Tellu Turkka (formerly Tellu Paulasto, Tellu Virkkala, born 1969,
Koskenpää) is a
Finnish fiddler
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...
and singer in the contemporary folk / neo-folk music genre. She studied violin at the
Jyväskylä Conservatory from 1978 to 1985, at the
Savonlinna
Savonlinna (, , ; sv, Nyslott, lit=New Castle) is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region, which is why the city is also nicknamed the "Capital of Saimaa". Together with Mikke ...
Art College from 1985 to 1988, and at the Folk Music Department of the
Sibelius Academy from 1989 to 2001. She also studied
Hardanger Fiddle with
Ã…non Egeland in Norway from 1992 to 1993.
She is probably best known for her work with the band
Hedningarna
Hedningarna (''The Heathens'') is a Swedish, and for some years partly Finnish, folk music band that mixes electronics and rock with elements from old Scandinavian folk music. Their music features yoik or juoiggus, a traditional Sami form of s ...
(1990–1996, 2001–2003). During her work with Hedningarna, she developed a strong interest in the ancient Finnish
runo-songs, which compose the Finnish national epic, the
Kalevala
The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies an ...
.
Tellu has also performed with the ensembles
Loituma
Loituma is a Finnish quartet whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.
History
Loituma’s initial incarnation was ...
(1989–1991; she was a founding member),
Piniartut,
Tallari (1997–1998, 2001–2002) and
Luna Nova
Luna commonly refers to:
* Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin
* Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon
Luna may also refer to:
Places Philippines
* Luna, Apayao
* Luna, Isabela
* Luna, La Union
* Luna, San Jose
Romania
* ...
(1996–2001), and is currently performing with her group
Suden Aika along with
Liisa Matveinen
Liisa is a Finnish and Estonian female given name. Its name day is 19 November in both countries. It originated as a variation of the name Lisa or Alisa. As of January 2013, there are more than 100,000 women registered in Finland with this nam ...
,
Katariina Airas and
Nora Vaura. She also participated in
Ruth MacKenzie
Ruth Mackenzie is an artistic director of theatres and arts festivals. She has worked extensively in the UK and Europe, and was responsible for the London 2012 Festival. In 2022 she was appointed as artistic director of the Adelaide Festival of ...
's musical theatre performance ''Kalevala: Dream of the Salmon Maiden'' at the
Guthrie Theatre in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...
in 1999.
Discography
With Hedningarna
*Kaksi (1992)
*Trä (1994)
With Liisa Matveinen
* Mateli (1999)
Solo
* Pähkinänsydän (1999; children's music)
With Piniartut
*Piniartut (2001; Tellu also produced this album)
With Tallari
* Virtaa (1999)
* Mieron tammat (2002)
* Runolaulutanssit (2003)
With Suden Aika
* Suden Aika (1996)
* Etsijä (2004)
* Unta (2006)
External links
Suden Aika
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkka, Tellu
1969 births
Living people
20th-century Finnish women singers
Finnish fiddlers
Finnish violinists
21st-century violinists
21st-century Finnish women singers