Artists who play our hurdy-gurdies

Michalina Malisz is a Polish hurdy-gurdy player, vocalist, songwriter and educator. From 2016 to 2022, she was a member of the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie, recording on albums including Evocation II - Pantheon and Ategnatos, and performing hundreds of shows across five continents.

She is also the co-founder and frontwoman of LYRRE, where she combines the hurdy-gurdy with atmospheric metal, contributing vocals, lyrics and songwriting. The band released its debut album Not All Who Dream Are Asleep in 2023, followed by Nothing Is Promised in 2026.

Beyond the stage, Michalina has built a significant online presence through her YouTube channel, which has attracted over 150,000 subscribers and millions of views. She shares her experience through hurdy-gurdy lessons, international workshops and educational content, and she co-founded MM Instruments in 2018.

On stage and in the studio, she plays a Fully Custom hurdy-gurdy, the Michalina Studio 2021 signature edition, and an Electric Custom.

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David Zima is a Czech multi-instrumentalist, a member of the band Tempus and a dedicated promoter of the hurdy-gurdy. He owns three MM Instruments hurdy-gurdies and plays them both in the studio and on stage with Tempus.

I currently own three hurdy-gurdies made by MM Hurdy Gurdy and can only highly recommend them. I have also visited their workshop in Krakow, and every visit has been a very pleasant experience. I use their instruments for both studio recordings and live performances with my band Tempus. They are reliable instruments that I can always count on.

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Adrianna Zborowska is a Polish vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the founder of the folk metal band Ariadne’s Thread. Classically trained as an opera singer, she developed her passion for folk music through her involvement with Netherfell and has also collaborated with the progressive metal band HellHaven.

Alongside her musical projects, she teaches violin, piano and singing, and works as a rhythmics instructor and rhythm therapy practitioner. Her musical background brings together classical training, traditional folk music and modern metal.

She plays a Fully Custom hurdy-gurdy built in her signature “Ariadne’s Trapzy” body shape.

A very high-quality instrument, made 100% to order, with a beautiful sound and very few issues ;) I recommend it to everyone.

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Clara Palomares is a Spanish multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, best known as a member of the folk metal band Celtibeerian, which she joined in 2022. Alongside the hurdy-gurdy, she plays bagpipes and whistles, combining traditional folk instruments with powerful metal arrangements.

Her musical background also includes performances with Ekyrian and Upsala Medieval. She contributed hurdy-gurdy, whistles and vocals to Celtibeerian’s 2023 album Nertos.

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Scott Marshall is a British hurdy-gurdy player, composer and educator with over 20 years of experience. He has released a trilogy of Gurdymania albums featuring multi-layered hurdy-gurdy arrangements and electronic effects.

He also teaches and leads workshops internationally, sharing his knowledge of playing techniques and instrument setup. Scott contributed his expertise to the development of the MM Instruments Aplo and has created an extensive playlist showcasing the Aplo Black, as well as three videos featuring the Trigo.

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Sergio González Prats is a Spanish hurdy-gurdy player, teacher and early music specialist based in Barcelona. He is the co-founder and artistic director of Saüc Ensemble and has performed and taught across Europe, the United States and Australia.

Through his YouTube channel Zanfoneando, he shares tutorials, instrument demonstrations and reviews, drawing on his extensive experience with hurdy-gurdies from different makers. Among the instruments he uses is the MM Instruments Trigo, which has accompanied him on his international travels.

Mirjam Skal is an award-winning Swiss film composer and keyboardist of the modern metal band ILLUMISHADE, where she is responsible for synthesizers and orchestral arrangements. Based in Zurich, she composes music for films, documentaries and television, including additional music for Where the Crawdads Sing.

Her work combines orchestral instruments with electronic soundscapes, often incorporating unconventional instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy and theremin. Her film scores have received several awards, including the Rolf-Hans Müller Prize in 2024 and the German Documentary Film Music Award in 2025. She plays an Aplo from the Spruce & Ash Limited Edition.

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Kuba Mitoraj is a Polish musician, guitarist, composer and songwriter who also produces music under the name MiniStrand. He is a co-founder of the folk project Zakuka and a long-time collaborator of Grubson, with whom he co-created the album Akustycz(nie)zupełnie, contributing hurdy-gurdy parts to the recordings.

His career includes numerous recordings and collaborations with artists across the Polish music scene. Alongside his guitar work, he brings the hurdy-gurdy into both studio recordings and live performances.

Highly recommended. Communication and customer service at the very highest level. Whenever I needed it, I got help, even with problems that came from my own lack of knowledge. The hurdy-gurdy works great both in the studio and on stage.

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Michał Jelonek is an acclaimed Polish violinist, composer and multi-instrumentalist with a career spanning over three decades. Known for his energetic performances and distinctive fusion of classical music with rock and metal, he has released several solo albums and performed with bands such as Hunter and Ankh.

His extensive career includes contributions to dozens of albums, collaborations with numerous Polish artists and performances with symphony orchestras. Recently, he added an MM Instruments Saphona hurdy-gurdy to his collection, which he plans to explore further in his future musical projects.

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Adrianna “Adka” Kania is a Polish multi-instrumentalist and vocalist known for her work with bands and projects such as Cronica, Weljar, Sarama and Afterborn. Her musical background spans folk, metal and early music.

Alongside the hurdy-gurdy, she plays keyboards and traditional instruments, bringing versatility to a wide range of musical styles.

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Sonia Mrzygłocka is a Polish vocalist and musician known for her performances with the folk band Żywiołak. Alongside her vocal work, she explores traditional music through her own projects, including Szep:Tuny, where she plays the hurdy-gurdy.

Performing with her MM Instruments Trigo, she appeared at the 2025 True Musicians Tournament at the Szczecin Philharmonic, where Szep:Tuny received a distinction in the experimental music category.

Gökçe Türkmendağ is a musician based in Ankara, Türkiye, who explores the hurdy-gurdy across a wide range of musical styles. She is a member of Fortuna, a band blending medieval, Celtic, Nordic and folk influences with music inspired by movies and video games.

She also performs hurdy-gurdy with rock bands and brings the instrument into her solo projects. Alongside the hurdy-gurdy, she plays classical guitar and bass guitar, and enjoys combining traditional instruments with contemporary music.

My MM Electric Custom hurdy-gurdy has become an important part of my musical identity. What I particularly enjoy about it is its ability to fit into very different musical settings. Its distinctive tone can add an entirely different character to a piece, whether in a traditional-sounding arrangement or alongside electric guitars and other modern instruments.

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Marta Tiesenga is a US-based composer, multi-instrumentalist and interdisciplinary artist whose work spans contemporary classical music, improvisation and experimental sound. A collaborator of the Los Angeles-based ensemble Wild Up, they have also worked with Long Beach Opera, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and numerous international ensembles.

Alongside the saxophone, Marta explores the creative possibilities of the hurdy-gurdy, incorporating it into experimental performances and compositions combining acoustic instruments with electronics.

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Eylül Şenödeyici is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who shares fantasy, medieval and video game-inspired covers and original music under the alias Ellyn Storm, whenever she can take a break from her work as a medic. She performs live as a duo with guitarist Oğuzhan Takşar in Edirne, Türkiye, and releases original music through her one-woman post-punk project Denosys.

She has been playing the hurdy-gurdy since August 2025. Her first instrument was a Trigo, and she is also the second owner of Aplo #157. To her knowledge, she is only the fourth hurdy-gurdy player ever in Türkiye.

My Trigo is highly reliable, lightweight and has a bright and crisp sound. My Aplo is larger and has a deeper sound, perfect to accompany my singing, and it is very stable. They’re both incredibly well made, and they serve different purposes in my music, which shows how diverse and versatile this instrument can be.

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Björn von Born is a Swedish hurdy-gurdy player associated with the dark folk and metal scene. He has appeared on stage playing the hurdy-gurdy with Fredlös, a Swedish band combining heavy music with traditional Nordic influences and themes inspired by medieval history.

Florian Schweyer is a German multi-instrumentalist who performs with the Celtic folk rock band Tir Nan Og as a guest musician, filling in on bass, guitar and vocals.

In summer 2026, when the band needed a replacement for their violinist, Florian took on the challenge of learning the violin parts on his hurdy-gurdy. He performed three shows with the band in this role, demonstrating the instrument’s versatility in a live folk rock setting.

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