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 Fiddle 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 neet to already
play Hardanger fiddle to apply. We have also supported members
to study at the Ole Bull Akademiet,
a selective, folk music institute in Norway.
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 sending e-mail.
To join, visit our membership page.