Artist Info: Martti Pokela

Martti Eliel Pokela (23 January 1924 – 23 August 2007) was a Finnish folk musician and composer. Pokela was an expert with the kantele, Finland's national musical instrument. A kantele (or harppu in Sami) is a traditional plucked string instrument of the dulcimer and zither family native to Finland and Karelia.

Pokela and his wife, Marjatta Pokela, were widely credited with ushering in a revival in interest in Finnish folk music beginning in the 1950s. Their daughter, Eveliina Pokela, began performing with them in the 1960s. [read more...]