Vocalist Kirsi Kähkönen, from Rääkkylä in Karelia, was an original Värttinä member from 1983 and sang with them exclusively until 2002. In 2002, she left…
Artist Profiles: Kirsi Kähkönen
Tag: Finland
Artist Profiles: Värttinä
Värttinä (meaning spindle) is an early progenitor of “New Finnish Folk.” Värttinä’s origins go back to 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the…
Artist Profiles: Janne Lappalainen
Janne Lappalainen is an original Värttinä member from Rääkkylä and is one of the band’s chief arrangers and composers. Janne, a student of Sibelius Academy…
Artist Profiles: Maria Kalaniemi
Maria Kalaniemi was born in May 1964. She has become one of the world’s most talented accordionists, not only as a technically skilled player but…
Artist Profiles: Loituma
Loituma is an ensemble that mixes the Finnish vocal tradition with the exquisite sounds of the kantele (Finnish harp). At ease with four-part unaccompanied vocals…
Artist Profiles: JPP
In the early eighties, a group of young fiddlers from the tiny village of Järvelä began making some noise in local folk music circles. Järvelän…
Artist Profiles: Gjallarhorn
Gjallarhorn rejuvenated traditional music rooted in the Swedish folk music of Finland. Their music was a modern echo of the ancient Nordic folk tradition with…
Artist Profiles: Ampron Prunni
Ampron Prunni, composed of Arto Järvelä, Risto Hotakainen and Timo Valo, have continued to develop the rich tradition of Kaustinen fiddle music. The three musicians…
Dance on the Roof
Afrotysonia – Dance on the Roof (NCB, 2017) Dance on the Roof is the new album by Finnish band Afrotysonia. It’s a trio that combines…
Artist Profiles: Niko Valkeapää
Niko Valkeapää was born on December 30, 1968 in Enontekiö, Finland. He’s a Finnish-Sami singer-songwriter and vocalist. He has been living in Kautokeino in the…