Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto ry will turn 60 in just over a year, and Samuelin Poloneesi will be the main event of its anniversary year in 2028, held in our capital. Uudenmaan Kansanmusiikkiyhdistys and the association are preparing a lively 60th birthday celebration in Helsinki in the spring. Folk music and folk dance enthusiasts from all over Finland are invited.
Read more »Welcome to answer the 2026 reader survey of Kansanmusiikki, the member magazine of Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto. All feedback is gratefully received, and you can also send feedback later to the magazine's publisher at the association office. Everyone who leaves their contact details takes part in a draw for a record of their choice from the selection of the Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto online shop. You can answer until Midsummer. Remember to submit the form at the end. Click here to answer the reader survey. Thank you in advance for all …
Read more »Music teacher, accordionist and composer Jukka Hannula (b. 1975), born in Kalajoki and living in Sodankylä, was named oltermanni of the Lapland region on 9 May 2026 in recognition of his long work in folk music and folk dance. Hannula is known especially as an expert on the traditional regions of Finnish folk music and as a keeper of Lapland's folk musician tradition. He has composed music for folk dance groups, stage works and various ensembles, and has worked widely with the dance field. As a teacher Hannula has been an important figure among children …
Read more »Early this year Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto held its traditional composition competition, this time aimed at children and young people. A gratifying number of new compositions came in from around the country, 27 works in all. A jury of music professionals had the pleasant task of going through all the works during April and proposing a top three in each age group's competition class. The jury also wants to recognise one work with an honourable mention. Each of the seven awarded …
Read more »Samuelin Poloneesi, the annual main event of the Finnish Folk Music Association, wrapped up in Savonlinna with Sunday's closing concert. The festival opened on 12 March at Nälkälinnanmäki, where Savonlinna-kvartetti and Sirkka Kosonen premiered Syvänmuan navoilla, a work composed by Timo Alakotila. The evening continued with a dance evening and folk music jams. On Friday there was Soiva vaellus, a sounding walk in Olavinlinna castle, where small groups moved through dim rooms and halls. At each stop performed …
Read more »The special theme of Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto for 2026 is ”Tanssiin kutsu” (A Call to Dance). ”Tanssiin kutsu” is a great opportunity to build an even better connection between players and dancers. The theme year aims to strengthen the sense of community in the folk music field, raise awareness of the different dance types in the rich tradition of folk music, and highlight the seamless relationship between folk dance and folk music. One does not exist without the other! At the centre are the danceability of the repertoire and encouraging people to dance …
Read more »Samuelin Poloneesi in Savonlinna offers a celebration of folk music on Saturday evening 14 March at a concert in Savonlinnasali, featuring HUIPPU and The TaKaMus, a band made up of Savonlinna musicians. The TaKaMus brings together 17 former TaKaMus members from four different decades who later became professional folk musicians. In the performances of the professionals returning to The TaKaMus you can hear the distinctive TaKaMus hooks and riffs in reki songs, schottisches, polskas and polkas. The pieces were arranged by the band's …
Read more »Come and experience how folk music sounds in the historic setting of Olavinlinna! The Soiva Vaellus (Sounding Walk) tours are part of the programme of Samuelin Poloneesi, the national folk music event. The Soiva Vaellus tours take place on Friday 13 March at 17:30, 18:00, 18:30 and 19:00. The performers on the tour are Maija Karhinen, Lasse Logrèn, Katri Susitaival and Perriin Tyssit. The castle's guides lead the groups along the route. Tickets for the Soiva Vaellus tours are booked and paid in advance …
Read more »Samuelin Poloneesi takes place in Savonlinna on 12–15 March 2026. Welcome to listen! Admission to the events is free unless otherwise stated. The performers are folk musician groups from across the country. Full programme: Samuelin Poloneesi 2026 in Savonlinna – Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto SATURDAY FOLK MUSICIAN PARADE 12:30 – 13:00: joint performance by the music institutes 13:00 – 13:10: MAHOTTOMAT 13:10 – 13:20: Anneli Valta-Lisitsin 13:20 – 13:30: Riitta Reijonen 13:30 – 13:40: Kaustisen pelimannit …
Read more »Samuelin Poloneesi rings out in Savonlinna on 12–15 March 2026. Welcome to listen! Admission to the events is free unless otherwise stated. The performers are folk musician groups from across the country. Full event programme: Samuelin Poloneesi 2026 in Savonlinna – Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto FRIDAY PELIMANNI CLUB AT OLAVINLINNA 18:00 – 18:25: Juurisävel 18:25 – 18:50: Ali ja Hintti 18:50 – 19:15: Dromos 19:15 – 19:40: Helsingin Pelimannit 19:40 – 20:05: Käpylän …
Read more »What does the folk music of today's young people sound like? Tell us by composing a new tune for the 2026 composition competition for children and young people! The subject and style are free. If they wish, the soloist may have an accompanist of roughly the same age join the performance. The competition pieces must be new works that have not been performed before. Their length is not limited. Above all, finding your own musical voice is valued. A piece's …
Read more »At its first meeting of the year at the end of January, the board of Suomen Kansanmusiikkiliitto decided that the spring folk music tours cannot go ahead due to the financial situation. We thank all the artists who applied for the spring tours, and we hope you follow the association's announcements on the matter going forward: tours will be organised again as soon as the financial situation allows. At the organising meeting of the association's new board on 24 January 2026, a new vice-chair was also elected: Veli-Jussi Lietsala. Congratulations! …
Read more »The 2026 annual theme for folk music and folk dance: Juurista voimaa | Kraft ur rötterna | Strength from our roots. The theme for 2026 invites us to return to our own roots – to explore where we come from and what our own tradition can give us. Each of us has a story that begins with roots: the soil of our home region, family stories, and the tunes and dances of our community. Where do your roots …
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