Music of the Kalevala Is Topic of Talk This Wednesday, 2 pm

HANCOCK, MI - Dr. Carl Rahkonen will speak about the role of music in Finland's national epic, the "Kalevala," this Wednesday, January 18, at 2:00 p.m., at the Finlandia University Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.

Topics will include the use of music in traditional performances of Kalevala folk poetry, references to music within the poems themselves, and the use of the Kalevala as an inspiration in modern music.

Rahkonen is music librarian and professor at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University; his dissertation subject was "Kantele Traditions of Finland."

Rahkonen was 2010-11 Finlandia Foundation Lecturer of the Year, and he is a member of the national board of FinnFest USA.

The event is free and open to the public. For information, call 487-7505.

The Finnish American Heritage Center is in downtown Hancock at 435 Quincy Street.