Finding A Purpose In Five Strings
by Merja Soria (written in 1997)

When I came to this country eight years ago with my husband, daughter and musical instruments, I was prepared for a life that would be very different from what I knew in Finland. I had studied Finnish folk music in Sibelius Academy and was convinced that here in San Diego I would never find an audience for the music that I loved so much.

The first year in this country was the most difficult. I didn't belong here, and felt I had no purpose in this community. That is when I turned to the kantele and ancient Finnish music. It was the music that brought me the "home away from home," a sense of being part of an invisible chain of women, the ones who came before me and told their story through these songs.

I soon started to share my songs with other people, first with Finnish-American, then with American audiences. I realized that even American people loved these ancient songs, they always told me that the melodies sounded so strangely familiar and soothing, even they knew they never had heard them before.

I decided to start teaching kantele and Finnish folk music for both Finnish-Americans and Americans. In 1991 I began teaching kantele in the Finnish community of San Diego and in 1992 at San Diego State University (SDSU).

Teaching at San Diego State University

The group "Suddenly Finnish" with Merja Soria (top row middle), Stacey Stroh (front row left) and Cindy Dube (front row middle)

At San Diego State University I first taught non-music majors, then in 1993 music majors as well. The music majors were so enthusiastic about Finnish music that we decided to form a professional ensemble called Suddenly Finnish. The group performed Finnish music for mostly American audiences around California. Our most important performance was in Washington D.C. in 1996; a concert for Smithsonian Institution at the Embassy of Finland.

Kantele has always been an important part of our program. For the students Finnish music is a window for a very different culture. I became interested in why these young people kept coming back to hear and learn about Finnish music and I asked them to write and talk about it.

One of my first students, Cindy Dube (music major, violin) said: "Finnish music was the most beautiful music I ever heard, it was free. And I knew instantly, the way you felt about the music was how I wanted to feel, and I didn't feel that way so I just had to come... and I feel that one thing that draws Americans to Finnish music is that you care. You care where you came from. You care about your history and what's special about you. And here you have such a hodge podge of things it's easy to feel you are just lost in the middle... I feel that I have found, for the first time since I was little, have found a place inside of me that can make music - joyfully...."

Stacey Stroh (music major, voice) said: "It fits to my world perspective that I always have maintained... that each person has her own voice, her own way of expressing herself... and to bring that out instead of trying to make everyone to fit in this narrow little space and say; oh you have to be this way to make good music...."

As I already mentioned, I teach classes for both music majors and non-music majors. For non-music majors kantele is usually the first musical instrument they ever played, so they come to the first class a little anxious, afraid they are not talented enough, clever enough, fast enough.... After a few classes, however, you will find the students happily helping each other to learn the instrument. The students become a team, we work together throughout the semester and after 14 lessons we have a little concert, where all 40 students perform with kanteles, singing and dancing. They are all amazed how already during the first lesson they were able to accompany a song.

It has been very interesting to observe how traditional Finnish music, played either with kantele or other instruments, has influenced the life of many of my students. When you play these ancient tunes, you realize how in deeper level we are all so connected with each other. When people come together to play kantele, they remove their adult masks, because for that special moment, it is only music that matters. We are there to let the ancient stories unfold, gently, effortlessly. And I feel so lucky, because after all these years of struggle in this country, I finally found my purpose -- in 5-strings!