Written by Sohvi Sirkesalo
You can't help it, motion takes over. It's the opening of the Kaustinen Festival, the harmonies are lined up on the slope of the Pelimannitalo, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the music begins. I'm at the folk music festival for the 14th time by my count, and the atmosphere takes me away.
I first came to work in the summer of 1995 at a news agency, where I stayed for five summers. From 2006 to 2010 I was Head of Information. In the intervening years, I visited the festival a few times and in the summer of 2016 I was a volunteer for the first time, working as a presenter. Exciting!
Luckily, my first shift was not until Tuesday. Monday was time to meet people, listen to music, get into the festival mood. For 51 weeks of the year, I am involved with folk music occasionally, mostly as an audience member at the folk music clubs of Tampere Telakka. The one week I get involved even more.
I started hosting directly from the Arena and immediately after the evening of Folk Dance, six dance groups, a tight schedule. Luckily, there were people I knew backstage at the Arena and it was a relaxed atmosphere. I confessed that I was nervous. I have hosted many different events, but there is something special about the Arena: the scenery, the atmosphere, the presence of the audience. The people in the back room understand, encourage, joke and infect me with a sense of relaxation and in the end, when I get the microphone, I don't get nervous at all. After Monday's final trick, Kauko Käyhkö 100 years dances, started I was almost inspired to sing ”Two old hags...”. I love this spiking!
Wednesday was a surprise gig, the Finnish-Swedes' own Lilla spelmansstämman and terrible pressure to speak Swedish. Of course I can speak Swedish, yes, but hosting an audience of people from the neighbouring municipalities and the coastal region of Ostrobothnia caused an extra sweat for a Finn. Karlebynejdens spelmansgille and other performers advised and helped with the Norwegianisation of the language and in the end, after a few fumbles, it was a laugh. I promised everyone that IF I get to host Spelmansstämman next year, I will be fluent in Finnish.
The backstage area of the arena has an atmosphere all of its own. The schedule is sometimes very demanding, the number of instruments and performers frenetic, harmonies are transported in rain and shine, microphones and cables are pulled to the minute. As a presenter, I stay out of the way and admire the professionalism of the rouders. Bustle, bustle, bustle! Coffee, slaps, more coffee!
During the week, I had the pleasure of inviting on stage one of my favourites since my youth, Piirpauke, a singer-songwriter I admire. Pave Maijanen and unlock the atmospheric Yonan and Kyösti Mäki-Mattila a joint concert. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it was sunny, at times there were well over a hundred performers in the back of the arena, at other times it was very crowded. Saturday afternoon saw the last show for the presenter, the sympathetic and incendiary Anssi Kelan concert. It became the shortest plot of the week. A tight line of Anssi Kela fans was packed in front of the stage, all I had to do was say the artist's name and the audience started shouting and clapping... The humble presenter moved to the back of the stage.
On Monday, another happy job as a volunteer starts in Kaustinen, first in the Iholla hall Timo Alakotilan a solo concert. That's exciting!
The author lives in Tampere and works as a lecturer and international affairs coordinator at the Department of Art, Music and Media at TAMK. He is also active in the Theatre Telakka and is a member of the board of the Sara Hilden Art Museum.