Peter Puma Hedlund, Swedish Fiddler of the Realm; Champion Nyckelharpa Player
Peter "Puma" will be returning to the Festival this year along with two other musicians from Sweden and Denmark. Peter is a world champion with his nyckelharpa. This unique Scandinavian instrument is making a come back in Sweden as well as the United States thanks in part to Peter's influence.


One of the musicans joining Peter will be guitar player Perry Stenbäck, who just won the Danish Grammy Award for "Instrumentalist of the year"! He is Swedish but lives in Denmark.

Steffan Søgaard Sørensen from Denmark is the third member of this band.
He is a bass player but also plays the fiddle and piano.

Besides performing as an ensamble, the musicians will also offer some solo selections.

A workshop will be offered by Peter in order for local musicians to learn a few Scandinavian tunes. Any musician who arrives at the Festival with their instrument in order to be part of Peter's workshop will be admitted free.

Julane Lund, Norwegian Fiddle Player
Julane Lund performs Norwegian and Norwegian-American music on both the conventional violin as well as the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle. She has toured throughout many countries in Western and Eastern Europe, the United States, Canada, and in the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan. She has been featured on several television and radio programs in these countries. Her Norwegian-American grandfather, a fiddler, inspired her to begin fiddling, and her paternal grandmother, a violinist, encouraged her to learn classical music. She studied classical violin at Ball State University in Indiana, and later received a second bachelor degree in Norwegian traditional fiddling at Telemark University College, in Norway. She obtained her masters degree in traditional arts/ethnomusicology from Telemark University College, in Norway. She has studied with some of the finest fiddlers in Norway as well as in the U.S. In 2006 Julane won first place at the Indiana State Fair fiddle contest.

The Viking Chorus is one of Jamestown's unique Swedish groups. Under the direction of Mary Grace Brustrom, the Viking Chorus has been singing for many years. They are members of the American Union of Swedish Singers. Their performance includes selections of both Swedish and English standards.

Svenska Spelmän is Chautauqua County's own gammeldans group. They play many of the traditional Scandinavian favorites with a special focus on the waltz, polka, hambo, and schottis. Their instruments include the fiddle, double bass, accordion and now the mandolin. Svenska Spelmän has recently been invited to play at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC for the Vasa Order of American Grand Lodge Convention in July 2010. Svenska Spelmän has never missed a Festival and they look forward to returning to this year's Festival.

Nordanvind is a group of six accordion players from across New York State. They were inspired by the Scandinavian Accordion Band at the first Folk Festival. Members include Deanne Hardy from Ionia, Irv Bentsen - Geneva, Mary Havens - West Seneca, Paul Riley - Williamstown, Mary Julius - Greece and Don Sandy - Jamestown. Recent performances include the Swedish Hill Winery and the Augustana Lutheran Church Midsummer Events. They perform traditional Swedish “gammeldans” type music such as waltzes, polkas, and hambos. For those who love Scandinavian accordion music, this is an excellent opportunity to enjoy an outstanding group.

The adult and children folk dance teams from the Thule Lodge, Vasa Order of America, have been a popular performing group in the Jamestown area for many years. They have played a major role in preserving Scandinavian Folk dancing as they pass the traditions on from one generation to another. One of their special performances is the Ox Dance, a mock fight between two gentlemen over the love of a girl. The fun they have in performing their dances is demonstrated in their style.

Join your friends and neighbors in singing the ABBA songs in the 'Mamma Mia' movie. The entire movie will be shown with words for each song shown on the screen.
In addition, the words will be passed out in printed format.
Song leaders will be present to help lead this joyous event.
Break out to "Dancing Queen", "Take a Chance on Me," "Name of the Game" 22 songs in total.

Go to the web site www.mammamiamovie.com for more information about the film
and for some sample scenes of the sing-along version.
The film will be shown on a large screen in the entertainment tent on Saturday night beginning at 9:15pm.
Admission to the Festival is only $4.00 after 7:00pm.
This is the place to be on Saturday night to celebrate the music of ABBA.