The haunting notes of a Hardanger fiddle often summon "old country" memories of Norway. So a concert that includes new music composed for the traditional nine-string instrument is, well, noteworthy.
Andrea Een, newly retired from teaching at St. Olaf College after having founded the only college Hardanger fiddle program outside of Norway, will be joined by Vidar Skrede from Haugesund, Norway, and Eric Segnitz of Milwaukee. The free concert is 1 p.m. Sunday at Mindekirchen, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church at 924 E. 21st St. in Minneapolis.
The Hardanger fiddle, often called the national instrument of Norway, is a handmade work of art with much inlay and carving. It's strung with additional "sympathetic" strings beneath the fingerboard that add echoing overtones.
Skrede is in great demand on the Norwegian folk music scene, while Segnitz is a founder of the Kepler Quartet and performs with the Milwaukee Symphony.
Among the pieces performed will be "Bånsull til Midsommer," which Een wrote to honor Norwegians after the deadly terrorist attacks of July 22, 2011.
