LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
We didn't have as many live entertainers come to this smaller version of our Midsummer Festival – there was no performance by the Portland Nordic Chorus or any of our regular dancing groups – but the entertainment lineup we had was still top-notch! Fossegrimen and the duo of Catarina New Martin with Gunilla Admund each played a set of live music at each time session, and both performed together during the two Midsummer Pole Festivities times, while Christine Smith lead any and all willing dancers in traditional Swedish dances around the maistang. Anthony Keith was our festival emcee, whose smooth tones kept our guests reliably up to speed all day long, and Sandra Nelson Miller served as our wondrously capable stage manager to keep everything moving on schedule.
Gunilla Admund &
Catarina New
Gunilla Admund was born and raised in Sweden and has many years of singing experience as a choir member, but also as a soloist for New Sweden Lucia performances as well as the Nordic Northwest'st Midsummer Festival in Portland. Gunilla has a warm, beautiful voice that makes the Swedish music a treat to listen to. Catarina New, also born and raised in Sweden and with musical education from both Sweden and the U.S., has been a performing/touring musician and educator for over 30 years. Catarina will support Gunilla with vocal and piano on a musical journey of authentic Swedish music ranging in genres from folk, classical, pop and jazz. Most Swedes will reminiscence back to great memories from childhood and growing up in Sweden while listening to the music, but there are some internationally famous songs everyone will recognize. It should be a treat for everyone, and singing along is highly recommended!
Fossegrimen
Fossegrimen has been playing at Midsummer for years now, practically since their founding in 1999. Fossegrimen is a Eugene-based dance band specializing in the playing of Norwegian and Swedish folk dance music. The group plays gammaldans and bygdedans music as well as numerous mixers and set dances. The musicians perform with a variety of string instruments including fiddle, hardanger fiddle, nyckelharpa, guitar, mouth harp and bass violin, and they always get people tapping their toes or outright dancing!
