Scandinavian instrumental workshops, featuring top level musicians from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway will take place on one day only June 6, 2008 in Nisswa, Mn. These workshops are offered in conjunction with Nisswa-stämman Scandinavian Folkmusic Festival, June 6, 7, 2008. The sessions will start at 10 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m., with a lunch break in the middle. Students should be at intermediate levels and able or willing to learn tunes by ear. Cost for the sessions will be ~ $20 per each 2 hour session, or $35 for two sessions. (from the same teacher). The 'musicians lunch' will consist of cold cuts, fruit, etc and cost an extra $5. Please contact Paul Wilson for more details on these workshops and to sign up - pwilson@brainerd.net or 218-764-2994.

This year, there are 5 workshops - three fiddling and two dancing.

Fiddling workshop locations this year will at Don & Mary Anne Bennett's house, south of Nisswa on Long Lake, and in the Summer Kitchen at the Nisswa Pioneer Village

Fiddling Workshops at the Bennett house

10 am to 3 pm Kristian Bugge - Danish fiddling. .. here are notes from Kristian about his workshop...."I'm very ready to do a workshop and I think the Sønderhonings would be a good choice for the theme. After studying, enjoying, dancing and performing the traditional music from the Island of Fanø for many years that repertoire has become one of my absolute favorite music! My teacher has been the famous carrier of the Fanø music today, Peter Uhrbrand. I don't think that any other young fiddleplayer nowadays plays, performs and teaches that music as regularly as me"....listen to a sound sample of Kristian playing Sønderhoning here and then sign up

10 am to 3 pm SweDance Fiddlers (in Mason's house next to Bennett's)- leading members of Stockholms Spelmanslag, Sture Holmström and Lasse Garén will be teaching several styles from Sweden. Here are notes from Sture: "We could teach Jämtland tunes in the morning and some Hälsingland and Sörmland after lunch. I will probably teach a Hälsingland tune and a harmony to that one or a Jämtland tune. The afternoon fiddle group can be Lasse's, maybe shared with me too. Lasse lives in Sörmland as you know and has many tunes from that area.

Fiddling Workshop at the Summer Kitchen in the Nisswa Pioneer Village

1 pm to 3 pm Arne Sølvberg - Great traditional hardanger fiddling from his home district of Nordfjord.. here are notes from Arne about this workshop..... "I think the best way to teach in hardingfele will be to find some tunes on my last CD called Kveik. On that CD is only springar (in two different ways) and halling. Some of them are short and easy to learn, and some difficult and longer. It could be fine to have a relationship between our dances and the hardangerfiddle-tunes. Asbjørg and I think to take the oldest springar from Nordfjord (called "gammalt") and the couple-halling as maindances. And so we can look if the time will give room for more. "Gammalt" can be danced to most of the springar-melodies from the western part of Norway. But we also have some very old and special tunes from Nordfjord. I think they for a time have been too small for concerts and "kappleikar". With my CD Kveik I tried to get them up from the "darkness". Three melodies will be enough for teaching I think. No 5, 7 and 18 for example. That will be one halling, one "new" springar and one gammalt (old springar)"...listen to samples of these three tunes here and then sign up!

Dancing Workshops in the Dance Barn at the Nisswa Pioneer Village

10 am to Noon - Dances from Nordfjord from Asbjørg and Arne Sølvberg.... "Asbjørg and I plan to teach the oldest springar from Nordfjord (called "gammalt") and the couple-halling." Asbjørg and Arne met in the folk dance community in Oslo in the 1970's and they now have been married for 32 years. They have taught folk dance for many years, and the family tradition is continuing through their three children who are now grown and are among some of the best folk dancers in the country. Asbjørg and Arne won the Landskappleik for Dans in 2004 for their springdance from Nordfjord.....10 pm to noon in the dance barn at the Pioneer Village in Nisswa. No lunch available with this workshop....you can eat in Nisswa at several restaurants.

Take a look at previous workshop pages 2007 workshop page / 2006 workshop page / 2005 workshop page

Take a look at some shots from the 2004 workshops with the Järvelä family of Kaustinen, Finland, > 2004 workshops.