Download a photo of Sara Smith and Ruth Dramstad.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. —Sympathetic Strings, a new documentary from Pioneer PBS about the history and culture surrounding the Hardanger fiddle in Minnesota, will be broadcast for the first time on the Postcards program on Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m, Sunday, May 31 at 7 p.m. and Monday, June 1 at 1:30 p.m. The documentary will also be available for online viewing after the original airing through the station’s website: www.pioneer.org/postcards.
Sympathetic Strings was developed as a companion piece for The Devil's Instrument -- a documentary that explores the origins of the Hardanger fiddle as Norway’s national instrument through the eyes of contemporary artists and masters keeping traditions alive in Norway. In Sympathetic Strings, we meet fiddle makers, musicians, dancers and apprentices from throughout Minnesota who form a passionate, close-knit community of folk tradition practice surrounding the Hardanger fiddle.
Bud Larsen of Brainerd started learning to make Hardanger fiddles back in 1957 as a 14-year-old apprentice to Norwegian-American violin maker Gunnar Gunnarsson Helland of Fargo. Now he is passing the craft on to Ruth Dramstad and Sara Smith -- two teenagers from Fargo. Aaran Joneson of Willmar is also featured as an apprentice fiddle maker in the film.
Rachel Jensen of Minneapolis is a passionate player of the Hardanger fiddle with a group called The Twin Cities Hardingfelelag. She learned from Andrea Een, professor emerita of music at St. Olaf College in Northfield who is credited with helping to reintroduce the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle tradition to the United States. Both musicians are featured in the film along with Art Bjorngjeld as they play music for the traditional Norwegian dance group known as Det Norske Folkedanslaget led by Carol Sersland. Kari Tauring also appears in the film as a dancer and commentator.
Finally, the documentary takes us to southwestern Minnesota to the home of Stephanie Hendrickson of Sacred Heart. Hendrickson was also a student of Een and she cherishes her Norwegian made fiddle in the same way Karen Odden does. Odden is from Granite Falls and her grandfather Steiner had three fiddles and Odden was lucky to inherit one of them. Granite Falls is the home of Carl Narvestad who, along with Thorwald O. Quale, Andrea Een and others, co-founded the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America which helped foster the revival of the instrument starting in 1983.
Sympathetic Strings is produced by Pioneer PBS producer Dana Conroy featuring videography by Ben Dempcy and Kristofor Gieske. The documentary was edited by Kevin Russell. Funding for the documentary was provided by Margaret Cargill Philanthropies and by Moving Lives Minnesota: Stories of Origin and Immigration. This project seeks to deepen understanding of Minnesota’s origins and immigration history.
About Postcards
Postcards is produced by Dana Conroy with videography and editing by Kristofor Gieske and Ben Dempcy. The program is made possible by contributions from the voters of Minnesota through a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Production sponsors for the program include Shalom Hill Farm, Explore Alexandria Tourism and the Lake Region Arts Council.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit: www.pioneer.org
