On the Jouhikko Course, participants explore traditional bowed lyre music from Karelia and Estonia, marvel at the bowed lyre’s distinctive playing position, and become acquainted with the instrument’s history. The course is suitable for complete beginners as well as those who have been playing for a little longer; participants should bring their own instrument.
Teacher
Ilkka Heinonen is a Helsinki-based musician and composer specializing in folk and world music. His instruments include the jouhikko (bowed lyre), double bass, violone, and viola da gamba, and his passion is early music. As one of the pioneers of jouhikko performance, Heinonen has sought to expand the instrument’s expressive and practical possibilities, drawing inspiration from European jazz, Renaissance music, and Karelian jouhikko traditions alike.
In addition to leading and performing with ensembles inspired by European folk music cultures, Heinonen has worked both as a soloist and as an orchestral musician in concerts and projects of contemporary and early music. He is currently completing an artistic doctoral degree on the expressive possibilities of the jouhikko at the Sibelius Academy’s MuTri Doctoral Programme.