Nordic Tune Workshop with Vårvindar

Saturday, October 17, 2026
Nordic Tune Workshop - 1-2:30pm 
Workshop fee: $10
Location: Finnish American Heritage Center

Vårvindar bandleader and saxophonist, Oliver Hunter, will present a Nordic tune workshop for intermediate levels at 1-2:30pm. All instruments are welcome. Tunes will be taught by ear and attendees will receive sheet music to take home.

Come back for a seated concert at 7pm! The workshop and concert are supported by the Oliver’s American Scandinavian Foundation 2026 Folk Artist Fellowship which also sent him to Sweden and Norway for a month of studies with master folk artists Jens Comén, Kjell-Erik Eriksson and Ellika Frisell.

Vårvindar is an energetic, genre blending band that specializes in Nordic-American folk music. Drawing from their own heritage and musical studies, the band embraces Nordic folk traditions while exploring unique arrangements and techniques from jazz, classical and world music. They’re based in Minnesota, but you can find them around the Midwest marching in parades and playing for folk dancers, seated concerts or regional festivals. Vårvindar aims to honor their shared experience as Nordic-Americans while boldly charging forward with new ideas and sounds, creating music for all to enjoy.

Vårvindar translates to “Spring Breeze” in Swedish, reflecting the band’s fresh take on tradition and unique instrumentation. The band’s members – Oliver Hunter (saxophone), Renee Vaughan (nyckelharpa), Mary Cait Bayliss (fiddle), and Mattie Snyder (cello) – center joy and community in all their performances. With decades of intensive study and performances between them, members of Vårvindar expertly weave together a rich and unforgettable sound you won’t find anywhere else!