Trained as a violinist and employing locally-responsive media ranging from field recordings to drone imagery, her work is motivated by interactions between her ancestral roots, American cultural histories, and connection to our environments through sound. Pajunen has released six albums using folk and traditional music as the basis for singular collaborations.

In longterm multimedia projects "Mine Songs: Sounding an Altered Landscape" and "The Places We Know,” Pajunen uses environmental recording, violin and hardanger d’amore, archival material, and image to create new lenses that ask for reflection on the stories we tell ourselves (or have been told) about history, power, identity, and agency. 

Pajunen has performed extensively in North America and Europe and her work has received funding from the Jerome Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Kone Foundation, New Music USA, American Scandinavian Foundation, and the Arts Council of Finland, amongst others. She holds classical music degrees in both the United States and Finland and a Master of Music in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory, and her installation work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the Midwest. 

  • SARA PAJUNEN
    Born in Virginia, MN
    Resides in Minnesota

    EDUCATION

    +New England Conservatory of Music (Boston, MA) Master of Music in Contemporary Improvisation
    +Stadia (Helsinki, Finland) Performance Studies, Violin
    +University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) Bachelor of Arts in Music

    SELECTED AWARDS/RESIDENCIES

    2023 Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Support for Individuals Grant
    2022 Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Grant
    2020 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant
    2019 Kone Foundation Saari Residency
    2019 Banff Musician in Residence
    2018 American Scandinavian Foundation Grant
    2018 MASS MoCA Assets for Artists 2016 Taike Arts Promotion Center (Finland)
    2016 Mallard Island Residency, Ernest C. Oberholtzer Foundation
    2016 Finlandia Foundation National Performer of the Year
    2015 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant
    2014 Cedar Cultural Center '416 Club Commissions' Grant

    SELECTED PERFORMANCES AND SCREENINGS
    +Dreamsong Gallery, Minneapolis MN
    +Folkelarm (Official Showcase), Oslo Norway
    +Symphony Hall, Boston MA
    +Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer MN
    +Folk Alliance International (Offical Showcase), Kansas City KS
    +Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, Kaustinen Finland
    +The Ark, Ann Arbor MI
    +Trece Uho Festival, Dubrovnik Croatia
    +Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis MN
    +Sounds of the North, Gdansk Poland
    +Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago IL
    +Club Passim, Cambridge MA

    SOLO EXHIBITIONS

    +Joseph Nease Gallery, Duluth MN
    +Lyric Center for the Arts, Virginia MN

    GROUP EXHIBITIONS

    +Finlandia University, Hancock MI
    +Plains Art Museum, Fargo ND
    +Furlong Gallery, University of Wisconsin Stout

    SELECTED PRESS

    +fRoots (UK) ‘Extra elusive appeal’
    +Rolling Stone (US) ‘Swoons lovingly ’
    +SongLines (UK) ‘Passion and integrity shines through’
    +Star Tribune (US) ‘A little wonder’
    +Nordische Musik (GER)
    +Kansanmusiikki (FIN)
    +Minnesota Public Radio (US)
    +Yle Radio Suomi (FIN)
    +EKultura (HUN)
    +Mtv3 (FIN)

    ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

    2019 Hardingfele studies (with Knut Hamre and Benedicte Maurseth) / Hardanger, Norway
    2018 Murmuration Field Recording Workshop / Glenshee, Scotland
    2017 History of Sound Art Course / Massachusetts College of Art and Design
    2016 Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble Workshop / The House Foundation for the Arts NYC
    2013 Tango for Musicians / Reed College, OR
    2010 Finnish Folk Music Studies (with Arto Järvelä) / Ala-Könni-opisto, Kaustinen Finland

    TEACHING

    2023 Fiddle Hell Online
    2022-23 Nordic Folk Music Workshop Series, Nordic Center, Duluth MN
    2021 Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
    2019 Teaching Assistant, New England Conservatory of Music, Boston MA
    2018 Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Music Symposium, University of Wisconsin Madison
    2017 House of Musical Traditions, Washington DC
    2016 Minnesota Public Radio Class Notes Artist
    2016 Fiddle Club of the World, Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago IL
    2016 Kaustinen Folk Music, Festival Finland
    2015 St Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts
    2014 Finnish Folk School, Finlandia University, Hancock MI
    Various folk workshops nationwide, private lessons