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Minnesota Orchestra to feature St. Olaf faculty members

By Linnae Stole '10
December 3, 2009

Associate Professor of Music Andrea Een will once again solo with the Minnesota Orchestra at its holiday performance of "A Scandinavian Christmas" at Orchestra Hall Dec. 11, 12, and 19.

Associate Professor of Music Andrea Een will once again solo with the Minnesota Orchestra, performing several works on the Hardanger fiddle and the traditional four-stringed violin.

As she did in 2008, Een will perform several works on the Hardanger fiddle, an eight- to nine-stringed Norwegian folk instrument similar to the violin. The program also will feature the Minneapolis-based Ethnic Dance Theatre, in which St. Olaf Assistant Professor of Dance Anne Von Bibra performs. Een will accompany the dancers as they process into the hall to a Norwegian bridal march. Later in the program, Een and the company will perform a springar, from the west coast of Norway. The springar is a traditional couple’s dance in three-quarter time, and it is found in the regions of Telemark, Valdres, Hallingdal, Numedal, and western Norway.

Along with the Hardanger fiddle, Een will also appear this year with the traditional four-stringed violin, accompanying Conductor Sarah Hicks’ orchestration of a medley of three traditional Danish dances, including Soldier’s Joy. The holiday program also will feature performances by soprano Maria Jette, tenor Robb Asklof, the Minnesota Boychoir, and the recently established Twin Cities Girls Chorus.

Een’s second CD, titled Winter Dreams, is due out this December and will be for sale in the lobby of Orchestra Hall during the event. It also will be available in the St. Olaf Bookstore beginning in January and on Een’s website. The CD features a number of her own original compositions as well as several traditional Norwegian dances.

Een has taught violin, viola, and Hardanger fiddle at St. Olaf since 1977. She is a member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the U.S., Norway, France, Germany, Austria, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. Her first solo CD of original and traditional music, From the Valley, was released in 2004. In 2003 Een received the St. Olav Medal, given by Norway's King Harald V, for her promotion of greater knowledge of Norwegian culture.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.