Home About Trip to Tobo Träd Recordings

Our grand adventure

We spent an intense and rewarding 2012–13 school year in Sweden, studying fiddle and nyckelharpa at the Eric Sahlström Institute. ESI is the epicenter of the nyckelharpa universe; it's located in Tobo, a couple hours' drive north of Stockholm. The town is tiny, but is nevertheless a familiar name both to nyckelharpa players around the world and to people who happen to live along the same train line. It is a wonderful place and you should all go visit.

Yoohoo from Tobo!

Unsurprisingly, lydia attempted to keep a blog where she posted stories and photos and the occasional video. The entries get a bit spottier toward the end there, what with its having been largely insane to suppose there would be time for such things in the first place, but she still aspires to getting all caught up with sharing the last three months' worth of photos. Meanwhile, there's plenty of entertainment there already. If you haven't seen it yet, you might even want to start at the beginning.

The recordings

Before our trip, we recorded a digital EP called Trip to Tobo containing a handful of tunes to share with our Kickstarter backers: some traditional Swedish tunes, some of our own originals, and one tune by Eric Sahlström in honor of his then-imminent 100th birthday celebration.

Upon our return, lydia created the Trip to Tobo tunebook to help share some of our favorite new tunes; it contains both transcriptions and audio. After an intensive year of collecting material, it was a challenge to select a compelling yet representative yet cohesive array of tunes from among the couple hundred top candidates, but happily our Kickstarter backers have been sending rave reviews about the results.

Learn more about both on our Recordings page.

Thanks!!!

A somewhat astonishing number of folks pitched in to support our trip. We love you all!

Our album!

Thanks to Bob Mills for sound engineering of our "Trip to Tobo" recording, Doug Cox for the violins and viola we played on it, and the MacDowell Colony for the recording space. Moti Mark Zemelman snapped the album cover photo.

Our movie!

We are very grateful to Moti Mark Zemelman for video filming and Mark Leibold for the generous loan of his video camera. Thanks as well to these people for permission to use their photos in our video: Moti Mark Zemelman, Bob Mills, Karsten Evers, Marty Stock, Roger Katz, Andrew Finlayson, Astrid Lague. Images of the Eric Sahlström Institute come from the ESI site and their Facebook page; the faculty portraits are by Mia Marin, and the classic photo of Eric is by Ingvar Johans.

Scholarships!

Thanks to SWEA Boston for the $1000 scholarship awarded to lydia (and for the beautiful flower wreath that appears in our photos). lydia also received a $200 grant from the Outreach Fund of the Country Dance and Song Society.

Kickstarter backers!

We are tremendously grateful to the many generous folks whose contributions have made our trip possible. Please take a few moments to appreciate this amazing outpouring of support — we sure do!

A. Rima Dael Aaron Marcus Adina Gordon Alex & Jan Aminoff Alice Bennett Groh Alice Klingener Alisa Dodson Alixe Dancer Allison Aldrich Allison Bell Amanda Doster Amy Biddle Amy Jesaitis Amy Parker Anders Buen Andrew Snyder Ann Mason Ann Pearce Ann Russell Anna Rain Annamarie Pluhar Anne Lowenthal Anne-Marie Tarnstrom Annie Winkler anonymous Armand Aromin Arthur Ferguson Ashmore Coffee & Tea Barbara Morrison BDan Fairchild Beata Schmid Becky Ashenden Ben Alexander Beth Anne Huffine Betty Jacobson Bev Bernbaum Bob Cook Bob Mills Brad Battey, Jr. Brad Battey, Sr. Brandt Kurowski Brian Gallagher & Magdalen Zander Brian Lisus Brian Wilson Bruce Kokernot & Wendy Gilchrist Cal & Irene Howard Carlton Fuerst Carol MacLennan Carol Werba Carol Wilcox Caroline Batson Carolyn Pulis Casey Steinberg Catherine Grandgeorge Catie Geist Charles Galt Charles Malloch Chip Prince Chris & Rita Leydon Chris Levey Chris Madigan Christin Malmquist Christina Wasch Christine Cooper Chuck Gordon Clifford Wagner Conrad Jacoby Constance Rinaldo Craig Colorusso Craig Packard Cynthia Shaw Simonoff Cynthia Whear Dan Rosenberg & Addie Holland Dana Sussman Daniel Beerbohm & Barbara Greenberg Daniel Emery Daniel Gundlach

Daniel Kahn Dave Carter David Casserly David Chandler David Millstone David Simonoff David Smukler Deb Abrahams-Dematte Deb Karl Deborah Diesen Deborah Kruskal Diane Frank Do Yeong & Kwang Ok Shin Donn Williams Doug Plummer Douglas Cox Douglas Oines Earl Gaddis & Sherry Brodock Elizabeth Freedman Ellen Cookson Ellen Vesterdal Ellie Hansen & Bob Erenburg Emily Doolittle Eric Torrey Erica Morse Erik Craft Erik Ievins Erol Tamerman Faith Kaufmann Frank Stern Fred Bialy Gary Roodman Gene Murrow George Marshall Glenn Stevenson Grace Check Gretchen Laise Gretchen Preston & Greg Meisner Gustaf Liljegren Hal Wagner Harriet Gerber Heather Glista Hege Ravdal Helene & Arthur Cornelius Henriette Isene Henrik Backlund Hilary Turnberg Hugh Wilcox Ilana Schmitt Ilija Zeljkovic Ingrid Gunderson Irene & Frank Barmore Jackie Algon & Carl Anderson Jackie Davis Jacqueline Schwab Jan Elliott Jane Srivastava Janet Barnes Janet Ievins Jean Darnell Jean Monroe Jeanne Sawyer Jennifer Saul Jerome Fung Jill Newton Joel Remde John Hall John Hostage John Lam John P. Chambers John Zavgren Jon Singleton Jonas Törnros Jonathan Dick Jonathan Morse Jonathan T. Hohl Kennedy Judith Erickson

Judith Klotz Judy Gatland Judy Grunberg Julie Bermant Karen Anne Blackman Karen Axelrod Karen Brandt Karen Gendron Karen Larson Karen Ostrom Kate Binder Kate Doughty Kathie Brown Kathie Lovell Kathleen Vetter Kenneth Prince Kenneth Wilcox Kent Gilbert Kevin OBrien Kitty Kagay Lara Freidenfelds Laura DeCesare Laura Leibensperger Laura Stern Laura Swanson Lauren Bird Laurie Hart Laurie Indenbaum Laurie Woods Lavinia Adler Lee Goldberg Lenora Kandiner & Tim Cresson Linda Nelson Lisa Greenleaf Lisa Sieverts Liz Toffey Liza Carter Loretta Holz Louise Adler Lucy Weinstein Lui Collins Luna Bitzer Lynn Baumeister Lynn Milich Margaret Chambers Margaret Welsh Margaret Youngberg Margie Baron Mari Carlson Marilyn Butler Mark Jones Mark Stayton Marko Packard Marni Rachmiel Martha Creedon Martha Kent Martin Karlsson Mary E. Jones Mary Lea Mary O'Brien Matias Milet Matt Fichtenbaum Maurita Holland Melissa MacIntyre Melissa Running Mia Bertelli Michael Weinreich Micky McKinley Mike Zarin Miriam Newman Mitzi Hauser Morty Isaacson Moti Mark Zemelman Myra Hirschberg Naka Ishii Nancy Boyd & Art Munisteri Nancy Campbell

Nancy Hanssen Naomi Morse Nat Barmore Nettie Lagace Noah Segal Nora Smith Ona Lindauer Pam Paulson Pat MacPherson Patrice George Patrik Pettersson Paul Ross Paula Goode Pete Sutherland Peter Blue Peter McColl Phyllis Varga Rachel Gordon Rachel Winslow Raj Parameswaran Ralph Canapa Ralph Sturgen Rasma Gundega Ievina Ray Schneider Rebecca McCallum Rhonda Beckman Rhonda Cardwell Richard Wyatt Rick Savadow Rob Dobson Robert Lindauer Robert Shinerock Robin Kynoch Rode Orm Film Rose Fox Rosemary Rector Rose von Schlegell Ruth Hyde Ruth Reiner Sally Bown Sally Lackman Sandy & Sam Rotenberg Sara Sullivan Sarah Higginbotham Sarah Pilzer Sarah Spaeth Sharon Green Shawn Brenneman Sheila Morris Shirley White Sonia Pearson White Stefan Vilpula Stine O'Brien Sue Dupre Susan & Hope Leary Susan Conger Susan Conover Susan Janssen Susan St. Germain Susan Turner Susanne Wieder Susie Petrov Tamara Golden Tara Bolker Teresa Steer Theresa Martin Tom Pixton Tom Roby & Karen Edwards Tracey Robinson Valorie LaBelle Vince O'Donnell Vincent Taylor Wayne Smith Wendy Wendy McDougall Will Strang & Stephanie Smith

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