NEWS
One hundred years ago, 2 September 1910, was the first time a public concert was held featuring yoik singing. It was the beginning towards the recognition of Sámi style yoik singing as an art form with its own aesthetic and communicative qualities. Since then, yoik has also become a symbol of Sámi identity out in the world and internally among the new generations of Sámi.
The anniversary celebration on the 2nd and 3rd of September features a symposium, workshops, yoik-marathon and an anniversary concert which will be partly broadcast live on Swedish Radio. The anniversary will be mainly taking place at Västerbottens Museum in Umeå, but it officially begins at Rådhustorget (Town Hall Square) in the centre of Umeå on Thursday 2 September at 12:00 pm with yoik as the day’s credo speech, and a yoik relay along the pedestrian street to the auditorium in the Mimerskolans gymnasium where the first yoik concert took place exactly 100 years ago.
Seminars will be held thereafter in Bio Abelli over a two day period with researchers, musicians and people who have personal memories of Karl Tirén, , pioneer and promoter of the original concert. Thursday concludes with yoik marathon at the South Sámi settlement at the Gammlia open-air museum in Umeå. On Friday, workshops will be held in the settlement and the then the anniversary concert takes place featuring Krister Stoor, Jörgen Stenberg, Sofia Jannok, Sara-Helén Persson, Öystein Hanssen, Berit-Alette Mienna, Lars-Henrik Blind, Wimme Saari, Cecilia Persson, Stuoris ja Bálddonas, Per-Niila Stålka and others.
The anniversary celebration is arranged by Umeå Sámi Association, the Archive for Dialects, Place Names and Folklore in Umeå, Centre for Sámi Research and Department of Culture and Media Studies at Umeå University, Västerbottens Museum and many supporting organizations. The concert is made possible with the support of Balticgruppen property management, Umeå Municipality 2014, Västerbotten County Council, Umeå University and Swedbank.
Karl Tirén and his passion for yoik
The concert that was held a century ago was the start of Tirén’s involvement in yoik traditions. The acceptance of yoik changed due to his initiative and continuous efforts. From being belittled and opposed by remnants of the "pagan practices”, high society eventually came to recognise and acknowledge yoik as an independent art form with its own aesthetic and communicative qualities. Yoik has also come to hold an important position as a symbol of Sámi identity in the outside world and internally among the new generations of Sámi.In the years immediately after the concert in Umeå, Tirén made recordings and chronicle trips, and documented numerous yoik singers. Additionally, the source of his many lectures were used by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger in his Symphony No.3 in F minor, Same Ätnam ("Lappland Symphony"), which was eventually released in the printed edition "Die lappische Volksmusik lappische" (The Lappish folk music) in 1943. For further information, contact: Eva Conradzon Mobile: +46 (0)70-354 51 06
