GIG: Harpas at Halsway

A Saturday evening gig from our International line-up of tutors for our Harpas Festival Weekend! See and hear the Nyckelharpa – a traditional Swedish ‘keyed fiddle’ – in the hands of three of Europe’s finest exponents of the instrument - Vicki Swan, Magnus Holmström and Rasmus Hemström.

Vicki Swan studied at the Royal College of Music on the double bass. She also plays the various types of bagpipes, flute, recorder, piano and nyckelharpa. On leaving music college Vicki started down the long path of folk music and was only seen on rare glimpses back in classical orchestras. You’ll find Vicki now inhabiting the troll-ridden forests on the hunt for new and exciting tunes from the näcken. Vicki plays not only the standard 3-row modern chromatic, but also the 1408 sienaharpa, the 1526 moraharpa, the 1700s kontrabasharpa and the 1800s silverbasharpa. Over the pandemic Vicki worked tirelessly on a Virtual Music Room to try to help isolated nyckelharpa players remain motivated and focused on playing and learning. She is the host of the yearly Halsway Nyckelharpa Festival.

Magnus Holmström

Three time world champion nyckelharpa player. Rikspelman and the boss at the Eric Sahlström Institute. The loudest player in the known universe. Imagine the loudest nyckelharpa in the world and double it. Rumour has it that Magnus eats surströmming for breakfast. All round amazing guy, brilliant teacher and we can’t wait to have him back at Halsway!

Rasmus Hemström is one of the bright new rising stars on the nyckelharpa scene. With his brilliant and dance-driven nyckelharpa playing, rooted in Swedish, and especially the Uppland music tradition, he is currently active as a solo musican and with the band Dragkroka. In April 2025, Dragkroka released their debut EP, SMÄCK!, and has just completed their first international tour in New Zealand. Rasmus is also educated at Royal College of Music in Stockholm. In this workshop you can expect to learn some of Rasmus’s favorite Swedish tunes. We will explore technical aspects such as rhythm and groove, producing good tone and using the instrument to its fullest potential, as well as nyckelharpa playing technique in general.