We are following up on last year's success with Tessa on stage at the schools concert at Tønder Festival: this year, the youngsters will be treated to both the folkBALTICA Ensemble and the Danish rapper, singer and producer, Ozzy.
It will be party time at the massive Open Air stage when about 5000 school pupils from the whole of Southern Jutland and northern Schleswig Holstein are invited, true to tradition, to the schools concert at Tønder Festival 2026.
This year's schools concert offers the youngsters two names: firstly, regulars the folkBALTICA Ensemble. Around 50 young Danish and German musicians straddle the borders, both geographically and musically, playing both traditional and contemporary folk music. The other name is Ozzy, the young Danish rapper, singer and producer.
"Last year we listened to the wishes expressed: could we present musicians who had the youngsters' ear. We acted on that, brought in Tessa, and the concert was a huge success," says Tønder Festival's artistic director, Maria Theessink. She goes on:
"This year, alongside the folkBALTICA Ensemble, we've booked the 24 year-old Danish rapper and singer Ozzy, who has created his own sound as a producer and songwriter. Both his music and his songs, which deal with identity and the balance between artistic success and mental health, have a broad appeal to the young audience."
Ozzy is appearing with his band, and the schools concert is his only performance at Tønder Festival.
The schools concert takes place on the Open Air stage on Thursday 27 August from 10 to 11.45 a.m. Please note that no alcohol will be served at the event.
The schools concert is for subscribed schools and Tønder Festival ticket holders.
The schools concert is for 7th year pupils and older.
Interested schools can apply at skolekoncert@tf.dk – attendance is free of charge, on a first come first served basis.
THE MUSICIANS:
Ozzy (DK)
Things have been moving fast for the 24 year-old Danish rapper, singer and producer Oskar Elholm, better known as Ozzy, since he released his first single Samme side (Same Side) in 2023. For several years, Ozzy has been developing his own sound as a producer and songwriter. His music shows traces of hiphop and R&B, but also house, acid jazz, bossanova and future bass. The common thread is its flowing, atmospheric expression and characteristic vocal chops featuring his high falsetto. Inspiration is broadly sourced, from Kaytranada to Don Toliver and Smino, but the result stands as something special on the
Danish music scene.
Originally a quiet, introverted boy hooked on SoundCloud rap, Ozzy worked away with his music production at home in Helsingør. Now he takes the stage at music venues throughout the land alongside some of Denmark's major artists with the songs he wrote in his room. That's precisely the contrast highlighted on Ozzy's debut album Hyben (Rosehip) (2025), a personal portrait of the past few years, with Ozzy trying to find his feet far outside his comfort zone.
The album, produced by Ozzy himself and Emil Falk, Rob & Jenne, Nicki Pooyandeh, Anders Ingstrup Johansen and Noah Farlot, has two different sides. The A side is trap heavy, raw energy showing a confident Ozzy battling the pressure of expectations. The music on the B side opens to a warmer and more melodic universe, portraying family, love and intimacy.
folkBALTICA Ensemble (DK/DE)
The folkBALTICA Ensemble gathers young musical talents aged 15-25 from both sides of the Danish / German border. The aims are to develop musical skills in South Denmark and in Schleswig Holstein, to promulgate the region's traditional music and promote cross-culture youth work in the area.
The folkBALTICA Ensemble was founded in 2013 under the artistic leadership of Harald Haugaard, assisted by Andreas Tophøj and Rasmus Zeeberg. Around 50 young people meet four to six times a year to practise and give concerts, such as their appearances at the Dybbøl Rampart commemoration of the 1864 war and the folkBALTICA Festival. Not forgetting, of course, Tønder Festival, where they play their own concert as well as participating in the annual schools concert, for an invited audience of about 5000 pupils.
Tønder Festival 2026 – so far:
Emmylou Harris (USA), Aaron Lee Tasjan (USA), Skerryvore (SCO), Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys (UK), Joce Reyome (CAN), Erik Koskinen (USA), Ron Sexsmith (CAN), The Brothers Comatose (USA), James McMurtry (USA), Susan O´Neill (IRL), Ulige Numre (DK), Susto Stringband (USA), Sunny War (USA), Poul Krebs (DK), Emily Scott Robinson (USA), The Felice Brothers (USA), Rum Ragged (CAN), Daniel Lanois (CAN), Fantastic Negrito (USA), Jesper Lindell & The Brunnsvik Sounds (SE), Bye Bye Brenda (DK), Jake Blount (USA), AySay (DK), Heidi Talbot (IRL/SCO), Tako Lako (DK), Leon Majcen (USA), Selina Gin & The Iconics (DK), Ciarán Ryan Band (SCO/IRL), John R. Miller (USA), Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening (UK), Shakey Graves (USA), Jake Bugg (UK), Duncan Chisholm, Michael McGoldrick, Gerry O’Connor & Tony Byrne (SCO/IRL/UK), Lily Fitts (USA), OIiver Hazard (USA), Ken Pomeroy (USA), Folk Ensemble (DK), folkBALTICA Ensemble (DK/DE), Radio Mars with Alex Nyborg Madsen & Søren Rebbe (DK), Kris Kristofferson Tribute (DK/CAN), Ozzy (DK)
Tønder Festival 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th August 2026
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Tickets: www.tf.dk
We are following up on last year's success with Tessa on stage at the schools concert at Tønder Festival: this year, the youngsters will be treated to both the folkBALTICA Ensemble and the Danish rapper, singer and producer, Ozzy.
Tønder Festival 2026 is breaking records in ticket sales. Friday tickets are now sold out – at a point that is historically early for the festival.
Only a handful of Friday tickets remain for Tønder Festival 2026 – and sales are moving fast.
Once more, Tønder Festival unveils a series of new names for the 2026 programme. This presentation involves international songwriters, major folk music initiatives and traditional festival formats, all of which demonstrate the festival's solid grounding in folk and roots music.
