World Records Symposium

press release: World Records: Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Music in the Upper Midwest

April 12-14, 2018, UW-Madison

This year, the World Records Symposium is welcoming musicians, folklorists, historians, community members, and plenty more from throughout the Upper Midwest and the Nordic countries to Madison. We’ll be exploring the documentation and revitalization efforts of Scandinavian musical traditions on both sides of the Atlantic. From April 12–14, the Mayrent Institute and Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Arts in the Upper Midwest will be hosting several roundtable discussions with artists and academics, two nights of concerts with musicians from Scandinavia and Scandinavian America, a community dance at Folklore Village in Dodgeville, and will feature a keynote address from Dr. Christopher Goertzen.

All events are free and open to the public. 

April 12

• 1:30pm 126 Memorial Library Panel on Recording and Performing Nordic Musical Traditions: Laura Ellestad, LeRoy Larson, Oren Tikkanen
• 3:15pm 126 Memorial Library Keynote Presentation Christopher Goertzen, Professor of Musicology, University of Southern Mississippi and author of Fiddling for Norway: Revival and Identity
• 7:30pm University Club Concert of Scandinavian and Scandinavian American Music featuring: 2017 NEA National Heritage Fellow Dwight Lamb (Iowa), Laura Ellestad (Norway), LeRoy Larson (Minnesota), Bill Peterson (South Dakota), Mike Sawyer (Minnesota), Kari Tauring (Minnesota)

April 13

• 9:00am 126 Memorial Library Panel Presentation on Apprenticeships and Preservation: Paul Dahlin, Dwight Lamb, Bill Peterson
• 10:45am 126 Memorial Library Panel Presentation on Innovation and Tradition: Maja Heurling, Sara Pajunen, Kari Tauring
• 12:15pm Break for Lunch
• 2:00pm 126 Memorial Library Panel Presentation on Song and Tune Book Preservation: Bill Musser, Saijaleena Rantanen, Beth Rotto
• 3:45pm 126 Memorial Library Panel Presentation on Fieldwork and Collections Preservation: Bucky Halker, Mike Sawyer
• 6:00pm Reception, University Club
• 7:00pm University Club Concert of Scandinavian and Scandinavian American Music featuring: 1996 NEA National Heritage Fellow Paul Dahlin (Minnesota), Bucky Halker (Illinois), Maja Heurling (Sweden), Sara Pajunen (Massachusetts), Oren Tikkanen (Michigan)

April 14

• 7:30pm Folklore Village, Dodgeville, Community Dance Featuring Foot-Notes of Decorah, Iowa.