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The Midsummer Strings to perform

ESCANABA — The Midsummer Strings, a folk trio whose repertoire expands over 20 years, will perform in the Besse Theater of Bay College’s Escanaba campus on Thursday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m.

The members of the trio have been performing together as a string ensemble for nearly 20 years. Members Maija, Marianne, and Seija knew each other as children due to their common Finnish heritage and their parents and grandparents involvement in local Finnish community events. All three began playing instruments at a young age and were all classically trained, resulting in them each as adults playing professionally with various ensembles and orchestras including the Marquette Symphony Orchestra.

Over the years, the trio decided to delve more into their Finnish heritage and began learning old traditional Finnish folk tunes. They even dug into their roots even more by discovering some of the oldest Finnish songs that were passed down by generations before they were ever recorded in writing. By performing them, The Midsummer Strings ensure some of the oldest traditional pieces are enjoyed for generations to come.

The Midsummer Strings released a CD of traditional Finnish music in 2002. From there, the Midsummer Strings have continued to expand their repertoire after meeting many current Finnish folk musicians from Finland and other locations who inspired them.

The Midsummer Strings will perform for the Bay College community a collection of traditional to contemporary folk songs from different areas of Finland, highlighting their versatility with various string instruments, vocal harmony, as well as the incorporation of 5 string and 10 string traditional lap-harps known as the Kantele.

Tickets for the May 23 performance are available and may be purchased online at https://baycollege.tix.com, at the box office, or by calling (906) 217-4045.

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