An award-winning Hardanger fiddle designer presented at Livsreise on Saturday, Jan. 28.Karen Rebholz presented her program, called “Construction, Sound and the Folk Music Tradition,” about the fiddles, which are recognized as the national instrument of Norway. She explained the year-long process of creating her fiddles each of which made completely from scratch from the beginning stages of selecting the spruce and maple wood for the “ribs,” to drawing the intricate designs with special-ly made ink.The presentation drew an overflow crowd, many clad in Norwegian sweaters, and some attendees even traveled from Washington, Iowa.For more on Rebholz, visit her website at karenrebholz.weebly.com. – Amber Levenhagen
Kathleen Almelien traveled 200 miles from Washington, Iowa, to attend the fiddle presentation. She traveled to Norway several months ago and has had a continued interest in the culture. Almelien learned about the fiddle presentation the evening before and spontaneously gathered a group of friends to travel with to Stoughton. During the presentation, she sketched drawings and took notes because she said “it’s all incredibly fascinating.” Photos by Amber Levenhagen Read more at: ConnectStoughton.com
