Our Work

The goal of the HFAA is to help preserve and promote the art of the Hardanger fiddle, Norwegian folk dance, and other Norwegian instrumental and vocal music in North America. HFAA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered in the state of Minnesota. The HFAA currently serves hundreds of members in the United States, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Our recent annual workshops have attracted the largest number of Hardanger fiddle players gathered in the North America since the 1920s!

HFAA activities include:

  • Hosting workshops in fiddle playing, dance, and fiddle making at the annual Hardanger Fiddle Music and Dance Workshops and other venues. The HFAA endeavors to bring a master Hardanger fiddle teacher and dancer(s) from Norway each year to lead the instruction. We encourage everyone wishing to play the Hardanger fiddle to participate in a class. Hardanger fiddles are available to borrow for the sessions through our workshop hardingfele loan program.

  • HFAA archivist and videomaker Byron Wiley has produced a retrospective of some of our recent Hardanger fiddle music and dance workshops. Watch the video here!

  • Awarding scholarships to deserving fiddle students to attend the annual workshops. One does not need to already play Hardanger fiddle to apply.

  • Distribution of educational merchandise, including self-instruction manuals, videos and cassettes for beginning players, Hardanger fiddle strings, and recordings of Hardanger fiddle music produced in Norway and North America.

  • Publication of a quarterly journal, Sound Post, which features articles on the history, players, and makers of the Hardanger fiddle, news of current events of interest to enthusiasts, transcriptions of fiddle tunes, and other subjects relating to the music and dance traditions of Norway and Norwegians in North America.

As our members' skills and abilities grow, so do our opportunities. HFAA members, both fiddlers and dancers, give many performances, lectures, and presentations throughout North America, helping to promote Norwegian folk music and dance to a wide audience. If you're interested in including HFAA members as participants or performers in an event you're planning, you can request information by writing to us. To join, visit our Membership page.