The inaugural performance of Kantele kollektiivi, in Roseville, Minnesota USA December 2025
by Elizabeth “Helvi” Brauer
There is a new kantele group in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA. Kantele kollektiivi is currently looking for more interested people to join the “Kantele Renaissance,” whether they live in the Twin Cities or not. Interested people should email Kantele kollektiivi (kantelekollektiivi@gmail.com) for more information.
The group hopes to further interest in kantele in North America. Many families have a kantele at home, but few actually play it. The instruments most likely sit in closets or serve as decorations. My 10-string kantele came to me via Kay Seppälä, who knew I was wanting to get one. She was, at the time, fundraising for her Finnish kids dance group to travel to Finland. Kay had solicited kantele donations that she could take in and redistribute for a bit of money for the trip. Mine was built by Gerry Henkel of Duluth, MN. Gerry is a well-known maker of kantele instruments in the United States and retired a few years ago after selling his business. My 10-string was living in Hawaii before being sent to Kay for the fundraiser.
I started this group, because I have a strong desire to feel more connected to my late Great Grandmother’s late little sister, Kerttu Viljanen. Kerttu was born in Finntown Chicago and died in Finland, with a lot of life between. She became a kantele student and performer in Soviet Karelia when her parents decided to move away from the US to become Soviet Pioneers with hopes to build a workers’ paradise. As Kerttu was only 13 at the time, she went along, while my Great Grandma Irma (at the time 16), decided to stay behind.
Photo: Punainen Karjala, March 24th, 1937 vol. 68
There is so much I will never know about my family’s history, but I have been working on doing what I can to find out as much as possible in the past 5 or so years. I started developing a strong interest in kantele when Kay Seppälä hosted my sister and I at her home and introduced us to the fun of kantele!
I learned about Kerttu’s hobby and eventual career teaching kantele in Finland, on my very first trip to Finland as a teenager. We visited her gravesite while visiting other remaining relatives in Finland. Her gravestone has a kantele on it. I don’t recall seeing another like it. I can’t remember what was told to me about Kerttu by my relatives. At the time, I was about to head into my 3rd summer of the High School Credit Villager program at Salolampi when I got back from Finland and was becoming more confident in my Finnish, but I have come a long way since in my Finnish language skills. If I was told something in Finnish about her, I don’t remember. I don’t believe much if anything was said about her in English to me either on that trip.
Kerttu (left), 1940. This is one of my more recent finds. I was so happy to share this picture of Kerttu with my family!
Kerttu (left) - Photo from Rintama, March 1937
Kerttu moved to Finland with her father (my great great grandpa Aarne Viljanen) as refugees. My great great grandma Aleksandra died in Soviet Karelia and was buried in a mass grave - I am fairly certain we will never find her. Aarne died shortly after making it back to the country he left for the US - coming full circle. My Great Grandma Irma, never saw her parents again after they had departed to Soviet Karelia. Kerttu visited my family once, before I was born and died before I could meet her. I really wish I could have met her.
Kerttu’s grave in Finland
Our relatives in Myllykoski, Finland
Our late relative, Heli Väiniö, in her home in Espoo, Finland. She hosted us for a few nights on my first trip to Finland. I am still in contact with her daughter Hanna.
Our family has the wedding ring Aarne gave to Aleksandra - a simple gold band. Kerttu left it with my grandma when she visited in the 80s, prior to moving to Finland several years after. She said she knew it would be taken from her, if she were to return with it to the Soviet Union. If she was questioned about why she didn’t bring it back with her, she had a plan of what to tell the Soviet officials. She also left many pieces of costume jewelry, a purse, and her address in Petrozavodsk. I have loved digging into digital archives to pull more information about her forward for my family and I. I watch videos of people she has interacted with. I read their journals. I reflect about how different life choices by her parents, her sister, and herself could have ended in different outcomes. And I wonder what I should do with all of these familial facts and fantasies.
My kantele and Pilvi, who likes to come sit by me while I play
Our group’s logo
The ring. I got to wear it during FinnFest 2017 in Minneapolis.
For now, I am working on feeling closer to someone I never knew by playing the kantele I got via Kay Seppälä nearly every day. I have made about 80 arrangements of various tunes, some more Finnish than others. I have been lucky to find a few people so far who have interest in joining what we are affectionately calling our “kantele support group.” In early November 2025, we had our first official gathering of Kantele kollektiivi. Meeting both in person and online, we joined together for a bit of practice, discussion, and with the intention of performing at Kauneimmat joululaulut in December. We had a few other rehearsals after that and were able to pull off a performance of prelude music ahead of the Kauneimmat joululaulut program. We were so happy to have numerous community members come talk to us about the group following the program, including a few of Kay’s relatives and members of a previous kantele group, Koivun kaiku that was based in Minneapolis many years ago.
We are hoping to continue our casual, yet purposeful kantele group and invite you to join, if interested! Please email kantelekollektiivi@gmail.com for more information and to be added to the rehearsal communications list.
