Trakula is a Latvian early music ensemble founded in the spring of 2007. The group mainly performs medieval and Renaissance music, drawing inspiration from both European and Middle Eastern musical heritage.
The ensemble’s sound world combines elements of historical music and traditional folk music. Trakula’s performance style brings centuries-old music to audiences in a lively, direct and atmospheric form, making it well suited both to the concert stage and to the programmes of historical events and medieval festivals.
The members of Trakula come from diverse musical backgrounds: the ensemble includes musicians with academic music training as well as performers rooted in the folk music tradition. This gives their performances a rich sound, a sense of historical depth and the freedom of traditional music-making.
The ensemble has performed at various early music and medieval festivals in Latvia and abroad. Estonian audiences may also know Trakula from the large-scale open-air production “The Spy in Vastseliina” (Salakuulaja Vastseliinas), staged at Vastseliina Episcopal Castle, where the ensemble contributed to the musical design.
Trakula proves that early music can be at once historical, vibrant, rhythmic and an engaging experience for contemporary audiences.
Line-up
Māris Jēkabsons – bagpipes, vocals
Māra Robežniece – flutes, vocals
Līga Jeleviča – hurdy-gurdy, violin, vocals
Adriāna Gotlube – nyckelharpa, vocals
Kaspars Indrēvics – percussion, drums