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Poet, multicultural singer, Minnesota native Diane Jarvi to read and perform at St. Olaf

By Amy Gage
March 26, 2002

Diane JarviNORTHFIELD, MINN. - She sings in nine languages, including Sami and Gaelic. Her distinct voice has been compared to that of Edith Piaf and Joan Baez. She holds a degree in music performance from the University of Minnesota but also studied folk music and kantele, a traditional Finnish instrument, just for fun once she'd finished college.

She is poet and folk singer Diane Jarvi, and she will perform at St. Olaf College on Tuesday, April 9, 7:30 to 9 p.m., in room 525 of Rolvaag Library. The evening of music and poetry is open to the public.

A native of Minnesota whose grandparents emigrated from Finland, Jarvi has been dubbed the "Minnesota Nightingale" by Finnish newspapers. She began singing with jazz bands in the Twin Cities when she was only 19, but her heritage caught her ear - and influenced her career - when her parents returned from a visit to Finland with recordings of kantele music.

The kantele, a Finnish folk harp, has between five and 36 strings, and Jarvi plays several versions of the instrument adeptly. "The kantele has a kind of archaic, haunting aspect to it that draws people in, and it has melancholy aspects," she explains. "But it's very soothing as well."

An accomplished recording artist and published poet, Jarvi has been profiled in the Minnesota Women's Press, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Duluth News Tribune, among other publications. Her third CD, "Flying into Blue," was nominated for a Minnesota Music Award. And her first book of poetry, "Divining the Landscape" - published under the name Diane Jarvenpa by New Rivers Press - helped win the artist a Minnesota State Arts Board grant to write a second book of poems.

In addition to her own compositions, Jarvi is known for her intimate and authentic interpretations of tangos, waltzes, ballads, swing music and cabaret songs from Finland, France, Germany, Cabo Verde, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.

As for the combination of poetry and music performance, Jarvi says the exercise is difficult but worthwhile. "In some ways they're very symbiotic and in other ways they're very contradictory," she says. "I've really wanted to keep them separate lives for the most part, but sometimes I make exceptions" - as she will April 9.

St. Olaf College, a national leader among liberal arts institutions, fosters the development of mind, body and spirit. It is a residential college located in Northfield, Minn., and affiliated with the ELCA. The college provides personalized instruction and diverse learning environments, with more than two-thirds of its students participating in international studies. For more information, see www.stolaf.edu.

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