Norma Jane Frees Ilmola moved back to her mother’s homeland after studying to be a school band and orchestra teacher in Wisconsin. Her past studies in harp lead to an interest in the kantele and after moving to Haapavesi, she also studied direction of traditional kantele. She has taught kantele to over 100 students in the Haapavesi lyceum in recent years as well as teaching it in the junior high school and evening & summer classes. She initiated the European Union Leader project Soiva Puu – “Ringing Wood” which also lead to the founding of Pokela Academy in Haapavesi, Finland’s national kantele city. Her students play in many various styles on 5- and 36-string kanteles as well as 10-strings and chromatic concert kanteles that were awarded them in competitions and by the National Cultural Fund, Northern Ostrobothnia branch. Jane has performed in nine countries and taught kantele for twelve years. She is a member of the board of the national kantele organisation, Kanteleliitto as well as vice president of the 3 Rivers Kantele Association, Jokilaaksojen kanteleyhdistys r.y..
3 Rivers Kanteles/Jokilaaksojen kanteleyhtye is celebrating its eleventh anniversary in 2006. The group started while Jane Ilmola studied Sibelius Academy’s course in direction of traditional kantele in 1995 and 1996. By Christmas there were 16 performing members, all students in the Haapavesi school where Jane teaches music. By 1997 the group sized double to perform in Finland’s independence celebrations. After that the group has expanded to include other members of the 3 Rivers Kantele Society and currently members return from a 200 mile radius to practice on weekends. The area of the three river valleys Kala-, Pyhä- ja Siikajokijoki near Finland’s geographical center is the home of their own traditional style and kantele society.
The repertoire has also expanded from the traditional style. The group currently strives to show the diversity of styles and repertoire for the many sizes of kantele, aiming to educate audiences that know very little about Finland, the kantele and its diverse possibilities. The same diverse introduction to kantele can be heard on their new CD.
The group performs as a large orchestra, even 40, as well as soloists, duos and other chamber ensembles, among them the Kalajokilaakso kanteleduo (national second place from 2001-2005), the younger duo Jaamarit (national first place 2001-2005), duo Sansaara and now the quintet Röllit which has just finished in third place, directed by the assistant director Riikka Jaakola, who is studying folk music at the professional college in Kokkola. Some of the kanteles which they play have been awarded them in competitions and by the Finnish Cultural Fund. The ages of the performers are approximately 1/3 teenagers, 1/3 students and 1/3 adults already established in their occupations.
Both the members and their leader have studied under many kantele artists, ie. Toivo Alaspää, Ulla Honkonen, Anu Itäpelto, Eija Kankaanranta, Sari Kauranen, Sinikka ja Matti Kontio, Sinikka Langeland, Outi Linnaranta, Valdis Muktupavels, Antti Paakinaho, Eero Pitkälä, Martti Pokela, Minna Raskinen, Olga Shiskina,Vilma Timonen, Timo Väänänen, Samppa Uimonen ja Mervi Yli-Vainio, both traveling to the masters as well as bringing them to teach in Haapavesi in Pokela Academy. One member is studying folk music at professional college, three are directors of traditional kantele and two are directors of small kanteles. Group members have performed all over Finland as well as in Russia, Sweden, Norway, the U.S., Canada and Italy. They have also performed on television in kantele church services.
Group members have 20 medals from national kantele competitions, 16 from the Martti Pokela/Finnish masters competitions, 6 bronze kanteles, 1 golden kantele, two Haapavesi churns of culture and two special awards from the Martti Pokela/Finnish masters competitions (for creativity in composition and for bringing kantele into the European Union). They were named Finland’s first Ambassadors of Young Culture for the years 2005-2006 by the Finnish Ministry of Education, which has funded much of their touring in the various countries.
Individuals who toured as Finland’s Young Cultural Ambassador
Jaakko Meriläinen, 16, is the only male and youngest. He’s in his first year of lyceum. Jaakko and Jaamarit have held the national first and third place title for different sizes of kantele for four years, receiving a 10-string kantele as part of the reward. He also has been awarded a bronze kantele. In addition Jaakko has won the Finnish masters on both small and large kantele. He plays on a kantele donated by the Finnish Cultural Fund. Jaakko is one of the most active performers in our region and has played for 8 years. He plays by ear. Jaakko is interested in computers and track and field. Jaakko also plays the saw. Jaakko has performed in Russia, Sweden, Norway, the U.S., Canada and Holland.
Paula Kantola, 17, is our accordionist. She attends a high school specialized in music in Vantaa, near Helsinki. She has studied played button accordion very successfully in a local music school for ten years. She has been a continual finalist in serious accordion competitions in Ikaalinen, Finland. In addition to serious repertoire on her melody bass accordion, she also plays more traditional music. One of her hobbies is playing accordion in the streets for bypassers, earning money to continue her musical hobbies. She is also an accomplished choral singer, having performed in Estonia, Sisilia and Poland. Her other interests are handwork, art, philosophy and architecture.
Päivi Ollikainen, 19, is our member from Oulainen, Haapavesi’s neighbour city city. Päivi is also an accomplished pianist and choral singer, who only later added kantele to her hobbies. She placed first on both small and large kanteles in the last Finnish masters competition. She was also awarded a bronze kantele there. She has been a student of Riikka Jaakola, the folk music student who toured with us last time. Päivi is studying at the Sibelius-Academy with kantele as her major. Päivi has performed on kantele in several countries while touring with her choir.
Saara Mäki, 20, is a graduate from Haapavesi lyceum, among the first students to complete the school’s kantele courses when it specialized in kantele. She is one of the first of our musicians to hold the national title for four years and one of the first members of this group, having played kantele for nine years. Saara has performed in Sweden and Norway. Her hobbies are aerobics and Nordic walking. She is currently studying education.
Sanna Hemminki, 21, has been Saara’s partner in the duo Sansaara for eight years. She has studied kantele as long as Saara but started on 5-string, which is still near her heart. She is a director of small kanteles. She has also been awarded a bronze kantele. She has first, second and third places from the Finnish masters competition. In the last national solo competition she was encouraged to go professional, but she is studying her calling to teach in elementary school and while student-teaching has been constantly asked to hold kantele workshops for all the students in her schools. Last year Sanna gave her own concert with another of our members, Satu Sipilä, (not with us this time) at the University of Kajaani and this year she soloed at the opening ceremony of the University. Sanna’s hobbies have included acting and gymnastics. Sanna has performed in Sweden, Norway, the U.S. and Canada.
Mariia Huikari is the eldest member on this tour, a former student of Jane’s, having also studied in the same course for direction of traditional kantele as Jane, but her studies in other regions of Finland forced her to leave the course. Mariia is our byrocrat, now employed by the Finnish government and residing in Ylivieska. Mariia has performed in Russia twice, as well as in Sweden, Norway, the U.S. and Canada. She has also performed and been interviewed on BBC-World radio. Mariia is also secretary of 3 Rivers Kantele Organisation. She is usually secretary in Finnish masters competitions as well, leaving competition to the younger members. She was recently elected to the board of the national kantele organisation, Kanteleliitto.