Video 1: “Vildaluodda” (Official Music Video)
Vildaluodda / Wildprint (comp. and arr. by Hildá Länsman, Viivi Maria Saarenkylä). Published by Bafe’s Factory, 2019. Film by Ernesto Calderón. Filmed in Valparaíso, Chile, in September 2018.

Vilda shares, “We are honoured & grateful to live, create and play on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples – Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, and the beloved home of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nation where the festival occurs.”

Vilda 2: “VILDÁ Studio Live: Beata Ciellá”

Vilda will perform on Friday, July 15, 2022 3:50 PM South Stage at the 2022 Vancouver Folk Music Festival – an eclectic lineup that traverses a global musical landscape with something for everyone, including artists from Korea, Chile, Mexico, Taiwan, India, Finland, USA and across Canada. VILDÁ is an original blend of indigenous Sámi yoiks, grooving rhythms and improvisation. Inspiration has been gathered from the Sámi people’s strong connection to nature, present-day pop as well as the Finnish folk tradition. The result is a unique dialogue that takes the listener to a fascinating journey to the Sámi land – the vast landscapes under the arctic hills and frosty winds. VILDÁs debut album Vildaluodda – Wildprint (2019, Bafe’s Factory) has gained great reviews internationally and was singled out as one of the best albums of 2019 by Songlines Magazine. Since then the band has toured in Canada, Spain, the UK, France, Bulgaria and Scandinavia. VILDÁ is singer Hidla Länsman and accordionist Viivi Maria Saarenkylä.

Vilda is a” A magical, mystical blend of Sámi joiks, accordion, and contemporary pop ” Excerpts from their website: The joik, the traditional form of song of the Sámi, has a long and noble history – researchers believe it to be one of Europe’s oldest continuous musical traditions. Meant to evoke a particular person, animal, or place, joiks were typically sung a cappella, and deeply personal or spiritual in nature. And while they’re also prevalent in modern day Nordic pop culture, they’d never been combined with accordion, Finland’s most traditional instrument. Until now.

The story goes that when Hildá Länsman, an acclaimed Sámi singer and musician, and Viivi Maria Saarenkylä, Finland’s leading young accordionist, first heard each other’s music, they decided they had to collaborate. The result is VILDÁ, a magical duo blending the past with the present and casting fresh spells with their talent. Debut album ‘Vildaluodda’ combined contemporary pop with traditional Finnish folk, all “mystical yoiks, swinging rhythms and improvisation”. The result is as enchanting as it is unique; there’s a shamanic element to many of their songs, and they conjure both a deep sense of history and the remote wilderness the Sámi call home. But there’s a modern edge to their work too, a reimagining of what folk music can be or do – witness the beat underpinning ‘Utsjoki-disko’, or the drone-like tones of ‘Talvisalo’. And they’re reaching new audiences; having already played WOMEX and several prominent Canadian festivals, they won a Music Moves Europe Talent Award earlier this year. But really, giving such a rich, cultural heritage a new lease of life – and new set of devotees – is the best prize of all.’

Viivi Maria Saarenkylä is an award-winning Finnish accordion artist. She got her first accordion at the age of 6 and 10 years later, the young accordionist became known in her home country after winning the Finnish Championships for entertaining accordion music in 2010. The competition known as Kultainen Harmonikka was a popular TV show broadcast live on the main national TV channel. The next year Viivi Maria started to study variété-music in Italy with maestro Renzo Ruggieri.

In recent years Viivi has participated in many international accordion competitions around the world winning the 1st prize of the prestigious PIF Castelfidardo in 2014 in the Senior Variété category as her latest achievement among many other successes. The young accordionist has performed solo as well as in several bands and groups in Europe, Japan, Ethiopia, Canada, China etc. “Carnevale” is Viivi Maria Saarenkylä’s first solo album. It is a fascinating selection of virtuoso music from jazz to tango and from pop music to new Finnish folk music. Most of the songs are composed and arranged for international accordion competitions, some exclusively for Viivi Maria.

The 2022 Vancouver Folk Music Festival will be held at Jericho Beach Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from July 15th to 17th, 2022. In honor of Earth Day, festival organizers are committed to ensuring they get closer each year to being a zero waste festival and have an amazing team of volunteers who ensure their recycling programs and site clean up run smoothly.

Additional performers include: The Bros. Landreth, Robben Ford Music, Frazey Ford, Taj Mahal,Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Asleep at the Wheel, Allison Russell, The New Pornographers, SG̲aanaG̲wa (Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson), Shovels and Rope, Alejandro Escovedo, and Five Alarm Funk.

The Vancouver Folk Music Festival is a not for profit society building a world where folk music culture thrives. Already known around the world for the quality of its programming, friendly ambiance and beautiful park setting, the 2022 Vancouver Folk Music Festival will be another year of exciting, eclectic and diverse music for all ages. VILDA is presented in partnership with Nordic Bridges 2022 and in collaboration with Harbourfront Centre, Toronto.

Tickets are now on sale.
For more information: info@thefestival.bc.ca