Programs Offered

Programs: Rooted in tradition. Designed to engage

Renee brings Nordic folk culture to life through music, storytelling, and visual art. Programs are tailored for a wide range of audiences, including schools, senior communities, museums and cultural festivals. Each programs sparks curiosity, celebrates heritage, and brings people together through shared cultural experience.

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Hård Lars Larsson in MN Born 1822, Älvdalen Sweden. Died 1916 Beltrami County, Minnesota, USA
Photo from "Spelmän, låtar och musik i Älvdalen" by Ragnar Forslund (1926-2025) Elfdalens hembygdsförening. 2006. Used with permission.

Folk Music & the Nordic Newcomers: 1st Generation Swedish Immigrants in the Upper Midwest

During the mid to late 1800s, the Upper Midwest became the chosen homeland for thousands of Swedish immigrants, including some of the most skilled musicians from their villages before they departed for this new land.

Renee's presentation highlights the lives and musical heritage of many distinguished musicians, how their music adapted upon arrival in Minnesota, and how it has influenced the musical landscape of the upper-midwest. Instruments include fiddlers, accordionists, nyckelharpa players and even bagpipers!

Back in the old country, these Swedish musicians' legacies live on and their favorite tunes continue to be played.

Image based on painting, "Nøkken" by Theodor Kittelsen, 1904

Enchanting Tales of Nyckelharpa & Näcken

Explore the rich folklore woven into Nordic Folk Music, including legends of the Näcken, a shapeshifting spirit with the power to enchant musicians and their instruments. Once enchanted, their music held the extraordinary ability to make chairs dance and stop waterfalls. Musicians themselves could cast spells at one another, necessitating protective measures like a trollpåse hidden in their instrument.

Discover the intriguing magic chart crafted by a Swedish musician in the mid 1800's, which connected musical keys with colors, seasons, and emotions. His fiddle and music book immigrated to Minnesota with his son in the late 1800's.

Hear the tales and tunes for many Swedish folk classics like Hårgalåten, Pinntorpafrun, Balzar Jungfrun and more.

Dalmålning av Kers Erik Jönsson, Lima, Leksand. 1836-7. "Tre Kvinnor ut Til Christi Graf." (Three Women at Christ's Grave) Dalarnas Museum, Sweden.

Swedish Folk Painting: Iconic Kurbits & Dalmålning

Dalmålning, also known as kurbits painting, is a distinctive form of Swedish folk art from mid 1700's to the mid 1800's that shares similar design elements to those found in French Quimper and German Fraktur paintings. Dalmålnings are highly decorative and features imaginative fantasy plants with borders and typically tell a story of daily peasant life, royalty and religious motifs within local settings.

Renee offers dalmålning presentations that explore the history and cultural significance of this art form. A hands-on workshop is also available to create your own kurbits-style painting. These sessions are perfect for beginners, intermediates and anyone who identifies as kurbits-curious.

(Photo "Caricature of a Man-Midwife" adapted from the Wellcome Library Collection.

Harmonizing Identities: The True Story of FTM Trans Nyckelharpist Magnus Johansson

The remarkable life of a gender-nonconforming nyckelharpa player

Meet Magnus Johansson, a pioneering musician born in 1683 on Åland Island. Assigned female at birth and known early in life as Maria Johansdotter, they moved to Stockholm in 1702. While still presenting as Maria, they earned a living performing nyckelharpa in taverns—boldly defying gender norms by wearing trousers and playing music publicly.

Their choice of songs? Biting political commentary targeting a politician with an overinflated ego, surrounded by yes-men and quick to lash out at dissenters.

After a bar patron provided them with a male passport, they embraced life as a man and began living openly as Magnus Johansson. Despite facing legal and social persecution, Magnus continued to lead a church choir, perform music, and love many beautiful women—perhaps a few too many, as he gained a reputation as a lothario.

This presentation explores Magnus’s remarkable life within the cultural and historical backdrop of early 18th-century Sweden, highlighting music as a means of social protest and personal expression.

The program features live music—including tunes Magnus played, alongside other well-known melodies from the time and region.

Dalmålning av Stikå Erik Hansson, Risa, Sweden. "Släng Dansen" (Slängpolska Dancing ) Nordiska Museeets, Sweden.

Castle to Cottage: Polska for the People!

We will explore how the elegant polonaise and minuet—taproots of today’s popular slängpolska—were refined in royal courts, and became expressive and full of life when danced by everyday people. Featuring live music on the nyckelharpa, this program blends performance with historical context, and invites you to hear, feel, and maybe even explore a few dance steps that bridged royalty and folk tradition.

No partner or experience required--imagine if Jane Austen, Carl Linnaeus and Emily Dickinson were able to join a line dance in a Swedish barn. Powdered wigs and time travel optional

Winter Carl Hansson, "Ålderstrappan" (The Steps of Life) Bingsjö, Sweden 1799.

Cradle to Crossing

Music and memory weave life’s journey from birth to passing—suited for senior centers, memory care, and intergenerational programs.

Using cultural artifacts, paintings, music, and dance, Renee sparks guided discussions that encourage participants to reflect on their own heritage and cultural traditions.

With decades of experience working with older adults, including in memory care and hospice settings, and a decade of teaching Oral History, she creates a welcoming space where cultural music becomes a bridge to personal stories, shared experiences, and meaningful connection.

From lullabies and children’s play songs to wedding marches, spinning songs, and melodies that comfort us as we say goodbye, this program traces a life’s arc and milestones through the lens of traditional Nordic music.

Designed specifically for older adults, it fosters reflection, creativity, and connection through the power of lived experience.

Resonating Roots: The Nyckelharpa's Journey to the Upper Midwest: Instruments, Musicians and Makers

The Nyckelharpa has found a passionate following in the upper Midwest, particularly in Minnesota. But how did this cherished national folk instrument of Sweden make its way here?

With an unbroken tradition spanning over 700 years, a typical nyckelharpa today boasts 16 strings—three dedicated to melody, one drone string, and the remaining 12 as resonant strings, contributing to its distinctive rustic and ethereal sound.

This presentation sheds light on the instrument's rich cultural significance, its journey to America, and the musicians and makers who continue to grow its legacy.

Image based on painting, "Draugen" by Theodor Kittelsen, 1891

Nordic Lullabies and Nightmares

Nordic Lullabies and Nightmares invites you to step into a world where traditional lullabies carry both comfort and haunted imagery.

These songs, many hundreds of years old, reflect cultures where tenderness, longing, and fear move together within the human experience.

The program embraces life’s shadows of loneliness, dread, and the unknown, while also honoring the longing for love, connection and security. Ultimately, Nordic Lullabies and Nightmares reveals that both darkness and comfort dwell within us, shaping how we seek, carry, and honor one another.