During the weekend courses, the participants will meet a number of established professional folk musicians, folk singers and folk dancers and get a unique chance to engage directly with the various traditions that exist across Swedish-speaking Finland. The Centre’s courses are versatile and suitable for both beginners and more advanced learners, and they all have in common a great enthusiasm for one or several areas within folk culture.
Upcoming courses
- 5-6.10 Minuet course with I Fäälan and Jessica Krohn
- 5.10 Minuet dancing with Jessica Krohn
- 30.11-1.12 Antti Järvelä – Old tunes from northern Ostrobothnia
- Folk songs in swedish from South Ostrobothnia with Marianne Maans (New dates coming soon!)
- 5.10 Minuet dancing with Jessica Krohn
Completed courses
- 9-10.3 Thomas von Wachenfeldt (SWE) and Janeta Österberg (FIN), traditional Tunes from east to west
- 2-3.9 Master keyharp player Torbjörn Näsbom (SWE)
- 28-29.10 I Fäälan duo – Minuet playing and dancing, Mats Granfors, Kenneth Nordman and Jessica Krohn
- 2-3.12 Arto Järvelä teaches from Stare, Spoof and other old collections
- Maria Kalaniemi 18-19.2.2023
- Folk songs in swedish from South Ostrobothnia with Marianne Maans 1-2.4 2023
- AER (SWE) Emma Ahlgren, Daniel Ek, Niklas Roswall 11.-12.11.2022
- I Fäälan 10.-11.9.2022
- September 3-5.9.2021 – The diversity of finland-swedish folk music with Marianne Maans and Désirée Saarela-Portin
- October 1-3.10.2021 – Folk music and traditions from the Åland Islands with Siv Ekström
Course fee
The fee for each weekend course is 60 euros + 20 euro for food (2x lunch) and 20 euro for accomodation (including breakfast).
Learning by ear
During the courses, much of the work will centre on learning by ear, while getting to know many new tunes and songs. The aim is for the students to build up and/or add to their repertoires, while also focussing on their own playing and expression, and getting a chance to progress with their own instrument or area of focus. The courses are taught both in groups and individually, while being tailored to each participant.
The weekend courses will cover a wide range of folk music to give a clear picture of how diverse the world of folk music is and can be, not only in Swedish-speaking Finland, but elsewhere in Finland and in the Nordic countries. Playing and singing with the other participants is also of key importance. Folk dancing with its polska tunes and minuets will feature as a concrete example to highlight Gebrauchsmusik and to “embody” the characteristics of all the various types of tunes, their drive and rhythm.
Tradition bearers
We will get to know various tradition bearers and listen to archive recordings. By getting to know the tradition, and the origins and variations of the tunes and songs, the course participants will gain access to the variety that folk music encompasses. After a thorough introduction to the various traditions and stylistic traits, the participants get to interpret the melodies and songs from their own perspective and in their own way. The listening, the playing and the practical exercises go hand in hand throughout the courses.
