Amadou Suso comes from Gambia in West Africa and is part of a Mandinka tribe that have been playing the Kora for centuries. The Kora originated in Gambia 750 years ago and Amadou is a direct descendant of the first kora player; Korea Musa Suso. Originally it was a 7 stringed instrument but over time has evolved into the 22 stringed instrument you see today and is affectionately known as the African Harp.

Variously described as a prodigy, mesmerising and the Jimi Hendrix of Kora, Amadou first started playing the Kora when he was 6 years old and was shorter than the instrument itself. He has since traveled the world and brings to life the depth of mandinka history and fuses it with contemporary mastery of the African harp.

Two-time Queensland Music Award winners MZAZA are committed to delivering Balkan-French inspired sounds to folk lovers around the world... Led by enchanting French-Sephardic vocalist Pauline Maudy, this group of musicians from around the world has been mesmerising audiences with powerful and inspired performances.

The impressive musicianship of MZAZA – deftly realised with accordion, violin, percussion, double bass and Flamenco guitar – embraces diversity, the old and the new, the familiar and the foreign, through timeless melodies. It is the timelessness of the music and stories that fuels an intense live show, an unforgettable musical journey, that has enraptured audiences at MONA FOMA, Queensland Music Festival, Cygnet, National and Woodford Folk Festivals, and visited airwaves internationally. Jaw-dropping technique, unique compositions and captivating shows have earned Mzaza supports for the likes of the Violent Femmes (USA) Yasmin Levy (Israel), Melbourne Ska Orchestra (AUS), Baba Zula and Baro Banda (Turkey), and DJ Click (France).

Fuelled by reverence, integrity and a deep spiritual connection to the human experience, New Zealand songwriter Kerryn Fields paints timeless musical portraits that do what others rarely can: bring us home to ourselves.

In the realm of storytellers, Kerryn Fields emerges as a widely adored figure. Celebrating her official showcase at Folk Alliance International 2024 with an acoustic EP, 'The Folk Singer', that dives deeper into Fields' personal journey. Exploring themes of creation, climate change, and chronic illness, where every note echoes the resonance of a true folk luminary.

Radiating warmth, humour and a depth of character that’s palpable as soon as she enters a room, Fields utilises music and storytelling as a vehicle for doing what she does best: making peace with her own human existence. It’s because of this startling ability to meet and embrace herself so willingly that others feel able to do the same.

Ngiyampaa man and First Nations singer-songwriter Pirritu’s (Brett Lee) music is gentle, honest and from the heart. Strange and melodic chords frame this songwriters vocals that weave around his lyrics like a gentle wind, enticing you into the depths of his personal journey, singing you a story of both sadness, love and hope.

Pirritu (meaning ‘Brett’ in Ngiyampaa Language) was adopted by a non-Aboriginal couple as a newborn baby and raised to be proud of his Aboriginality, to follow his cultural journey and to connect back to family, culture and language - a journey he began when he was 14 years old. Two things drive his continual thirst to connect to his people, country, language and culture - his one year old daughter and his passion for music. 

To deepen his understanding of his mother tongue, Pirritu volunteers with the Ngiyampaa Language Project to test materials being created for the purpose of updating the Ngiyampaa Grammar written by Tamisin Donaldson in the 1970’s. 

Winners of Traditional Folk Album of the Year at the 2022 Australian Folk Music Awards, Austral will transport you into full festival party mode. They are a high-energy, four-piece Australian Celtic group combining didgeridoo, Irish pipes, high energy fiddling, journeying songs and energetic foot percussion. Whether you see them on stage or at the session afterward, Austral will get your festival going. HUP!

Austral features Angus Barbary on fiddle, vocals and mandola, Caity Brennan on fiddle and vocals, Rhys Crimmin on guitar, percussion, didgeridoo and vocals, and Connor Hoy on Uilleann pipes, flute and whistle. Austral's music is infectiously toe-tapping and you may find it hard to resist the urge to get up and dance yourself. They have developed their own high-energy live stage sound and have a debut album hot off the press. Austral are carving a new face for Celtic music in Australia and are a band not to be missed.

Austral have recently released their debut album 'Thylacine', to widespread acclaim, winning them an AFMA and a nomination for the Music Victoria Awards. They are hitting the festival scene, ready to start a few festival dance parties.

Stringmania is an immersive residential camp for musicians who are passionate and curious about traditional and contemporary string music. Stringmania is for people who seek musical, cultural, and personal enrichment through the support of an open minded, vibrant and inclusive community, providing a forum to explore our identity as multicultural Australian musicians. Classes are self-selected, and divided by ear learning ability and confidence, rather than age or instrumental skill. The camp is built around four daily primary instrumental classes. All instruments are welcome, with a focus on fiddle, cello and double bass. If you are not a bowed strings player, you are welcome, but need to be self-sufficient enough on your instrument to ensure you progress in your learning.

Complementing these primary instrumental classes are electives in rhythm, improvisation, dance, song, thought-provoking panel discussions, skill swaps, master classes and more. The camp culminates in a celebratory public concert where we all take to the stage at The River Folk Festival to share what we’ve all created with the local community, our friends and family.

3 x CMAA ‘Golden Guitar’, 2 x Australian Folk Music and Music Victoria Award winners, The Weeping Willows (Laura Coates and Andrew Wrigglesworth) are a couple of old souls, steeped in Bluegrass tradition and draped in Gothic Americana imagery.  They regale their audiences with stories of sunshine and romance, God and The Devil, murder and decay.  Real music.

2017-2024 has seen The Weeping Willows nominated for 14 x CMAA ‘Golden Guitar’ awards, 7 x Australian Folk Music Awards (AFMAs), 4 x Country Music Channel (CMC) awards, 2 x National Live Music Awards (NLMAs), performing Official Showcases at AmericanaFest (USA) and Folk Alliance International (USA) and appearing at Port Fairy Folk Festival, National Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival and more.  In recent years they have supported Iris DeMent (USA) and Willie Watson (USA) and completed national and international tours in support of their three LPs, receiving four-star reviews in Rolling Stone, The Australian and The Music.

The River Folk Restrung project takes professional performing artists and arranges their music so they can perform with a string orchestra and a harp! Orchestrated by Mickey & Michelle, who combine their deep love of songwriting and careful orchestration to add luscious layers of colourful harmony to the Festival's already high calibre program. 

The orchestra is made up of string members from all over Australia, from professional to amateur string players. The project acknowledges the enormous amount of skill among folk fiddlers and harnesses those powers for a one off performance of extreme beauty. So come along for an extra special performance, featuring some incredible acts like you’ve never heard them before. Previous collaborations include: Scott Cook, Ngaiire, The Maes, Lucy Wise, Parvyn, The Crooked Fiddle Band, Pirritu and many more.

Broken Creek weave compelling musical reimaginings of Australiana for banjo, guitar, fiddle and voice that tell stories from Australia’s past and present. Erin and Lachlan Heycox grew up in rural Victoria steeped in bushbands and balladeers. Named for the creek Erin grew up near, ‘Broken Creek’ signals a love of country and traditional folk music with an adventurous musical bent to “break” with the conventional.

Broken Creek’s second album ‘Yeah Nah’ features songs about small-town Australia, tunes inspired by the land and subversive interpretations of traditional Australian songs. Broken Creek’s debut album ‘Small Town Anthropologies’ was a finalist for FAA Traditional Album of Year (2022). Broken Creek share their music and stories with audiences across the country, from stages at festivals (Cygnet Folk Festival, CresFest, Newport Folk Festival, Tablelands Folk Festival, Shepparton Arts Festival) to support slots with Australian music legends Fanny Lumsden, The Bushwhackers and the Weeping Willows.

Inspired by Kate Rusby and Kristina Olsen, Connell's passion for lyric and story is amplified by her unique guitar work and a voice of strength and tenderness. Beloved for her traditional singing and her songwriting alike, Connell's performances have you feeling like she's given you all of herself. From her early years in rural Victoria to her many years of performing across Australia and the UK, with the likes of Scott Cook, David Francey and Kris Mizzi, Connell has fronted five piece festival favourite Stray Hens and is the creator and host of web series An Otherwise Quiet Room with a sparkling and insightful take on the current music scene and the living folk tradition.

Hailing from the deep south of regional WA, Oceanique combines close harmonies, wonder and warm melodies. Now based in Melbourne/Naarm, twin sisters Maddy and Jess craft music rich in the folk storytelling tradition with seamless blood harmonies and reflective lyrics. A sound that calls to mind the sibling harmonies of First Aid Kit and The Waifs.

Oceanique have been crafting their unique folk music since 2019, awarded Folk Alliance Australia’s ‘Youth Artist of the Year’ (2022) and Port Fairy Folk Festivals ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ (2024), seeing them playing some of Australia's most prestigious folk festivals across 2023-24 including National Folk Festival, Woodford Folk Festival and more, along with supporting artists like The Waifs and Emily Barker. As well as performing their own headline shows across Australia, Oceanique released their debut album 2023 and a live EP April 2024 which received national and international praise.

An emerging talent in the folk scene, Ailsa Mitchell’s nature-inspired compositions evoke a sense of intimacy akin to artists such as Joan Shelly, Vashit Bunyan and the Weather Station. "Orange and Blue," her debut EP, was produced by Josh Barber and has been warmly received since its release in April 2023. She has also had the good fortune to share her music on stages like the National Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Loch Hart Music Festival, Yackandandah Folk Festival, and Wonder Mountain Festival. Recent releases of singles like "Wytch" and "Hey Hi Hello" highlight her versatility. Leading with curiosity, her playful approach to songwriting infuses her sound with a unique charm, captivating audiences with its tender simplicity. In 2024 she was honored to receive both the Johnny Dennis Award and Little Bridge Residency and is excited to share her music and continue making new works.

Melbourne singer/songwriter Follow The Robin creates Indie/Folk music that is both enchanting and delicate. Through poetic lyrics and spellbinding melodies her music captures the raw emotions of humanity and ventures into the ethereal unknown of the worlds beyond our own.

Since 2020, Follow The Robin has performed regularly, supporting artists such as Little Green and Steve Baker and The LiveWires (which marked her debut international performance in Germany) as well as headlining at some of Melbourne’s most loved venues.

A finalist in the 2023 AFMA’s Follow The Robin continues to create new music daily with a debut EP coming in 2024.