Folk Music and Dancing: The Swedish Riksspelmän

Hellens is delighted to welcome The Swedish Riksspelmän, bringing glorious folk and dance music to the Great Barn. Expect a lively evening with the national folk musicians, along with their fiddles, pipes and guitar, who insist upon audience participation.

The Riksspelmän Maria Wernberg, with Peter and Jeanett Rousu, invite you to discover “Zorn’s Folk Music”. Throughout the evening the Riksspelmän will intersperse their magical folk music with anecdotes about the paintings and events which shaped the life of the famous European artist Anders Zorn, (1860-1920) who helped bring folk music back to life in Sweden.

The audience are encouraged to bring their instruments and dancing shoes!

Maria Wernberg has the honorable title Riksspelman, the highest award that you can get from playing folk music in Sweden, specialised on the fiddle tradition from her home county Ångermanland. In 2017 she was part of the Zornmärkes jury that nominates new Riksspelmän. She has won a number of fiddle awards and played solo at the prestigious 100 years jubilee concert in Stockholm with all Riksspelmän of Sweden present. She started her collaboration with Peter Rousu in 2023 when they first met at Hildasholm Music Festival  in Leksand. Maria’s main goal as a fiddle player is to keep the folk music tradition alive in an unbroken chain and pass it on to the next generation.

Jeanett Walerholt Rousu plays both traditional Swedish folk music and her own compositions, inspired by Swedish folk and Baroque music. Her music reflects her upbringing in the Swedish district of Småland and that is closest to her heart. Besides excelling on the violin (fiddle). Jeanett is accomplished on the keyed fiddle, saxophone and other diverse folk instruments that were played and used in Swedish fäbodar.

Peter Rousu completed his education at The Royal College of Music in Stockholm in the mid 90’s taking his degree in jazz, electric bass and pedagogy. He has since then performed and taught in numerous contexts, for the most part as a bass player but even as a guitarist.

Haywain bar will be available throughout the evening from 6.30pm.