Celebrate Finnish culture with a kantele performance by the Evergreen Livakat Kantele Group! This concert is included with Museum admission and registration is required.
What is a Kantele?
The kantele is a traditional Finnish and Karelian string instrument that is plucked or strummed in the player's lap. According to Finland's national epic, the Kalevala, the story's central character, Väinämöinen, crafted the first kantele from the jaw bones of a pike.
In 2022, the Kalevala Festival featured several kantele performances in remembrance of Wilho Saari, a Washington State kantele player and composer. During his lifetime, Saari received numerous awards including the Washington State Governor’s Heritage Award, the Finlandia Foundation National Performer of the Year, and the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2006 — the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.
Listen to the 2022 Kalevala Festival performance:
Spotlights
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50th Annual Kalevala Festival
This program is part of the 50th Annual Kalevala Festival. The Kalevala, Finland's national epic, is a collection of poems that contains stories based on oral poetry traditions from eastern and southeastern Finland.
