Hardanger Fiddle Teachers Arngunn Timenes Bell Arngunn Timenes Bell, from Viksdalen (Gaular) in Sunnfjord, Western Norway, has been playing hardingfele since she was 7 years old. She plays music from her home district, but is also well-versed in music from other districts. She loves dancing, loves to play for dancing, and places great emphasis on good dance rhythm in her playing. Arngunn has studied with Vidar Underseth, Sigmund Eikås and Håkon Høgemo. She is currently a second-year student at the Ole Bull Academy in Voss. She has taught hardingfele at Mokurset, the oldest folk music and dance summer course for young people in Norway, for several years. Arngunn has done very well at local and national folk music competitions and at Landskappleiken, playing solo, in small groups, and since 1997 as leader of the Gaular Spelemannslag. She has performed as far abroad as Malawi in southern Africa, China, and Uzbekistan.
Dan Trueman, composer and violinist, began hardingfele twelve years ago, first learning tunes from an old recording of Anund Roheim. He has studied with Loretta Kelley, Hauk Buen, and Vidar Lande, among others. Dan's most recent accomplishments for the HFAA include curating the AmerikaSlåttar (new music) concert at AmeriKappleik in 2003 and teaching at the 2006 HFAA workshop. Inspired by traditional hardingfele, Dan performs with guitarist Monica Mugan in Trollstilt. The duo released its first CD of original tunes in 2000 and has performed at contemporary and folk music festivals, most notably at Den Norsk Folkemusikkveka in Ål, Hallingdal. Trollstilt has recently expanded and become QQQ, which will release its first CD in the Fall of 2008. Dan teaches composition at Princeton University.
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Kveding (Traditional Singing) Hege Ravdal, whose Norwegian home is in Morgedal, Telemark, has been deeply involved with Norwegian traditional singing for some time. Hege has taught kveding at the HFAA Annual Workshop for the past three years, and she has written about Norwegian vocal folk music for the HFAA's Sound Post (Summer 2006 issue). She has studied with Olav Sem, Aasmund Nordstoga, and Jon Anders Halvorsen both in the US and in Norway.
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Gideon Morse began playing munnharpe in Hallgrim Berg's workshop at the HFAA’s AmeriKappleik in 2003. He has since participated in every munnharpe workshop offered by the HFAA. In 2007, he traveled to Setesdal, Norway, to learn tunes from Sigurd Brokke and visit munnharpe maker Bjørgulv Straume. Gid plays munnharpe and leads halling antics at Scandinavian dances in New England.
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