The opening concert of JuuriJuhla contains unique and facinating Finland-Swedish ballads.
Internationally acclaimed and multiple award–winning accordionist Maria Kalaniemi stands among the leading figures of contemporary Finnish folk music. A gifted and distinctly original composer, she has played a key role in shaping modern accordion traditions. Her career took flight with the very first Kultainen harmonikka (“Golden Accordion”) competition victory in 1983, followed by her studies in the inaugural—and now legendary—folk music cohort at the Sibelius Academy.
Kalaniemi’s performing career spans the globe, from Nordic stages to concert halls in Japan. Equally at home in intimate settings, she also brings what she calls “musical care” to people with memory disorders through her work in the HoivaPelimannit duo with Elina Leskelä.
Over the years, Kalaniemi has collaborated with an impressive range of artists. Her partners include leading names in the Finnish folk scene—Timo Alakotila, Eero Grundström, and Marianne Maans—alongside celebrated performers from other musical worlds such as Jorma Hynninen, Vesa-Matti Loiri, Katri Helena, and Johanna Iivanainen.
Her long-anticipated collaboration with Tallari blossoms into what she affectionately describes as “a springtime musical bouquet with all the spices.” The program brings together traditional fiddlers’ tunes from her native Espoo, Finland-Swedish atmospheres, lively trall singing from Tenhola, classics by Viola Turpeinen, timeless dance melodies, and a selection of Kalaniemi’s own beloved compositions.
Tallari is a legend in Finnish Folk music since 1986 and has made thousands of gigs, almost twenty records and dozens of projects. Tallari’s most recent lineup with Esko & Arto Järvelä, Katri Haukilahti and Sampo Korva celebrated in 2024 their 5-year anniversary. Their new album brings to life the famous Pelimannitalo in Kaustinen, and the tunes from Folk music from Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.
Kaustinen fiddling tradition was inscribed into Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. The Kaustinen region’s repertoire and style is a major part of the group’s expertise – the three fiddle players have grown in Kaustinen and know the tradition by heart ever since their earliest childhood.
The wide-scale, multi-instrumentalist band has however also collaborated with guests from the top of Finnish and Nordic folk music such as Maija Kauhanen and Jonas Simonson.
Musicians:
Maria Kalaniemi: accordion and vocals
Tallari:
Katri Haukilahti: violin, vocals, nyckelharpa
Sampo Korva: e.g., harmonium, guitar, 2-row accordion
Arto Järvelä: e.g., violin, mandolin, esseharpa
Esko Järvelä: e.g., violin, harmonium, tenor guitar
Free entry, programme 10 eur