The music of western Finland is coming to Rhinelander next week.
Arto and Antti Jarvela are a Finnish fiddle and guitar duo.
They play in a Kaustinen or Ostrobothnian style from the western part of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The Jarvela family has been musicians for generations and can trace that legacy back to the 1700s.
Show organizer Mary Kinnunen says it’s a distinct style.
“It’s not polka like we tend to think about polka here – it’s not real foot stomping stuff. I think the music can be both fiery from the fiddle, and also incredibly sweet. It’s a fine style, it’s a unique style, and it’s definitely a Nordic, Finnish style.”
The Jarvela cousins play a combination of traditional music and tunes they’ve composed. They’re giving a workshop on Finnish fiddling next Wednesday at ArtStart, and performing that evening at the Hext Theater.
