Hilja Grönfors is a name synonymous with contemporary Finnish Romany music.

She draws on her unique treasure trove of songs in the Finnish folk music genre and is well-versed in the stylistic characteristics and cultural background of the songs she performs. She has carried out extensive, systematic work to record the Roma song traditions in Finland and has toured the country collecting hundreds of songs from old singers.

Hilja Grönfors’s selfless work was given the most distinguished academic honour in Finland in 2024 when she was made honorary doctor and when she was given the honorary title of Academician of Arts that same year. This well-deserved honour is exceptional on a global scale, and it is very significant in terms of the Roma community and culture in Finland at large!

Hilja Grönfors will perform at the opening ceremony of Etno-Espa with her band, Latšo Džinta. The band comprises Finnish musicians connected by their love for Romany music and other folk music traditions across the world – and their studies at Sibelius Academy’s Department of Folk Music.

Hilja Grönfors – vocals
Valtteri Bruun – guitar
Kiureli Sammallahti – accordion
Matti Pitkänen – violin, mandolin
Sara Puljula – bass