Kantele recital featuring musicians who attended Friday’s workshops.

This will be the premiere performance of many new kantele arrangements of songs and hymns from the Finnish Heritage Hymnbook as well as other traditional kantele tunes. Kanteles of different sizes will perform in small groups and as one large ensemble. Contact Kay Seppala if you or your kantele ensemble would like to take part in this: seppalakay@gmail.com

Performer Bios:

Margaret Vainio got her BA in music from Northern Michigan University. She was tour manager for the NMU Arts Chorale’s Bicentennial Concert Tour to Finland and moved to Finland permanently a year later. There she got a degree as a church musician and served in the Lutheran parishes of Pylkonmäki and Saarijärvi and later in Rhodes, Greece, directing choirs of all ages. In 1992 she completed further studies in preschool music education, teaching kantele groups at the local music school, and preschool music as part of her job with the congregation. In 1999 she completed a MA in music history from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. Vainio brought choirs from Finland to perform at FinnFest in 1996 and 2007, and has been a presenter at numerous FinnFests since then.

Kay Seppala, 5-string kantele and Finnish folk dance instructor

A third generation Finnish-American, Kay grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and moved to St. Paul as a young adult. There she began Finnish folk dancing with the Kisarit, and learned to play the 5 and 10 string kantele (Finnish lap harp) from Joyce Hakala, as a member of the Koivun Kaiku Kantele Ensemble.

Now in Hancock MI, Kay is helping to preserve Finnish folk culture through teaching Finnish folk dancing and the small kantele. She is the director of the children’s group, Kivajat Finnish Dancers, as well as Ilon Kaiku, an adult kantele ensemble for 5 and 10/11 string players. Both groups are sponsored by the Finnish American Heritage Center (now a part of Finlandia Foundation National).