Sinikka Langeland

Sinikka Langeland was born in Kirkenær, Solør, in 1961, and is one of the most distinctive folk musicians of our time. She has brought the Skogfinn (Forest Finn) culture into focus through her research, reinterpretations and presentations. She plays the kantele, the Finnish national instrument, but is also known as an interpreter of folk songs such as rune songs and kveding (a traditional vocal technique). After having discovered some folk variants of “Kyrie” and other religious folk songs, she initiated a long-term project of juxtaposing these with organ chorales and other works by Johann Sebastian Bach that are based on the same hymns. This fascinating combination has resulted in five records, and presents an entirely new musical landscape. “She sounds like a whole orchestra with her remarkable vocal and kantele technique,” one journalist noted.
  In her most recent work, “Sauna Cathedral”, she also brings two Bach chorales into her own composition, which she has arranged for her ensemble that features some of Scandinavia’s most distinctive jazz musicians. Her musicians enhance the compositions with their improvisations and their outstanding ensemble interaction.
  Sinikka Langeland has composed seven major works and has released 15 solo albums, six of which are on the legendary ECM label. Folk, jazz and poetry are among her hallmarks, and she often uses lyrics by Nordic poets in her songs. She tours regularly throughout Europe, and has performed at well-known festivals including the London Jazz Festival, the Berliner Festspiele, the Tokyo Jazz Festival, the Molde International Jazz Festival and the Oslo International Church Music Festival, among others. She has also performed in the USA and in Asia, mainly in Japan, where she has toured five times.
  Sinikka Langeland is an award-winning musician who has been nominated for a Spellemannpris (Norwegian Grammy) twice and has been named an ambassador for her home municipality of Grue. Among the awards she has received are the Finnskogprisen in 1996, the Edvard Prize for her recording “Runoja” and the Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Award in 2003, the Rolf Gammleng Award in 2010, the Kalevala Society Award in 2013, and the Kardemommestipendet in 2015. In 2012 she received the prestigious Sibelius Prize and in 2019 she received the NOPA Prize for “Sauna Cathedral”.