The West Denmark Heritage Council is a distinct non-profit being developed to foster cultural events in the tradition of the West Denmark community and Danish Folk Schools. Through lectures, musical performances, artistic endeavors, camps, craft workshops, nature appreciation events, and other events we hope to sustain the rich cultural heritage historically imparted by the West Denmark community.
Fiddle School
Featuring international instructors lead by Harald Haugaard, of Denmark, and modeled after Harald’s Breklum Germany fiddle school, the week at West Denmark is an intensive study in music based on Scandinavian and Anglo/Celtic traditions. For more information and to register for the Fiddle School, go to www.wdfiddleschool.org
Family Camp
Annual event: July 1st – July 3rd. Registration caps at 125 people for the delicious, wholesome, as-local-as we-can meals. You’ll want to be in that number! This mini folk school is a quality intergenerational event you won’t want to miss. Click here for more information on Family Camp.
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Heritage Council Concerts
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March 2024
“Peter Mayer is one of the finest songwriters on the planet. His intricate guitar work, breathtaking imagery, and nature mysticism are balm for the weary soul.” -Fred Small, Singer/Songwriter
October 2023
The band members have roots in widely different genres, but found a common love for the Danish traditional music.
September 2023
Concert and Dance at the Parish Hall
April 2023
January 2020
Kevin McMullin
November 2019
“We all walk dark roads at a some point in our lives.”Into the Black Sea: Stories of Darkness and Light” is part storytelling, part music. The program is a one-man show, punctuated with humor, inspiration, longing, music and hope.
March 2019
November 2018
October 2018
February 2018
September 2017
Sonnich Lydom and Kristian Bugge
March 2017: The Newlands Co-op
Vidar Skrede is a Nordic folk musician playing fiddle, guitar, Hardanger fiddle, and a Greek bouzouki. Sara Pajunen is a Minneapolis-based violinist and composer specializing in Finnish folk music.
Olav Mjelva and Erik Rydvall: November 2016
Erik and Olav are a collaborative duo – Swedish and Norwegian – playing unique instruments – a keyed Fiddle and a Hardanger Fiddle. Interesting sounds, nuances and tunes that are both inventive and traditional.
Bill & Kate Isles
April 2016
Bill & Kate are an acoustic singer /songwriter duo based in Duluth, Minnesota who tour nationwide. They use a wide variety of musical styles, and are known for their catchy melodies and memorable songs.
Nordic Fiddlers Bloc February 2016
The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc – Olav Luksengård Mjelva,
Anders Hall and Kevin Henderson came from Norway, Sweden and the Shetland Islands respectively.
September 2015
Christine and Harry Johansen
A recital of piano works by J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Stefano Donaudy, and George Gershwin . The occasion celebrated the acquisition of a new sanctuary piano made possible through the Arts and Letters Fund established through a legacy gift of Pastor Harald and Saralice Petersen. The mission of the Arts and Letters Fund is to promote and encourage artistic expression, performance, and creativity as a vocational enrichment of our hearts, minds and souls.
Baltic Crossing September 2015
Guitar, fiddle, piano, accordion, Northumbrian bagpipes, mandolin – the musicians from the UK, Finland, and Denmark cross the Baltic Sea to make music, and they brought it all to us!
John McCutcheon
March 2015
The Heritage Council’s opening act
John’s energy, personable style, and artistry in a small setting was a fantastic experience. McCutcheon is a master of the hammered dulcimer, proficient on a wide variety of instruments, and has produced 34 albums since the 1970s.