The past year has hardly been easy for any musician. There are, of course, the occasional lucky ones who have continued to receive a regular income for practicing their profession. But undoubtedly even they would have experienced the collective anxiety about the uncertainty of the future, and a feeling of worthlessness brought on by the political decision-making. Considering all this, it feels particularly wonderful this year that Etno-Espa is again able to employ dozens of musicians, and that the audiences will be getting some relief from their culture withdrawal symptoms. The event’s program ranges from traditional runo singing to chamber folk, and from Bulgarian to Mexican music traditions. In addition to the event’s musical offerings, four musicians took up our challenge to contribute to our brochure by reflecting on the past year and their own identity as musicians. Music has been a way of bringing food to their tables, but it has also provided security, a quality of life, and a channel which can relieve their climate change anxiety. We hope that this August’s Etno-Espa can serve as a “welcome home” fanfare for live folk music in our city, and facilitate long-awaited encounters.