Maija Kauhanen - live at The Folk Music Academy!

Join us live on Facebook for a concert with the one and only Maija Kauhanen on Kantele!

Maija is also recording a course in Kantele for The Folk Music Academy this week!

Maija Kauhanen is a Finnish artist, composer, singer, kantele virtuoso and a versatile multi-instrumentalist as well as a charismatic performer with an entrancing stage presence. Maija has specialized in Finnish Saarijärven kantele and its old and rare playing techniques. Her father Kari Kauhanen is building her instruments and together they implement new modern kantele models for Maija. The rural music traditions of Finland and Karelia are her main inspiration but Maija loves to innovate new playing techniques inspired by other instruments she plays.

Maija Kauhanen has won several significant prizes: the International Solo Kantele Competition in Helsinki 2011, second prize of Nord´11 Competition in Sälen, Sweden. In 2017 she won a Critics’ Spurs prize by the The Finnish Critics’ Association for “the best artistic breakthrough of the year”, “The Newcomer of the Year” Award in Finnish Ethno Awards and the prestigious Emma Award for the Best Ethno Album of the Year.

Maija has worked world wide with several artists and she is very keen on using kantele and her voice in different ways crossing the genre borders.