Finnish bluegrass-rockers Steve ‘n’ Seagulls will be returning to the Rozsa Center to kick off Finlandia’s Festival Ruska on September 4 at 7pm. Their unique blend of bluegrass and hard rock classics by AC/DC, Guns and Roses, Metallica and others has made them a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. The band’s version of “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC has been especially popular, clocking in over 87 million views on YouTube. Their [...]
Copper Country residents and visitors are invited to a unique Nordic Music Workshop on Saturday, October 6 at 2 p.m. at the Finnish American Heritage Center.
Come to learn more about unusual and beautiful Nordic instruments like the hardingfele, the nyckelharpa, the theorbo, and some not so unusual and complimentary instruments like the viola da gamba, fiddle, banjo and bass.
Beethoven and Banjos ensemble will take the stage at the FAHC for a 7:30 p.m. concert. Headlined by well known and longtime U.P. musicians Evan and Laurel Premo, the group also includes musicians from other parts of the U.S., as well as Norway and Sweden. Come as you are, pay what you can.
The international performers of the traveling ensemble Beethoven and Banjos will lead a Nordic folk music workshop. Any musician who plays a stringed or other folk instrument is encouraged to join the workshop; for only $10 per person they’ll receive hands-on instruction from talented Nordic musicians who specialize in fiddle, nycleharpa, banjo and much more.
Headlining this workshop are a pair of Nordic performers — Guro Kvifte Nesheim, a hardingfele player from Oslo, Norway, and Anna Gustavsson of Uppsala, Sweden who plays the nyckelharpa. Read [...]
Every year, Mother Nature provides the Copper Country with one of the most awe-inspiring displays of fall color anywhere in the world.
And at the same time as the leaves start turning, Finlandia University’s Finnish American Folk School provides an equally awesome lineup of cultural programming, this year featuring two remarkable artisans and a pair of Finnish-themed concerts.
This year, events get under way on September 5 with a one-night-only performance by the up-and-coming Finnish band Steve ‘n’ [...]
The Copper Country may never be the same after Finnish rock legends-in-the-making Steve ‘n’ Seagulls visit the Rosza Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, September 5. Tickets are on sale now for the high-energy band that performs bluegrass versions of well-known rock and metal songs from a decidedly Finnish perspective.
“The group has racked up millions of views with their unique antics on YouTube,” said Kevin Manninen, one of the driving forces to bringing [...]
A big thanks to everyone who made day one of Festival Ruska an amazing experience, but now it’s time to focus on day two which will introduce a couple unforgettable Finnish elements to the people of the Copper Country – mölkky, voisilmapulla and korvapuusi.
SAY FINNISH WHAT?
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The color season is nearing its peak in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, and with that we’ve arrived at Festival Ruska 2017! This is meant to be a guide to your day one, which is the busiest day of the third annual festival that’s hosted by Finlandia University.
Finlandia University’s Finnish American Heritage Center is host to two of the three events during Festival Ruska’s opening day.
Runebergskören Borgå SångerBröder is a Swedish-speaking male choir from Borgå (Porvoo), Finland. This performance is a part of their American tour in celebration of Finland’s centennial year of independence.
Join Finlandia University students and employees for a showing of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of “The Day the Earth Froze,” a movie that has lovingly been rated 3.5 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database. The film follows, rather loosely, the Sampo myth from Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The film, which is free and open to the public, will be hosted by folklorists Dr. Hilary Virtanen and Dr. Tuomas Hovi who will lead [...]