There will be traditional North Sami joik, original compositions, ancient traditions and modern instruments and sounds when the trio Áššu joins forces with the Hildegunn Øiseth and Frode Fjellheim duo. This will be a concert evening you don't want to miss.

Doors open at 6 pm
Concert starts at 7 pm
Free admission

On stage:

Ulla Pirttijärvi – yoik
Olav Torget – baritone guitar / n'goni
Kenneth Ekornes – percussion
Hildegunn Øiseth – fenugreek
Frode Fjellheim – keyboards, joik
Asle Karstad – sound

Áššu

Áššu is the Northern Sami word for "embers", and the trio draws energy from both the Sami campfire, atmospheric soundscapes and suggestive grooves. The band bases its music on traditional joiks and original compositions by Ulla Pirttijärvi.

Ulla Pirttijärvi grew up in Angeli in the Finnish Sápmi region. Olav has extensive experience in West African music, while Kenneth has drawn inspiration from countries such as Brazil, China and India.

The result when the African desert blues mingles with the sound of Arctic winds in the north is both intimate, energetic, exotic and dreamy. Not least, it shows how the joik, by virtue of being one of our oldest musical expressions, resonates naturally with instruments, tones and rhythms from other parts of the globe.

Áššu's debut album from 2019 was Top 10 listed in Songlines Magazine and was included in British Airways' inflight list. In February 2025, the follow-up Luohteniegut (Joikedrømmer) was released, which has achieved international attention, with a nomination for the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and 4th place in the top 45 list of Worldmusic charts Europe.

Hildegunn Øiseth and Frode Fjellheim duo

The two are often busy with their own projects on their own, but occasionally they perform together and create a magical atmosphere where the ingredients are old ancestral traditions, modern instruments and sounds, and a wonderful presentation of their own distinctive music. Hildegunn plays the bokkehorn, neverlur and trumpet, and the way she does it is completely unique. With a background in both classical music, jazz and world music, she has created her own expression that captivates the audience. It is beautiful, raw, heartfelt and takes you on a wonderful musical journey. Frode has his own expression where he gives the term joik an expanded meaning. It is fierce, full of primal power, beautiful and of course a bit of humor. His musical expression has fascinated people all over the world – including the filmmakers at Disney who have used his music in both Frozen films.

About the musicians

Ulla Pirttijärvi has been an active yoiker all her life and is today one of Sápmi's most important traditionalists. In addition, as a composer and member of many bands, she is an important inspiration and role model for younger Sámi artists. She has written an award-winning book about Sámi culture, Hoŋkoŋ dohkká, and released several albums under her own name, together with Frode Fjellheim, Transjoik and with the groups Solju and Ulda.

Olav Torget has worked as a musician and producer for a number of award-winning artists. He has had several extended stays in Africa and worked closely with artists such as Solo Cissokho and Kossa Diomande. He creates an impressively rich soundscape with his baritone guitar and also plays the West African string instrument n'goni.

Kenneth Ekornes has been a great inspiration for today's percussionists' approach to Sami music. Since the 90s, he has played with several of the leading Sami artists such as Mari Boine, Inga Juuso and Ailu Gaup. With Áššu he uses a minimalist setup where the idea is to make room for the joik to be a significant rhythmic driving force in itself.

Hildegunn Øiseth is a unique and renowned musician who plays trumpet and bouncikhorn. She was employed as a trumpeter in the Nordic region's only professional big band; "Bohuslän Big Band", but has since worked on projects in South Africa, Pakistan and Palestine.

Frode Fjellheim is a Southern Sami musician, composer and yoiker. He is also a professor of music at Nord University. He has written commissioned works for, among others, the Northern Norway Festival, the Telemark Festival, the Narvik Winter Festival, the Osa Festival, the Jørn Hilme Stemnet and a number of different ensembles – choir/chamber music/orchestra.

Asle Karstad is one of the country's foremost sound designers. Together with Mari Boine and her musicians, he was instrumental in bringing Sami music to Europe and the world in the early 1990s, and largely set the standard for how modern Sami music should sound. This can still be heard echoed by several younger Sami artists today.