Luumu - Finnish Living

03/08/2026

🎶 Kulkurin valssi (Vandrarevalsen) - 1800s
✨ Arranged for and performed on the 10-string kantele by Elizabeth "Helvi" Brauer of Ainon siskot and Kantele kollektiivi

Although known earliest in the 1800s by its Swedish name, Vandrarevalsen, this song gained popularity on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean starting in the 1920s. If you've been to Salolampi in the summertime, you know this as one of the songs Lauri would play on the accordion and later someone would play a recording of at the beginning of dances before more modern dance music on celebration nights on the tanssilava 🪩

03/03/2026

🎶 Pilvi-kissan tango (Pilvi Cat's Tango) 2026
✨ Composed by and performed on the 10-string kantele by Elizabeth "Helvi" Brauer of Kantele kollektiivi and Ainon siskot (with special help from Pilvi) 🐱🎼💕

A bit like Mustan kissan tango, but a little different 😅

02/25/2026

🎶 Takatukka - Antti Paalanen (+ Heidi Maria Paalanen, Lauri Halavaara, and Saara Törmä)
✨ Arranged for and performed on the 10-string kantele by Elizabeth "Helvi" Brauer of Kantele kollektiivi and Ainon siskot

This song is my favorite contestant in Finland's Eurovision representative selection contest UMK (Uuden musiikin kilpailu) this year. Voting occurs on February 28th! 🪗

https://yle.fi/a/74-20205481

02/24/2026

🎶 Idag ska Martin i jorden - traditional burial polska from Gotland
🎼 Arranged by Jonas Simonson & Ingrid Brännström
✨ Adapted for and performed on the 10-string kantele by Elizabeth "Helvi" Brauer of Kantele kollektiivi and Ainon siskot
🧡 We are currently singing this in Cloudberries - the Swedish women's choir that practices at ASI led by Carolyn Johansson. The lyrics combined with the melody immediately got my attention. The tradition of "gladsorg" when it comes to death is nearly unknown in modern life. Perhaps there is something more to explore there.

polska

02/24/2026

Ladies of Kaleva - Aallottaren Tupa # 15 hosted their annual Kalevala Day celebration. The day was comprised of food, music, market, raffle, and a presentation about the Kalevala and connecting it to today by Lisa Fitzpatrick. See WDIO's coverage for more info about this community event!

On Sunday, dozens of people came together at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Duluth to celebrate Kalevala Day.

02/22/2026

Yesterday I was trying to figure out how to play a new song that we got this week in Cloudberries - Swedish women's choir. It is a complicated one, but sounds so cool when done right! Pilvi decided kantele practice was over for last night 😅🎶☁️🐱✨