The purpose of this project is to shine a light on and celebrate the rich tradition of Swedish folk music in the Upper Midwest, with a particular focus on first-generation Swedish immigrant musicians.
In the late 1800s, numerous settlements in the Upper Midwest flourished into culturally vibrant Scandinavian communities, thanks to the hard-work and perseverance of immigrants who called this region home, among them were gifted musicians whose melodies still echo in Sweden. These folk musicians arrived before sound recordings and sheet music became widely available, so our knowledge of their tunes comes from oral histories passed down from musician to musician in Sweden. If you have any information to share about these musicians, please email me. (email button below). I would love to start a conversation and learn more about them.