Sattuma
Folk Music Genuinely Reflecting the
Spirit of Karelia

Spirited Finnish folk songs, romantic Russian waltzes and spry Scandinavian polskas are all on tap when the folk quartet Sattuma performs.

This dynamic group will perform for schools and communities in the New England and Washington DC areas. The school performances are partially funded by a grant from Finlandia Foundation National.

The group consists of Arto Rinne and his 16-year-old daughter Eila, and Dima Demin and his 13-year-old son Vlad. All multi-talented musicians, they perform traditional dance melodies and songs of both Russia & Finland on fiddles, accordion, clarinet, flutes, jaw harp, harmonica, Estonian bagpipes and the Finnish folk instruments known as the kantele and jouhikko.

Sattuma hails from Karelia, a region of Russia which borders Finland and which retains a strong Finnish heritage. The group's name comes from a Finnish word meaning either “happenstance” or “to hit the mark,” depending on how it's used. Both nuances are appropriate, says Sattuma member Arto Rinne, since the four started playing together just for fun but soon found that there was a demand for their music, with its special multi-generational appeal.

“SATTUMA is a fantastic group, very lively, very sociable, and very deeply rooted in Finnish and Karelian traditions. The fact that they are a family quartet adds a great deal of vitality to their performances, and their virtuosity just grows as the children grow. I cannot recommend them enough, and we always look forward to having them in our area once again.” Kathleen Osgood Dana, PhD, Center for Northern Studies at Sterling College, Wolcott, VT.

“They are easily one of the most well received groups we have had in the past several years. We had a full house which asked for and received several spirited encores.” Bruce Griffin, Chairman of the Program Committee, Finlandia Foundation National Capitol Chapter, re: concert at Finnish Embassy, Washington DC, November, 2004.