My wife Kaisa recently mentioned how often one hears the question, “When are you going to Finland?” in the Greater Seattle Finnish community. It’s likely that our area is not unique, but the stream of Finns and Fennophiles traveling from here to Finland this past summer has been impressive.

The flow of people works the other way as well. Particularly noteworthy is the number of performers from Finland who have found their way to the Northwest over recent months. So, while the Finnish Choral Society from Seattle traveled to Finland to concertize (See pages 16 and 17), Finnish artists have found many opportunities to perform here, and we are the richer for it.

The summer influx of Finnish musicians actually began on May 19 with a concert by master fiddler Arto Järvelä at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. This event, sponsored by the Seattle Folklore Society, was so popular it pushed the walls of the venue. Järvela was accompanied by Kaivama – an excellent duo from Minneapolis. What pleased observers who attended this event was the number of attendees whose only connection to Finland was their familiarity with Järvelä’s reputation.

On June 6, Finland’s famous fiddling tradition continued with a visit from six female fiddlers who make up Jepokryddona. These talented young women from Ostrobothnia played at the monthly dinner meeting of the Swedish Cultural Center. A record crowd of some 140 people, swelled by a large turn-out from the Finnish community, gave this group an enthusiastic reception – an auspicious beginning to a tour that was to take them to concerts in Lynden, Washington, and Astoria, Oregon.

The Nordic Heritage Museum was the venue for a performance by the Polka Chicks on June 21. This time the fiddler, Kukka Lehto, was joined by an accordionist, Teija Niku. Named “Band of the Year” at the Kaustinen Festival in 2009, this pair had the hall hopping with their own compositions and with Finnish folk standards. They returned to Finland after going on to successful concerts in Astoria and Salem and used their web page to thank “all the lovely audiences” who came out to hear them.

The day after the Polka Chicks played, the youth choir Merituuli arrived in Seattle for several concerts before going on to a choir festival in Eugene, Oregon. This group of 35 teenagers from the Kirkkonummi parish church, with Tarja Viitanen as their conductor, was driven indoors by the rain to sing to an appreciative audience at the Crossroads Strawberry Festival on June 23. The following day, they did double duty, performing at the Finnish Lutheran Church in the morning and at the Skandia Midsommarfest in Kenmore during the afternoon. During their stay, members of Merituuli were housed with families in the Seattle area, with the logistics ably handled by Heikki and Eva Männistö.

The last musical group of the summer to come from Finland to Seattle was the Psallite Kammarkören from the largely Swedish-speaking parish of Korsholm. This 35-member choir, with its long history of singing in the historic Mustasaari Church, sang at the Swedish Cultural Center on August 6 under the sponsorship of the Swedish-Finn Historical Society, who Syrene Forsman engaged in a heroic, late effort to make the concert possible. Good thing, too, for this fine amateur chorus, under the direction of Susanne Westerlund, sang both sacred and secular music with skill and fervor. Their Northwest tour included Bellingham and Vancouver, BC, as well as the Seattle event.

In addition to the number and quality of these performances over a nearly three-month period, there are some other striking features that should delight out entire community. Notably, the groups were brought by different organizations and performed in different venues. How exciting to see, for example, Arto Järvelä brought here by the Seattle Folklore Society. We can only hope that this is a sign of things to come. When the responsibility and the opportunity for spreading Finnish culture and showcasing Finnish talent are shared, the results are obvious. No one organization could have made these five visits from Finland possible.

Finally, it is truly encouraging to see the number of Finnish musicians who want to visit the Northwest. In the past, our corner of the country has had more difficulty attracting performers, but many now seem interested in entering the United States through Seattle and continuing their tours from here. By sharing the work and supporting one another, our lively organizations can enhance the reputation of Seattle as a place where Finnish artists will want to come in ever-increasing numbers.

Gary London, FFSC President