WÖR / Kongero

Back to the 1780s! If it sounded good then, why not today?
The Belgian ensemble WÖR (pronounced “were”) consists of five musicians whose boundless curiosity brings centuries-old melodies into the present with fresh new arrangements. Suddenly, melodies from 18th-century Flanders sound completely contemporary!

Wör has released three albums so far and toured extensively across Europe, Australia, Canada, and the USA. In August 2018, they won the German Record Critics’ Award for their album Sssht. In 2021 and 2025, they were nominated as “Best Live Band” at the Flemish Folk Awards.

The Swedish women’s folk quartet Kongero has been performing traditional Scandinavian songs for 15 years, arranged in their own compositions in the finest a cappella tradition. The four musicians are also accomplished composers who set poetry to music, among other works. The ensemble’s name – meaning “spider” in English – comes from the dialect of their home region, Jämtland, in northern Sweden. “Kongero brings Scandinavian traditional music into the 21st century,” raves the international press, comparing the group to their famous compatriots, The Real Group.

Now, Wör and Kongero have joined forces for an extraordinary project with Songbooks Live: exploring commonalities and contrasts between their different musical traditions and repertoires. Both bands delved into historical archives with one goal: to find songs suitable for a Belgian-Swedish collaboration. Both ensembles share a love for elegant melodies and powerful storytelling, while pursuing the same aim: letting timeless emotions and exquisite tunes speak through their own arrangements.

Their joint live show weaves together stories, songs, melodies, and themes from Belgian and Swedish traditions, alongside an original composition written specifically for Songbooks. The result is exciting, vibrant, sincere, beautiful, and irresistibly groovy. The exquisite arrangements allow each song to shine and showcase the expression of every musician. Every instrument and voice has its role and place, creating a truly magical performance. The recordings for the live album were made at two performances in Belgium in spring 2025.
For this collaboration, Wör and Kongero are nominated for the “Flanders Folk Award 2025” in the category “Best Live Band.”