In 2026, the open-air World Music in the White Well once again became one of the most atmospheric events of the festival summer. The unique space of the chalk quarry, the open sky, the natural amphitheater, and music from around the world created an unforgettable evening.
This year, the open-air featured three striking acts — Jupiter & Okwess, Kumbia Boruka, and AY YOLA. Each brought to Voronezh Region its own energy, rhythm, and cultural tradition, but together they formed one great musical journey.
That evening, White Well became a meeting point for different countries, languages, and sounds. African rhythms merged with Latin American expressiveness, while ethnic motifs intertwined with contemporary drive and the freedom of a live concert.
Jupiter & Okwess filled the venue with the powerful energy of Congolese music, blending afropop, funk, and rock. The musicians say they draw inspiration from the languages, rhythms, and musical ideas of the whole country, home to more than 450 ethnic groups.
Jupiter Bokondji Ilola, lead vocalist of Jupiter & Okwess:
«Our songs are about social life, politics, freedom, ordinary people.»
The multicultural group Kumbia Boruka from Mexico brought to White Well the temperament of cumbia — lively, festive, and fiery music that combines Latin American tradition with a modern concert sound. Their set turned the quarry into a dancing floor: the audience greeted the musicians with applause, moved to the rhythm, and charged themselves with the group’s energy.
The musicians of Kumbia Boruka:
«We were very warmly welcomed here. It was our dream to come to Russia. It happened. It is very important to us when the audience dances, when they enjoy it. And everything turned out just as we had planned!»
AY YOLA gave the evening a special atmosphere. Their music became an important part of the program — distinctive, emotional, deeply rooted, and at the same time modern in sound. The performance added a special tone to the concert: sincere, powerful, and very close to the audience.
Ruslan Shaykhitdinov, sound producer of AY YOLA:
«Today there was some kind of mystery. We were on the same wavelength as the audience, the listeners. Everyone’s eyes were sparkling, everyone was jumping beyond their own abilities. That doesn’t happen all the time. Performances can have different energies. But today there was some kind of sacrament.»
World Music in the White Well is not just an open-air concert. It is an event where music becomes a universal language, understood without translation. That evening, the audience did not just listen — they lived every performance: they danced, sang, watched the sunset, looked at the stage against the backdrop of the chalk cliffs, and felt how space, nature, and sound merged into one.
World Music in the White Well is a project that brings people together through the living energy of different cultures. It was an evening of freedom, rhythm, discovery, and true festival unity. Thank you to everyone who shared this evening with the musicians!
Photos here
Author — Nikita Paukov