Swedish Music and Culture at Washington's Gunn Library Nov. 17

At 1 p.m. on November 17, the Gunn Historical Museum in Litchfield Hills will present Swedish Music and Culture: A Musician's Journey Through Scandinavia in the Wykeham Room of the Gunn Library in Washington Connecticut. Katie Trautz, a native Vermont fiddler who has toured nationally and internationally sharing traditional music and original folk songs, will give a performance of Swedish music playing fiddle, guitar and banjo crossing genres with her varying ensembles.

Gunn Historical Museum

Trautz's bands include: Mayfly, Wooden Dinosaur, and Kick 'em Jenny Stringband. She has studied with some of the greatest fiddle players in the US, including Dirk Powell, Pete Sutherland, James Bryan, Jimmy Tripplett, and Bruce Molsky. Katie has played alongside and shared the stage with many well-known bands including: Aoife O'Donovan Band, Brittany Haas & Lauren Rioux, Dirk Powell and Riley Baugus, Deadly Gentlemen, Sheesham and Lotus, David Wax Museum, Matt and Shannon Heaton, Rusty Belle, Michael Chorney and Dollar General, Brown Bird, Devil Makes Three, 4tet, Pete Sutherland, Brown Bird, and many others. Katie is also the co-founder of the non-profit folk music school 'The Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture' based in Montpelier, VT.

Traditional Swedish music is known for the rich harmonies expressed by twin fiddles, lilting polska rhythms, and the thematic play on light and dark. These are the motifs that drew the Vermont-based fiddle player, Katie Trautz, to Scandinavia. Her travels landed her at an intensive musical immersion on a farm north of Stockholm, where traditional music and culture are still thriving. After a visit with one of the country's most renowned folk artists, a journey through the Fjordlands of Norway, and a stop at a small venue along the way to give a performance, Katie brings her travels to life with a demonstration of Swedish fiddling, storytelling and imagery.

Gunn Historical Museum is located on 5 Wykeham Rd. in  Washington.  For additional information call  (860) 868-7586 or visit www.gunnlibrary.org.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Coming to America: Washington's Swedish Immigrants

The Gunn Memorial Museum on 5 Wykeham Road in Washington Connecticut is exploring its' European roots with a new exhibit that runs through January 12, 2014 called Coming to America: Washington's Swedish Immigrants.  This exhibition shares the little-known story of Swedish immigration to this small New England town.

Known for their superior agricultural skills, 1.3 million Swedes immigrated to America during the 19th and 20th centuries, escaping conscription, famine, and poverty. Washington, Connecticut became one of their new homes, where many found employment as laborers and servants on local farms and estates owned by wealthy New Yorkers.

Beginning in 1870, over one hundred Swedish families settled in Washington and built two churches across the street from each other. One, the Salem Covenant Church, is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Swedes made up 22% of Washington's population in 1910, and many of their descendants still reside in town today. This exhibit tells their story.

The Gunn Museum is located at 5 Wykeham Road, at the intersection of Wykeham Road and Rt. 47, on Washington Green. The Museum is open to the public Thursday through Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday from 12pm-4pm. Call the Museum at 860-868-7756 or view www.gunnlibrary.org for more information.