Renee Vaughan is a Minnesota-based artist who brings Sweden’s folk traditions to life through music, dance, painting, and storytelling. She is a teaching artist with Minnesota Public Radio's “Class Notes” and with COMPAS, and has received two fellowship awards from the American Scandinavian Foundation. She recently served as Musician-in-Residence at UW-Madison, Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures (CSUMC), where she explored Nordic the music of Swedish immigrants and created the educational resource, Nordic Newcomers.
Whether performing, teaching, or leading workshops, she creates welcoming, hands-on experiences that invite people to explore Swedish folk arts while connecting with their own sense of identity, culture, and community. Renee shares her work with small community libraries and events, as well as larger venues like the American Swedish Institute, Norsk Høstfest, and the Minnesota Orchestra Nordic Soundscapes Festival.
Before dedicating herself full time to the arts, Renee spent ten years teaching elementary and college students, and twelve years as a Life Enrichment Director in long-term care, supporting elders in assisted living, memory care, and hospice. These experiences give her a unique ability to create welcoming and adaptable spaces for learners and audiences of all ages.
Whether performing, teaching, or leading workshops, she creates welcoming, hands-on experiences that invite people to explore Swedish folk arts while connecting with their own sense of identity, culture, and community. Renee shares her work with small community libraries and events, as well as larger venues like the American Swedish Institute, Norsk Høstfest, and the Minnesota Orchestra Nordic Soundscapes Festival.
Before dedicating herself full time to the arts, Renee spent ten years teaching elementary and college students, and twelve years as a Life Enrichment Director in long-term care, supporting elders in assisted living, memory care, and hospice. These experiences give her a unique ability to create welcoming and adaptable spaces for learners and audiences of all ages.
MN Orchestra: Nordic Soundscapes (2025 & 2026)
Minneapolis Institute of Art (2026)
American Musicological Society and Society for Music Theory (2025)
Folklore Village (2024, 2025, & 2026)
MN Children's Hospitals & Clinics (2025)
Norsk Høstfest (2014-2025)
Finn Fest (2025)
Døtre av Norge International Convention (2025)
American Craft Council (2025)
Exhibit Opener Salad Hilowye (2025)
Mpls. St. Paul International Film Fest (2025)
Opening for Skye Consort (2025)
Opening for FRIGG (2025)
Midwinter Folk Festival at ASI (2025)
Minnesota State Fiddlers Association (2025)
Duluth Nordic Music Festival (2025)
Norsk Høstfest Festival (2024)
Vesterheim Norwegian Museum (2024)
Hjemkomst Festival (2024)
Musician-in-Residence, UW-Madison (2024)
Minneapolis Institute of Art (2026)
American Musicological Society and Society for Music Theory (2025)
Folklore Village (2024, 2025, & 2026)
MN Children's Hospitals & Clinics (2025)
Norsk Høstfest (2014-2025)
Finn Fest (2025)
Døtre av Norge International Convention (2025)
American Craft Council (2025)
Exhibit Opener Salad Hilowye (2025)
Mpls. St. Paul International Film Fest (2025)
Opening for Skye Consort (2025)
Opening for FRIGG (2025)
Midwinter Folk Festival at ASI (2025)
Minnesota State Fiddlers Association (2025)
Duluth Nordic Music Festival (2025)
Norsk Høstfest Festival (2024)
Vesterheim Norwegian Museum (2024)
Hjemkomst Festival (2024)
Musician-in-Residence, UW-Madison (2024)