Silja is the Low German shortened form of the name Cecilia. Saint Cecilia is considered the patron saint of musicians, singers, and poets. Silja pipes’n’strings was formed in 2018 at the initiative of Kristina Künzel, whose long-held ambition had been to revive traditional German music and interpret it in an unusual way.
It was a perfect fit that the internationally renowned klezmer virtuoso Mark Kovnatskiy was also looking for a new project. This meant that two melody instrumentalists had already found each other. Since Kristina had already worked with guitarist Ben Aschenbach on previous projects, the band quickly found its harmonic and rhythmic foundation and was complete as a trio.
The strengths and focuses of the individual musicians were instrumental in developing their musical style, which has fluctuated between German folk and klezmer since its inception. The line-up with various bagpipes from Germany and Sweden, nyckelharpa, violin, guitar and cittern is full of surprises, virtuosity, joy of playing and magical moments.
In 2020, the debut album “tradfusion,” named after the musical motto, was released. In March 2025, the second album, “tradtuur,” was released, continuing the same path and expanding beyond it both geographically and musically.
In addition to the traditional dance music sources of Northern Germany, Silja pipes’n’strings has expanded their repertoire to include the entire German-speaking region. They also include three original compositions. “We don’t just want to follow old, bygone traditions, but also incorporate our own ideas and melodies even more than in our first album. We’re always looking for melodies that reflect the similarities between German traditional music and Jewish music. And there are very, very many of them. This doesn’t surprise us, since both cultures have lived in one country for centuries and have always influenced each other.”