Finnish American accordionist, Teresa Aho and her family reawaken old traditional dance tunes with a classical flair.

The Northern Stars Sami Girls, also known as the Northern Stars, is a family band (the Aho family) that started on the Iron Range in northern Minnesota in the late 1960s. The band originally consisted of the Aho family parents, Ernie and Joan, who played the accordion and drums, respectively. They raised five children on a family farm on the Iron Range just north of Virginia, MN. The band was then joined by the oldest daughter, Teresa, on the accordion and vocals, daughter Tina on banjo, and daughter Terri on drums and violin. More recently, Teresa’s daughter, Kristiina joined the band on bassoon and vocals. Other instruments, including the cello, banjo, tambourine and guitar, are featured on select tunes.
The band started using the title “Sami Girls” to recognize and honor their paternal and maternal grandparents, all of Sami heritage, who immigrated from Finland, Europe, to the United States in the early 1900s. This heritage is important to the family and is reflected in the unique musical style of the family band.

Teresa, Terri and Kristiina received their classical music training at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Teresa received her Bachelor of Music in education, Terri received her Juris Doctor in law, and Kristiina also received her Bachelor of Music in education. Their music consists of traditional dance music including waltzes, polkas, jenkkas, mazurkas, humppas, and tangos.

The Northern Stars have completed several recordings (vinyl, cassettes and CDs) over the years. Their most recent CD was completed this past year and is titled, “What is Old is New Again,” and features vocals, the accordion, violin, bassoon, drums, cello, and banjo. This CD is full of traditional Finnish dance music with arrangements by Teresa which gives their music a classical flair.