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, and museums to cultural festivals. Each one is crafted to spark curiosity, celebrate heritage, and bring people together through shared cultural experience.

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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.

Hård Lars Larsson in MN
Born 1822, Älvdalen Sweden.
Died 1916 Beltrami County, Minnesota, USA
Photo of Hård Lars Larsson found in "Spelmän, låtar och musik i Älvdalen" by Ragnar Forslund (1926-) 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.

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.

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

From Cradle to Crossings: 37 Keys to Life

From lullabies, 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 especially for seniors, this program encourages participation through gentle questions that invite personal reflection and sharing — such as, "Is there a lullaby that still stays with you?" and "Is there a song you associate with falling in love or courtship?"

With decades of experience working with older adults, including in memory care and hospice settings, Renee creates a welcoming space where cultural music becomes a bridge to personal stories and shared connection.

Performed on the nyckelharpa — Sweden’s traditional keyed fiddle — with 37 keys and centuries of tradition, the nyckelharpa carries the resonant sounds of a lifetime.

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

Castle to Cottage: The People’s Polonaise from Sweden and Finland

Castle to Cottage: The People’s Polonaise explores 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, Hans Christian Andersen and Emily Dickinson were able to join a line dance in a Swedish barn. Powdered wigs and time travel optional

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

Harmonizing Identities: The True Story of 1700's Nyckelharpist Magnus Johansson

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.