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Hardanger Fiddle Association annual workshops to be held at St. Olaf

Christopher Blissett
August 1, 2002

The annual workshops of the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America will be held at St. Olaf College this year, from Aug. 1-4. The HFAA, whose goal is to preserve Norwegian instrumental and vocal music in North America, will offer fiddle construction workshops, post-workshop concerts, dance sessions and instruction in fiddle playing. The Hardanger fiddle (hardingfele, in Norwegian) is often called the national instrument of Norway and is typically decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay and black pen-and-ink drawings called rosing. Music researchers have noted more than 1,000 distinct tunes for the instrument, which often is associated with regional Norwegian dances. St. Olaf associate professor of music and recent St. Olav's Medal recipient Andrea Een is a founding member of the HFAA and has taught at 10 of the annual summer workshops. In 1979, St. Olaf became the only college in the United States to offer hardanger fiddle lessons as part of the music curriculum. For more information on the HFAA Annual Workshops, visit www.hfaa.org.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.