The Cedar Presents
JENNI VENÄLÄINEN & Melkutus Party with Sara Pajunen
Friday, September 13, 2024/ Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 8:00 PM
All Ages
Seated
$20 Advance, $25 Day of Show
This is a seated show with general admission, first-come-first-served seating. The Cedar is happy to reserve seats for patrons who require special seating accommodations. To request seating or other access accommodations, please go to our Access page.
For Cedar presented shows, online ticket sales typically end one hour before the door time, and then, based on availability, tickets will be available at the door.
LISTEN
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Making their Cedar debut and as part of our Nordic Roots Series, we welcome Jenni Venäläinen & Melkutus Party from Finland! Old Karelian tunes played by kantele, the traditional string instrument, have a minimalistic, improvisational and rhythmic nature that compliments the aesthetics of modern electronic ambient and party music. The concert program also contains new compositions based on the rich tradition of kantele.
JENNI VENäLäINEN
Jenni Venäläinen is a kantele artist who has specialized in traditional music from Karelia, Finland and Nordic countries. Improvising and composing are her passions and she loves to create her own music. Melkutus Party project was born in 2021 when she dove deep into archive material of Karelian kantele tradition. Jenni Venäläinen & Melkutus Party band was created in the beginning of the year 2023 and the band has worked intensively towards their vision of modern kantele party music. Melkutus Party album (Nordic Notes, 2023) have received five and four star reviews and the band have performed in Finland in festivals and clubs. Melkutus (Official Music Video) has received recognition at international film and music video festivals.
Jenni Venäläinen (kantele, vocals), Janne Storm (live electronics, synth, cetara) and Tatu Viitala (electronic percussion) invites the audience to feel various emotions through their program: mesmerizing folk-ambient and radiating joy of party!
To learn more about JENNI VENäLäINEN:
Sara Pajunen
Sara Pajunen is a violinist, sound artist and composer based in Minnesota. Centering projects on themes of culture, immigration, and home, she has released six folk-inspired albums connected to her Finnish ancestry - including the most recent 'Aallotar' recording (with Finnish accordionist Teija Niku) on German label Nordic Notes. In 2018, Pajunen launched 'Mine Songs,' a long-term project that uses field recordings, archival material, improvisation and image to explore the altered landscape of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range, her childhood and ancestral home. Her work has received funding from Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, Koneen Säätiö, the Arts Council of Finland, amongst others, and she holds music degrees in both the United States and Finland and a Master of Music in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory.
To learn more about Sara Pajunen:
