Marianne Maans – violin & vocals
Marianne Maans is a professional and versatile folk musician who performs both solo and with various ensembles. Her specialty is Finnish-Swedish folk music and her musical interest range from contemporary music styles to Argentinian tango, not to forget improvisation.
Marianne works actively as a musician in numerous music projects, courses, workshops and care facilities. She holds a Master of Music degree the Folk Music Department of Sibelius Academy and is also a trained community musician, specializing in soothing music. In 2017, Maans was awarded the Swedish Cultural Foundation’s prize.
Feel free to get in touch for concerts, shows, courses, workshops or music for the care facilities!
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Folk music has been with me since childhood and I have a burning desire to learn “everything” about Finnish-Swedish folk music; violin playing, folk singing, children’s music and spiritual music. Learning folk music is, in a way, learning about life. In my compositions and folk music arrangements, the tradition is filtered through my own personal experiences and associations into a new form. The powerful expression of Argentinian tango confronts me with my emotions. For me, the strength of music is in its inclusion and interaction – whether on stage in contact with audience, in ensemble playing, jam sessions and workshops or music events at care facilities.
Projects and bands
TRIO MAANS-PERKOLA-SANDÅS
An extraordinary ensemble of top-tier musicians, combining Argentinian tango, poetry and folk music. The trio consists of Marianne Maans (vocals and violin), Mikko Perkola (viola da gamba, recitation, vocals, and electronics) and Henrik Sandås (bandoneon). Together, they merge their extensive expertise in tango, improvisation, early music, folk music and the art of poetic recitation. The trio’s music is marked by virtuosic skill, expressive depth and profound interpretations. Their soundscape blends the powerful melodies of tango, the primal energy of folk music and the unique texture of the viola da gamba intertwined with electronics, creating varied and mesmerizing sonic worlds. Pablo Neruda’s poems on life and love are recited in multiple languages as needed.
The trio performs concerts featuring tango classics, tango nueva and Neruda’s poetry, with themed programs such as Alfonsina and the Sea, Corazón al Sur and Bach Meets Piazzolla. In 2025, a new concert program with a stronger focus on folk music will be prepared.
Marianne Maans (vocals and violin) is a versatile folk musician specializing in Finnish-Swedish folk music. Her repertoire spans from traditional folk to Argentinian tango, often combining elements of contemporary music in her concerts. Marianne has performed in over 20 countries as a solo artist and with ensembles. She has collaborated with choirs, theaters, and interdisciplinary projects and has appeared on around 20 albums. She also works as a musician in care facilities.
Mikko Perkola (viola da gamba, vocals and recitation) performs both as a soloist and with various ensembles in Finland and abroad. His productions often combine multiple art forms. Composition, improvisation and electronics play a central role in Mikko’s music. He has played with Phantasm, an early music ensemble whose albums have received several top reviews and accolades (wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikko_Perkola).
Henrik Sandås (bandoneon) has performed as a soloist and arranger with numerous chamber ensembles and symphony orchestras in Finland and across the Globe. In 2025, he will also perform as a soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, among others. He is known as the charismatic bandoneonist of ensembles such as Tanguedia Quintet, Otra Vez, Quartet Ajaton and Henrik Sandås Quintet. Sandås plays a vintage 1936 bandoneon built by Alfred Arnold (henriksandas.com)
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”What precision and liveliness…. Melancholy songs and tearing Argentinian tangos alternated in a pleasant setting… It was so intense that you almost forgot to breathe! Culture at the highest level!”
Österbottens tidning 2.10.24
”Henrik Sandås offered amazing improvisations and sensitive unrestrainedness, to let his colleague shine in the next moment”
Vasabladet 14.4.24
”The interpretation with singing, violin, viola da gamba and bandoneon combined into an artistic and sensitive whole. In particular, Perkola’s statements on the poems of Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda stopped and provoked thoughts”
Joutsan Seutu 16.7.24
EIJA KANKAANRANTA & MARIANNE MAANS
Eija Kankaanranta: Kantele
Marianne Maans: Violin and vocals
This concert blends contemporary music and folk music, featuring works by Finnish composers such as Pauliina Isomäki, Johanna Pitkänen, Kalle Ylitalo and Juhani Nuorvala. The duo’s repertoire also includes music by international composers like Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japan) and Ólafur Arnalds (Iceland). The folk music pieces and arrangements in the concert are marked by virtuosic improvisations, creating captivating soundscapes with kantele, voice and violin. Several of the pieces focus on the relationship between humans and nature—a connection that is bothrespectful, realistic and empowering.
Eija Kankaanranta, DMus, is a kantele musician with a deep passion for contemporary music and improvisation. She has premiered and recorded works by composers such as Juhani Nuorvala, Kaija Saariaho, Olli Virtaperko and Lotta Wennäkoski. Her active ensembles include a contemporary music duo with flutist Camilla Hoitenga (USA), the blues and folk fusion group Juurakko and Superpluck which performs Finnish and Japanese music with guitarist Rody van Gemert and harpsichordist Assi Karttunen. She also teaches in the classical music department at the Sibelius Academy
ekantele.blogspot.com
Marianne Maans (vocals and violin) is a versatile folk musician specializing in Finnish-Swedish folk music. Her repertoire spans from traditional folk to Argentinian tango, often combining elements of contemporary music in her concerts. Marianne has performed in over 20 countries as a solo artist and with ensembles. She has collaborated with choirs, theaters, and interdisciplinary projects and has appeared on around 20 albums. She also works as a musician in care facilities.
mariannemaans.com
MAANS & PUURTINEN: SOI TORPAT JA SALONGIT II - SPEL I STUGA OCH SALONG II
Now – In the Moment – Through Time – Always
A Bilingual Folk Music Performance
Maans & Puurtinen: Concept and excecution, violins and vocals
“Soi torpat ja salongit II” interprets the traditional music of Southwest Finland and the Turku Archipelago through modern arrangements. Two violins, songs in Finnish and Swedish and bilingual storytelling connect the performers and audience to the timeless continuum of folk music. The musical soundscape of the archipelago, villages, and towns is simultaneously a reflection of the past and a creation of the present moment. This concert continues from the duo’s earlier work “Soi torpat ja salongit” (2019- 2024), during which they explored thousands of folk music scores and recordings from archives such as the Sibelius Museum, the Finnish Literature Society, the National Library of Finland, the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland and the Swedish Visarkiv. The new production continues this extensive and cross-linguistic exploration of folk music.
Marianne Maans has been a professional folk musician since the late 1990s, working on a wide range of music projects and is an expert in the Finnish-Swedish folk music tradition. Marjaana Puurtinen is a prominent figure in the folk music scene of Southwest Finland, known for composing and arranging music for major folk dance productions.
The performance costumes, made from recycled materials, are designed by Marjo Haapasalo. This versatile concert program suits various venues and events, appealing to a wide audience. The performance lasts approximately one hour.
MAANS & PUURTINEN: SOI TORPAT JA SALONGIT - SPEL I STUGA OCH SALONG
Music through the ages
Maans & Puurtinen, fiddles and vocals
A bilingual concert presenting gems from the folk music of Southwest Finland and bringing archive material alive to listeners of today. The program is inspired by the rich musical traditions of the region in the 18th and 19th century. Treasures from the archives tell us about the meaning of music in people’s lives: music in everyday life and celebrations, in sorrow and happiness.
The borders between folk music and music played in salons are very vague. In the 19th century a priest in the archipelago could first play in the orchestra in Turku and then play dance tunes for the young in the village. All music is arranged by the musicians and performed in Finnish and Swedish on two fiddles and vocals. The program contains everything from medieval ballads and minuets to polkas and waltzes. The costumes are designed by Marjo Haapasalo and the concert is suitable for many kinds of spaces and events. Duration approx. 1 h.
Marianne Maans is a professional folk musician and expert in the folk music of Swedish-speaking Finland, a versatile musician active in the field since the 1990s.
Marjaana Puurtinen is a driving force in the folk music in Southwest Finland and has among others made music for several bigger dance pieces.
For this project, the musicians have studied thousands of music books and archive recordings in different archives such as the Sibelius museum, Finska litteratursällskapet, the National Library and Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland.