English

The amazing Greek accordion player Artemis Vavatsika and one of Scandinavia's striking younger voices, saxophonist Maria Dybbroe, met in a symbiotic first meeting in January 2025 in Athens. With the immediate experience of a common language and strong communication, they arranged a recording session within a week, and already on March 18th as part of the MEUF vol3 compilation on Barefoot Records, their first single was released. The duo works with improvisation and moves between classical music and jazz.

Artemis Vavatsika is a classically trained accordionist. She has a very special ear and spans a wide repertoire, from both new classical music to folk music and free improvisation. She has played in both opera and theater productions and has taught accordion since 2013.

Maria Dybbroe is a very active improviser, composer, saxophonist and clarinetist based in Oslo and Copenhagen, who has released 9 albums with her own groups and contributed to more than 20 albums of others. She is the leading force in the double trio Caktus, which earned her the nomination as ‘Composer of the Year’ at the ‘Steppeulven’ in 2020, as well as a nomination for ‘Album of the Year’ at the Danish Music Awards Jazz. In 2021, she also won the title ‘New Name of the Year’ at the Danish Music Awards Jazz with the collective band Maraton.

MEUF is both the name of a concert series and 2 album releases that emerged in 2023 as a new annual tradition where a compilation is released on Barefoot Records every year on March 8, with new collaborations between women and gender minorities, curated and initiated by composer and saxophonist Maria Dybbroe. The idea of ​​MEUF is to spotlight some of the most interesting non-male musicians on the European scene for experimental music and improvisation, as well as to forge new bonds between non-male musicians in Europe, who due to their minority in the music industry may feel a lack of colleagues who, by virtue of their gender and minority status, are similar to themselves. With the album releases MEUF vol 1, 2 and 3, as well as several MEUF concerts in different countries and cities since 2023, over 50 women and gender minorities have already met in completely new constellations, which in several cases have become the start of long-term collaborations and for most of them have provided new experiences and new inspiration. Furthermore, the point is to inspire the audience, both young and older non-men, to become musicians, and to give the audience the opportunity to reflect on minority stories.

Danish

Den græske fantastiske akkordion-spiller Artemis Vavatsika og en af Skandinaviens markante yngre stemmer, saxofonist Maria Dybbroe, mødtes i et symbiotisk første møde i januar 2025 i Athen. Med den ummidelbare oplevelse af et fælles sprog og en stærk kommunikation fik de arrangeret en pladeeindspilning i løbet af en uge og allerede d. 18. marts som en del af MEUF vol3 compilationen på Barefoot Records udkom deres første single. Duoen arbejder med improvisation og bevæger sig i et spændingsfelt mellem klassisk musik og jazz.

Artemis Vavatsika er en klassisk uddannet akkordeonist. Hun har et helt særligt øre og spænder over et bredt repertoire, fra både ny klassisk musik til folkemusik og fri improvisation. Hun har spillet i både opera- og teaterproduktioner og har undervist i akkordion siden 2013.

Maria Dybbroe er en meget aktiv improvisator, komponist, saxofonist og klarinettist bosat i Oslo og København, som har udgivet 9 albums med egne grupper og bidraget til mere end 20 andre albums. Hun er den ledende kraft i dobbelttrioen Caktus, der gav hende nomineringen som ’Årets komponist’ ved ’Steppeulven’ i 2020, samt en nominering til ’Årets album’ ved Danish Music Awards Jazz. I 2021 vandt hun også titlen ’Årets Nye Navn’ ved Danish Music Awards Jazz med kollektivbandet Maraton.

MEUF er både navnet på en koncertrække og 2 album-udgivelser, der opstod i 2023 som en ny årlig tradition hvor der udgives et samleværk på Barefoot Records hvert år den 8.marts, med nye samarbejder mellem kvinder og kønsminoriteter, kurateret og initieret af komponist og saxofonist Maria Dybbroe. Idéen med MEUF er at sætte spotlight på nogen af de mest interessante ikke-mandlige musikere på den europæiske scene for eksperimenterende musikk og improvisation, samt knytte nye bånd mellem ikke-mandlige musikere i Europa, som pga. deres minoritet i musikbranchen måske kan føle at de mangler kolleger som i kraft af deres køn og minoritetsstatus ligner dem selv. Med album-udgivelserne MEUF vol 1, 2 og 3, samt adskillige MEUF-koncerter i forskellige lande og byer siden 2003, har allerede over 50 kvinder og kønsminoriteter mødtes i helt nye konstellationer, som i flere tilfælde er blevet starten på langvarige samarbejder og for de fleste har givet nye erfaringer og ny inspirasjon. Desuden er det en pointe at inspirere publikum, både unge og ældre ikke-mænd, til å blive musikere, samt at give publikum mulighed for at kunne spejle sig i minoritets historier.