Finnish American Heritage Center to host Finnish fiddling workshops in January

The Community Pelimannit, a series of six Finnish fiddling workshops, will be held January 6–23, 2020, hosted by Finlandia University’s Finnish American Heritage Center.

The Community Pelimannit (“fiddlers” in Finnish) offers the opportunity to experience the rich Finnish musical heritage of the Upper Peninsula by providing quality fiddle instruction in a fun, supportive group learning environment.  Classes are open to the community, and to all levels of playing experience.  Participants will learn a variety of Finnish fiddle tunes, develop their fiddling technique, and experience the satisfaction of making music with others.

Fiddlers of any age are welcome; multi-generational participation is encouraged.  This is a great activity for parents and kids to do together.

The group will meet twice weekly for three weeks in January, leading up to Heikinpäivä:

Monday, January 6
Thursday, January 9
Tuesday, January 14
Thursday, January 16
Monday, January 20
Thursday, January 23

Beginner sessions are from 5–6 PM.  Intermediate/advanced sessions are from 6–7 PM.  Workshops are held at the Finnish American Heritage Center.  Registration is $40/participant.

The workshops culminate with an optional performance at Heikinpäivä, Saturday, January 25. (Time TBD.)

The Community Pelimannit is led by U.P. musician Carrie Dlutkowski, an experienced teacher and performer of many different styles of fiddle music.  She looks forward to helping other fiddlers experience the vibrant traditions of Finnish music that are both deep-rooted and current in our area.

For more information, or to register, visit finlandia.edu/fiddle.