Polenta – three fiddles and one guitar
It is rare to find a band as unified as Polenta. Comprised of fiddlers Veera Kuisma, Olli Sippola, Aino Kinnunen and guitarist Mikko Malmivaara, the Helsinki-based quartet breathes, moves, and dances as one. By combining fierce folk energy with nuanced chamber-like dynamics, they turn the traditional fiddle session into a kaleidoscope of colors, offering audiences moments of deep joy through vivid instrumental storytelling.
The members of Polenta met while studying at the prestigious Sibelius Academy. Though none of them are originally from Kaustinen — the heartland of Finnish fiddling — their shared obsession with the UNESCO-recognized Kaustinen fiddle tradition became their founding creative premise. This outsider perspective proved to be a strength: approaching the heritage with deep respect but without the constraints of local convention, they treated the tradition as living material for innovation rather than a museum piece to preserve. In 2019, their high-octane reworkings of the local fiddle repertoire earned them victory at the national Konsta Jylhä Competition at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, announcing them as serious practitioners of the craft.
Polenta's first album Kaustinen Turbo was released 2021.
That spirit of innovation has since carried them well beyond their starting point. Today, Polenta's identity is built around original composition — music rooted in traditional Nordic styles such as polska, schottis, and polka but with a restless curiosity about where that tradition can go. Their compositions move from the sweaty drive of the folk dance floor to atmospheric acoustic soundscapes that evoke still northern winter scenes, before building up to grand finales of stacked fiddle harmonies, sometimes joined by the chanting voices of all four musicians. The result is music that carries the value of tradition and the lightness of pure joy.
Second album Karkelo was released 2024 and it was selected as the Folk Music Album of the Year, following an Emma Gala (Finnish Grammy) nomination.
The group's name comes from Finnish slang for "stomp" — and stomping is an inevitable physical reaction to their relentless acoustic drive. Drawing inspiration from Nordic giants like JPP, Frigg, and Väsen, the ensemble creates what Songlines has called a "massed singing sound", with lead and harmony roles shifting fluidly between the three fiddles.
Polenta is known for high-energy live shows that reviewers describe as "impossible to sit still to." Their international festival appearances include the Viljandi Folk Festival (Estonia), Baltimore Fiddle Fair (Ireland), and Musik over Præstø Fjord (Denmark) with upcoming dates in Scotland and Sweden. They have also showcased at Folkelarm, Nordic Folk Alliance, Tallinn Music Week and the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.
Polenta's third album Matkaaja will be released on April 17th 2026.
