The folk music of the 1960s and 1970s evokes nostalgia in every community. Despite musical evolution and the dominance of new genres, this music continues to live in everyone’s heart.

Rilindja, a group of young musicians from Gjakova, a city in southwestern Kosovo, has been cultivating this authentic old Albanian music for the past two years. Composed of five members, Edri Stavileci, Ari Juniku, Aldi Bunjaku, Arsa Kumnova, and Arblind Lila, all high school students, the group is active in performing at various cultural events. Their ensemble includes musical instruments such as the mandolin, double bass, accordion, and guitar, which make the group unique in style and sound.

The group’s leader, Endri Stavileci, told HAJDE that before embracing this style, they were fans of classic rock music. “This transformation happened as if pressing a button and suddenly shifting to folk music,” he says.

However, this transition did not happen entirely by chance, as the members come from families that have preserved and performed folk music for generations.

Their repertoire includes songs rarely heard today, uncovered from various archives spanning from the south to the north of Albania, as well as songs cultivated in Kosovo, from Gjakova to the Kosovo plains. 

Their selection includes well-known songs by Qamili i Vogël, Mazllum Meizini, Beqir Efendi Baraku, Mulla Hisen Dobraqi, Isuf Myzyri, and Mustafa Budimi.

Endri encourages young people to engage more with this music. “Our peers actually love this kind of music. Hits like ‘moshe e bukur kjo rinia’ and ‘mora girarrën shokë’ — there isn’t an Albanian who doesn’t know them,” he says.

These songs were also performed last night in Vienna, at the Haus der Begegnung, where the NGO KA Group hosted a concert evening as part of its cultural activities in Austria. “This helps increase the visibility of young talent, strengthen intercultural cooperation, and represent Albanian music and art with dignity in the heart of Europe,” said Ermal Vejsa, head of KA Group.

The event was organised to celebrate Flag Day on November 28th (Albania’s Independence Day).

After Vienna, Rilindja will continue their performances in Graz, where on November 8, starting at 20:00, they will perform for the Albanian diaspora, bringing the sounds of old Albanian songs.