Press release 10.7.2017
Mästerspelman is a title awarded by Pro Kaustinen rf to a person who has promoted folk music through his or her traditions, extensive repertoire or other significant merits. The winner is given the title "mästerfolksångare" and since 2011 the title "mästerfolkdansare" has also been awarded to those who have promoted folk dance in Finland through their work.
This year, the title will be awarded for the third time. Eivor Wallinvirta (b. 1953, Helsinki) has been actively involved in Finnish-Svenskan folk dance and the Brage Föreningen since childhood. Her parents were actively involved in the association and so folk dancing became a self-evident interest for Eivor from an early age. She has also acted as an instructor for Brages folkdanslag and, for the last thirty years, as a riksinstruktör in the Finnish Swedish folkdansring. She has also worked in several other ways to develop Finnish folk dance.
Throughout his working career, Eivor has emphasised that tradition should be both a source of strength and a capacity for change. She sees the social benefits that folk dance offers as important, but also the plan in human history and identity that can be promoted through folk dance. In addition to dance itself and dance education, Eivor has also made a significant contribution to folk dance education.
Övriga mästare i år är mästerfolksångaren Jussi Asu including fattening coats Teuvo Anttila (double bass), Mauno Järvelä (violin), Veikko Kuivala (träskedar) and Tony Uusitalo (double bass). Among them, especially Kaustbybon Mauno Järvelä (b. 1949) has made a significant contribution to folk music, especially by bringing it to the next generation. Järvelä knows the folk music tradition inside and out, and his son Johannes Järvelä was also a master spelman. After having trained as a musician at the Sibelius Academy, Mauno Järvelä flew back to Sweden in 1978, and has worked as a music teacher at the Medborgarinstitutet in Perhoådalen until last year. Järvelä has played in various ensembles and has been involved in the development of traditional folk music, while at the same time being familiar with the traditional style and repertoire before and after.
In addition Hannu Saha Kaustinen Folk Music Festival-plaketten för betydande verksamhet inom folkmusikbranschen. Saha has served as head of the Folk Music Institute, chairman of the Central Commission for Music, professor at both Tammerfors University and the Sibelius Academy, and has held a number of other positions, including head of the Foundation for Music Promotion (MES). Saha is also a musician, spelman and composer, known from ensembles such as Mummi kutoo, Primo, Kaustisen kanteleet and Salamakannel, the latter of which will be presented at the Kaustby folk music festival in the year after a break of twenty years.
Ytterligare information och intervjuförfrågningar:
Press officer Tove Djupsjöbacka
tel. 040-6585340
press(at)kaustinen.net