Karen Torkelson Solgård 2509 34th Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55406 (612) 724-5540 norsefiddle@solgard.com Work Samples Video: video clip 1 (higher bandwidth, DSL, ISDN, T1) video clip 1 (lower bandwidth, 56K) video clip 2 (higher bandwidth, DSL, ISDN, T1) video clip 2 (lower bandwidth, 56K) To view the work samples, Windows Media Player is required. If you do not have it installed, you can download it for free here: Download Windows Media Player

Norse Folk Norwegian music Norse Folk performances shed new light on the old traditions of bygdedans (BIG-da-danz), or village dance music, as well as bring fun to this rare folk art tradition. Performances include traditional Norwegian couple-dances, songs in English and Norwegian, entertaining folklore, and favorites of Scandinavian old-time music. Audiences have enjoyed the trio's light-hearted programs at festivals, fairs, and community concert series for more than five years. Karen Torkelson Solgård plays Hardanger fiddle and sings; Carol Sersland dances and sings; and Bruce Bostrom dances, sings, and plays munnharp, hand drum, willow flute, and spoons. Norse Folk invites audience participation, leads family dances with easy-to-learn party dances, or teaches classes in the more difficult bygdedans. To hear more of their music go to http://www.cdbaby.com/solgard. Available: Anytime, no mileage restrictions Space: 10 by 10 ft. area or larger preferred; sound system if performing in large room or auditorium Fee: Negotiable

Additional Information:
Norse Folk trio focuses on an old layer of Norwegian tradition from the remote mountain communities of the nineteenth century and earlier. A century ago, these old dances of bygdedans were social dances supplanted by "old-time" music. Today, bygdedans is more likely to be seen in performance than at social dances. When Norse Folk perform, their musicianship and dancing are at a high level and follow closely the contours of the old tradition.

Norse Folk performances feature dances accompanied by the Hardanger fiddle, or hardingfele. This uniquely Norwegian instrument is the result of medieval experiments to design a violin with greater ability to project its sound. It has a shorter neck than a conventional violin, and distinctive decorations frequently include a dragon's head for a scroll, and ornate mother of pearl and penwork on the body and neck. The distinctive sound of the Hardanger fiddle comes from the 4 or 5 strings running underneath the fingerboard which are never bowed, but which resonate when the upper strings are bowed.

Hardanger fiddler Karen Solgård learned Norwegian folksongs directly from her mother and grandmother, although little was known in America about the prominent Hardanger fiddlers and composers in the family back in Norway. (Her grandfather had at least five cousins in Norway who played Hardanger fiddle.) First a professional classical musician, Karen has studied Hardanger fiddle and bygdedans with masters in Norway and at workshops in the United States for over 16 years.

Carol Sersland learned the bygdedans tradition from her immigrant father, a champion dancer in the Telemark style from Hjertdahl, Telemark, Norway. Carol is the only American who has learned bygdedans in direct tradition--the way it's typically learned in Norway--from one generation to the next. As an adult she has learned to sing in the Norwegian folk style, called kveding, by studying with Norwegian masters.

Bruce Bostrom's first exposure to bygdedans was by taking private lessons and attending dance workshops around the country. It is no coincidence that he is also an avid cross-country skier and racer, a "cross-training" similar to Norwegian dancers. These dances were created by people whose athletic and artistic abilities were fostered simply by the need for transportation in the mountains!

Performances by Norse Folk are high quality and informative. They are leaders in the contemporary scene for interpreting and breathing new life into centuries-old dances and tunes. They specialize in forms that hold great symbolic value for Minnesota Norwegian people and aesthetic appeal for broad audiences.