Niko Kumpuvaara

The IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) was an international anarcho-syndicalist union movement, which was founded in 1905 in Chicago. Finns were active in the movement from the 1910s onwards and published three songbooks of their own. These songs, however, have remained largely unheard in Finland. The ensemble Laulava Unioni offers fresh interpretations of music written by the Finnish members of the IWW.

Cooperation between contemporary music operators in Finland and Russia depends on networks of personal connections built up over a long time. Although there are surprisingly few joint projects, existing relationships continually foster new interaction between the two neighbouring countries, which in turn makes it easier for other contemporary musicians to cross the border.

“The best collaborations empower or even improve their participants. Whenever guitarist Marzi Nyman stepped up during Silence Festival he seemed to lift the creative discourse to another level with his gregarious, joyous musicianship.”