World Music School (WMS) Open Mic at the Helsinki Open Waves
A 40 min live show, moderated by Pedro Aibéo, chairman of the WMS at the Helsinki Open Waves in Caisa. Every 4th Wednesday of the month at 16:00 Finnish time.
The show invites musicians to talk about their work and lives and play live music. The goal is to promote local artists, preferably from foreign backgrounds and around world music. The interview is done in different languages (EN, PT, DE, ES, FR).

Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Barbora Xu explores the shared symbolism of Finnish and Chinese poetry, setting ancient texts to newly composed songs and arrangements. Xu’s debut album Olin ennen (10/2021) is a culmination of a decade of music writing and field research, acclaimed by international music community placing n.11 in the WMCE and n.21 in TWMC, picked for the German Record Critics’ Award, the Podwireless Best Of 2021 while sweeping through the radios worldwide.
Despite their geographic disparity, both Finnish and Chinese traditions share a deep connection to the natural world. Imagery of birds and water, earth and sky permeate Xu’s music, evoking universal concepts such as time and impermanence through the use of metaphor. The shimmering, transcendental strains of Chinese guzheng and Finnish kantele, paired with Xu’s feather-light, yet powerful vocals, conjure a sense of stillness, of luminous possibility. Barbora’s playing fuses Finnish and Chinese traditional techniques with minimalism, binding bell-like overtone harmonics with cascading arpeggios and pitch-bends.
Credits
Producer & Host: Pedro Aibéo
Guest: Barbora Xu
Sound recording, editing & live streaming: Bailey Polkinghorne
Photo: Jussi Vierimaa
*The audio piece was recorded at the Helsinki Open Waves performance & recording room located at Caisa.
**The views expressed in this audio piece and texts are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of Helsinki Open Waves.
***If you have any feedback regarding the content of the podcast, please contact us via helsinkiopenwaves@gmail.com.