At the beginning of summer, Expedition Cultural Heritage sent five musical contributions to the exhibition ”TRADITIONAL MUSIC CONNECTS EUROPE” in Finland. The initiative was made by Europe Direct Pohjois-Satakunta to increase knowledge about music traditions and cultural heritage from different countries in Europe. Below you can read about how it went and listen to the contributions from Småland!
The exhibition took place at the beautiful historical Rahkolagården in the town of Ikaalinen. It started with an opening concert and besides the music, visitors could also participate in workshops, listen to poetry readings, or view art and local glass crafts during the summer. The town of Ikaalinen has a long history as a town for traditional music and a strong tradition around accordion music; the town houses, among other things, the archive for the Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes.
Rahkolagården's old ”väentupa” (servants” quarters) has become an exhibition hall and hosts several different art forms every summer. In addition to Sweden (some of which can be seen in the ”songbird" in the pictures), the exhibition included folk music from Romania, Austria, Bulgaria, Spain, and Italy. The goal was to celebrate the richness of European folk music and highlight the unifying power of musical heritage.
The organizers of the event are: Leader Pohjois-Satakunta, Europe Direct Pohjois-Satakunta, ITE Ikaalinen, Ikaalisten Hiiritalo, Pirkanmaan Vesaiset, Pro Ikaalinen, and the city of Ikaalinen.
The Swedish contributions
Polska after Wimmerstedt, submitted by Jeanett Walerholt Rousu.
Dufva & Donat, submitted by Ulrika Gunnarsson
Lusselill and Picking plants on harmonica, submitted by Andreas Hjalmarsson
Concert with Skatelövs Spelmanslag, submitted by Skatelövs Spelmanslag
Dances from Småland and Småland's predecessors, submitted by Smålands Musikarkiv
Link to archive with all collected dances
Link to Småland's predecessors
A big thank you again to everyone who wanted to contribute with their musical cultural heritage!
”Expedition Cultural Heritage” is a collaboration between Leader Linné Småland, the Study Association Vuxenskolan Kronoberg, and Coompanion Kronoberg. The exhibition is organized by Leader Pohjois-Satakunta Finland. Both of these initiatives are co-financed by the European Union.
Published: August 19, 2026
