Celtinavia

Somewhere between Scandinavia and the Celtic lands lies an imaginary musical country. Erik Ask-Upmark calls it Celtinavia. This concert brings together the traditional music of Northern Europe: sweeping Swedish polskas, centuries-old longdances, Celtic airs and lively dance tunes. Along the way, there are tender love songs and medieval ballads filled with knights, enchanted forests, strange creatures and monsters best avoided after dark. 

The connections run deeper than one might expect. Swedish engelska dances share a clear family resemblance with reels and country dances from across the North Sea, while related melodies, stories and ballad traditions appear in both Scandinavia and the Celtic world. Different languages, different landscapes—but often the same urge to dance, sing and tell a good story.

At the heart of the concert is the voice and the harp, an instrument equally at home with delicate melodies, powerful dance rhythms and atmospheric musical storytelling. The programme can be presented entirely as an intimate solo harp concert or given additional colour with instruments such as Swedish and other European bagpipes and the nyckelharpa. With music, stories and occasional glimpses into the history behind the tunes, Erik creates a concert that is rooted in tradition but very much alive in the present.

For a fuller, more powerful folk sound, Erik also performs with his quartet Dråm, featuring harp, nyckelharpas and bagpipes — although in the video below, Erik sets the harp aside and lets the bagpipes take centre stage.

The concert at a glance

Bring a little Celtinavia to your venue!