and their own compositions.

Arnau Obiols Quartet is the project headed by young drummer Arnau Obiols as a way of combining his two great passions: music and the traditional songs of the Pyrenees, together with the sophisticated and multifaceted language of jazz.

The competition jury is made up of members of the Sons de la Mediterrània magazine, the Tradicionàrius Craft Centre in Gràcia, Fira Mediterrània de Manresa and Festacarrer d’Ondara (in the Valencia region), radio station iCat fm and the TVC television programme La Sonora. They will have the task of choosing from among all the competitors the four who will progress to the final stage.

The winning group will receive an advertising campaign valued at €3000 in the Sons de la Mediterrània magazine and on broadcaster iCat fm, the chance to record a studio album and sign a record contract, promotion in the Sons de la Mediterrània magazine and a five-date tour including, in 2013, the Tradicionàrius Festival, the 16th Fira Mediterrània of Manresa, the Circuit Folc, Dansàneu / Esterri d'Àneu Dance and Music School 2013 and the Llívia Festival School 2013. Travel and backline expenses for the performances will be covered in counterpart.

The 2011 edition of the Concurs Sons was won by the group Riu, from Baix Llobregat, who combine a traditional Catalan repertoire with structures drawn from Celtic music; Barcelona's Tazzuff claimed the prize in 2010, with their innovative and experimentally minded folk, sharing affinities with other genres such as jazz, flamenco and rumba; the quartet Amansalva, featuring musicians from Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, emerged victorious in 2009, with their traditional repertoire drawn from the Catalan-speaking lands, while Majorca's Grollers de Sa Factoria claimed the honours in 2008, with their easy-going mix of traditional and modern instruments, blending popular tradition with their own compositions.

Further information: www.concurssons.cat