The group of sutartinės (ancient Lituanian polyphonic chants) singers met 35 years ago in the folklore ensemble Ratilio at Vilnius University, and later took part in the folklore group Vydraga. When they reunited in 2012, the singers chose the name Ūtara for their group. “Ūtaroti” means to talk, to chat, to tell stories, which is exactly what the essence of singing of the sutartinės is. After many years of delving into singing traditions, they realised that it is the sutartinės that connect them with their strange, monotonous sound, that soothe, comfort and caress like a song from a very distant past. You can fall asleep to them, rest with them, play with them.
The group currently has six participants (led by Lilija Milašienė), who organise workshops on the art of the sutartinės, experiment with performers of other genres, and contribute to the development of the “intellectual” and “neofolk” genres. Ūtara will appear at the Mėnuo Juodaragis festival for the first time.