Siepakat in Kaustinen in 2014.
Press release 29.6.2018
The theme of this year's Kaustinen Folk Music Festival is Lapland, which will be represented at the festival with a diverse range of music and dance.
– It is probably the scope that is the speciality of Lapland folk music, says the chairman of the new Lapland Folk Music Association. Jukka Hannula. The province itself is so big, almost half the size of Finland!
Founded in 2016, the association considers it an important task to create meeting places for folk music lovers from all over Lapland.
– Folk music activities in Lapland are currently experiencing something of a boom," Hannula says. There is a wide range of styles, for example, Sámi music alone encompasses many different styles. We also have the songs of Ruija, and the music of the entire Tornionjokilaakso valley, the repertoire of Lappish musicians and composers... The mission of the Lapland Folk Music Association is to bring us all together.
Folk dancing has also traditionally been very active in Lapland. In Kaustinen, Jutarinki from Sodankylä and Siepakat from Saarikylä in Rovaniemi are involved, and this year they have been chosen as the Pispala Sotisi Folk Dance Group of the Year. Dance theatre company Rimpparemmi will bring a piece for the Kaustinen family called Liikenteessä, and the group's musicians will also perform in other ensembles.
The main concert of the Lapland theme will be held at the Central Ostrobothnia Arena on Friday 13.7.The Northern Winds concert will feature, among others, the folk dance group Siepakat, the Putta Pelimannit and the Meri-Lap kantele players. The Sámi will be represented by Aila Duo and Avvila Nieiddat, while the Tornionjokilaakso will be represented by Gränslösa spelmän, a group of players from both Finland and Sweden.
The Lappi-anti in Kaustinen is by no means limited to the main concert of the theme. Musicians and dancers from Lapland can be seen throughout the week, including Duo Kenttälä & Tammela, who will perform the folk song tradition of the Finnish-speaking Pohjoiskalot, and two-string accordion master Hannu Rahikainen, who will play and perform with his friends about Lapland's famous power player Albert Vuomajärvi (1894-1969) or Vuoma-Pert.
Lapland tips:
Wind from the North Fri 13.7. at 14.30 Central Ostrobothnia Arena
Siepakat 11.-13.7., main performance Thu 12.7. at 15.15 Keskipohjanmaa-areena
Rimpparemmi: In Traffic Thu 12.7. at 12 Kaustinen-hall
Vuoma-Pert's legacy Thu 12.7. at 19.15 Iholla hall
Duo Kenttälä & Tammela la 14.7. at 20.00 Pelimann House
Aila Duo 13.-14.7., incl. Sámi music workshop Sat 14.7. at 10 am Children's tent
51. Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will be held 9.-15.7.2018.
Summer programme information can be found on the website http://www.kaustinen.net
In cooperation with the 150th anniversary of Kaustinen municipality