Programs Offered

Programs: Rooted in tradition. Designed to engage

. Renee Vaughan brings Swedish folk culture to life through live music, storytelling, historical images, and cultural artifacts. Programs are designed for libraries, museums, cultural organizations and festivals, and community audiences. 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, MN, 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

Immigration, music, and cultural identity 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 the Upper Midwest.
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

Swedish folklore, magic, and traditional music.

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.

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

The history and symbolism of kurbits and 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.

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

Swedish Folkways For All

Where Traditions Inspire Memories and Stories. Designed for senior centers, memory care, and intergenerational programs.

Through Swedish folk music, dance, art, and traditions, Renee invites participants to explore their own heritage and share the stories that shape their lives.
Using cultural artifacts, paintings, songs, and movement, she creates a welcoming experience where music becomes a bridge to memories, conversation, and connection.
With decades of experience working with older adults, including memory care and hospice settings, and a background in oral history, Renee brings expertise in creating meaningful opportunities for reflection and storytelling.
From lullabies and children’s play songs to wedding traditions, work songs, and melodies of remembrance, this program explores how music accompanies us through life.

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.

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Holiday Jul & Midwinter Music

Especially suited for winter coziness

Swedish Midsummer

Especially suited for springtime lightness

Harmonizing Identities

Especially suited PRIDE month, and available all year. This program is offered at low or no-cost.

Nordic Nightmares & Lullabies

Especially suited for autumn or Walpurgis (April) or anytime you want a frightful program!

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

Nordic Lullabies and Nightmares: Nordic Songs and Stories

Traditional Nordic songs and stories for Halloween and Valborg season.

Step into a world where music carries both light and shadow, from comforting lullabies to darker folk tales from Sweden, Iceland, and other Nordic traditions.

Featuring live music on the nyckelharpa, this program explores seasonal songs and stories connected to long winter nights, spring thresholds, and the folkloric belief that Walpurgis night (Valborg) is a time when the veil between worlds is thin and old stories of witches and spirits come alive.

These melodies move between beauty and unease—offering comfort, reflection, and a touch of Nordic mystery for the darker seasons of the year.

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

Harmonizing Identities: The Story of Nyckelharpist Magnus Johansson

The remarkable life of a gender-nonconforming nyckelharpa player in early 1700's Sweden

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.