Folk Music Festival 2024
Himmerland (DK/SE/GB-SCT) and Spælimenninir (FO/DK/US)

Himmerland is a group of four traveling musicians from different regions in Denmark, Sweden and Scotland. Wherever they go, they spread joy and captivate their audience with their truly unique blend of old Danish ballads, thrilling fiddle tunes, virtuosic improvisations, and new fascinating music composed and arranged by the band members.

Members:
Kirstine Haugaard Sand: Vocal and Violin (Denmark)
Eskil Romme, Soprano Sax (Denmark)
Jens Ulvsand, Bouzouki and Vocal (Sweden)
Donald Hay, Drums (Scotland)

Himmerland released their first album, "New Roots Music from Denmark", in 2012. An album that got nominated for a Danish Music Award (Danish "Grammy") as Folk Album of the Year. Since then, Himmerand has released two albums, “The Spider in the Fiddle in 2015 and “Folktone from a Global Corner”.

Spælimenninir i Hoydølum (the folk musicians from Hoydalar)
In August, 1974, music teacher Kristian Blak started a folk band in the secondary school in Hoydalar, just north of Tórshavn. Soon the band included teachers and students from the school, as well as other interested musicians in the area.

Spælimenninir í Hoydølum always welcomed and included visiting folk musicians from other countries and cultures. The band’s repertoire reflected the ethnic mix of the musicians, including tunes band members brought from various parts of Scandinavia and Britain. During the first few years, Spælimenninir í Hoydølum played at weekend dances in towns and villages all over the Faroe Islands.

In January 1977, the group made its first recording, Spælimenninir í Hoydølum (SHD 1), with the following line-up: Kristian Blak (piano, song, attempted song, hooch), Jógvan Dahl (banjo, guitar), Magnus Pauli Poulsen (fiddle, string bass), Christina Lindén (fiddle, song), Janne Danielsson (fiddle, hardanger, spelåpipa, clog thumping studio floor), Alistair Cochrane (mandolin, countdown, recorder, tin whistle, guitar, song), Hans Ole Larsen (fiddle).

In 1978, four members of the band - Janne Danielsson, Sharon Weiss, Ívar Bærentsen and Kristian Blak - started touring abroad as a quartet: Spælimenninir. This facilitated traveling and provided further opportunities for developing musically. The four musicians toured every year, playing in all the Nordic countries and neighboring Scotland, Shetland and Orkney, as well as in North America, where they played concerts and dances across the USA and in Canada. Soon, Spælimenninir had become a sextet, including fiddler Erling Olsen and American bass player Charlie Pilzer. These 6 musicians – Janne, Erling, Sharon, Ívar, Kristian and Charlie were the regular line-up of Spælimenninir for many years.