Duluth-stämman Workshop: Sounds of the Iron Age, Nature Instrument Seminar

Kari Tauring leads a workshop on nature instruments, where attendees can hear the stories, lore and sounds of the Iron Age. “Whether vocalizing, clapping along, or blowing on a blade of grass, humans make intentional noise. In Old Norse there was no word for ‘music’ as we know it. What did the Norway’s Iron Age sound like, and how do we know this?” Tauring has been in Denmark and Norway studying nature instruments: bone flute, willow flute, billy goat horn, cow horn, and birch bark lur along with herding songs. In 2023, she won a Viking Connection Apprenticeship to learn about sheep tibia, swan ulna and radius, and bored core elder berry overtone flutes, and in Norway she learned about pulled core willow (selje) overtone flutes.

This workshop is part of the the second annual Duluth-stämman: Nordic Music and Dance Festival, which offers dances, workshops, jam circles, performances and youth activities that aim to be inclusive to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. To view the full schedule and purchase tickets visit nordiccenterduluth.org.