World Music Institute Presents KARDEMIMMIT Next Month

Finland's Kardemimmit are back after their magical performance with Väsen at Littlefield, presented in 2019 by WMI. This time, the all-female quartet brings their silvery-toned kanteles, mesmerizing harmonies, and the sounds of the Finnish forest to Scandinavia House.

Kardemimmit was founded in 2000 by Maija Pokela, Jutta Rahmel, Anna Wegelius, and Leeni Wegelius in their hometown of Espoo, Finland. Together, they brought the Finnish national instrument -- the 15 and 18-stringed kantele -- to new audiences worldwide, and released five full-length albums. The group's original compositions, are rooted in Finnish, Eastern European and Scandinavian traditions, and balanced on the unique interplay between their instruments and delicate vocal harmonies.

The concert will be preceded by a free afternoon of storytelling and music including a live recording of an episode of WMI's FolkTales podcast, in which storyteller Bill Gordh will deliver a Finnish folk tale accompanied by a fully improvised musical performance by Kardemimmit.

The FolkTales podcast is an original WMI production that features improvised re-imaginings of classic folk tales from around the world, set to music. Each episode invites a guest musician to improvise a culturally-appropriate instrumental score in dialogue with inspired re-tellings of beloved stories from around the globe. The FolkTales podcast is supported by a grant from Con Edison and is recommended for children and adults alike.