Värttinä are Finland’s internationally acclaimed contemporary folk music phenomenon. Formed in 1983 as a small girls’ group singing and playing kanteles, then rapidly expanding to a twenty-one-piece group before streamlining down to a ten-piece in 1990 and finally now a dynamic ninepiece, this exciting and groundbreaking ensemble, fronted by three dazzling female singers has produced ten albums, six of which topped World Music charts in Europe, America and Japan and one of which was certified Platinum.

Their distinctive and innovative style which draws on Karelian and Finno-Ugric runo and harmony traditions, has blown away audiences worldwide with tours in Japan, Australia, North and South America and all over Europe. Their previous  albums Ilmatar (studio, 2000) and 6.12 (live, 2001) and iki (studio, 2003) received unanimous critical acclaim worldwide.

Now with the strongest line-up of their career, Värttinä celebrate over two decades of music making with the 2006 release of their tenth studio album, Miero, released worldwide on the Real World records label.  The band has also co-composed music for The Lord of the Rings stage adaptation which premiered in Toronto in March 2006 in London in June 2007.

For more information on Värttinä, please visit www.varttina.com.