Fiddle Sisters

Why did they vanish from everyday life and festivities, consciousness and thought, writing and speech? They were here, and then they were gone? Fiddle Sisters is a traveling exhibition based on a new book written by Benedicte Maurseth about female fiddlers. About women who played the fiddle, from the 18th century to today. The exhibition opens on Sunday, May 5th and runs until Sunday, September 8th, 2024.

Playing the fiddle was for men. That’s what we’ve always believed. But Maurseth has uncovered the women, from written and oral tradition. They are more numerous than you might have thought. For the first time, a traveling exhibition about the female fiddler around Norway and her history is being produced. The exhibition is thus unique, providing the audience with the opportunity to see and experience, among other things, handwritten tour letters, distinctive fiddle cases brought out from private ownership, older and unknown photographs, audio recordings, and more.

We have also supplemented Fiddle Sisters with local photos from the Hardanger Spelemannslag, images and objects from Hardanger fiddler Ingeleiv Kjerland Kvammen, and fantastic photos of today’s female fiddlers taken by photographer Elisabeth Emmerhoff. https://www.elisabethemmerhoff.no/hardingfelespelarar/