Infectuous dance music, haunting ballads, delicate lyricism, comical tales -- all this and more will be setting toes to tapping and hearts to pounding as the Karelian Folk Music Ensemble takes the Freight audience on a delightful musical excursion through its corner of the globe. The engaging trio hails from Petrozavodsk, Russia, in the heart of Karelia, a region which encompasses southern Finland and the area of Russia north of St. Petersburg.

Igor Arkhipoff, Alexander Bykadoroff, and Arto Rinne sing in Finnish, Karelian, and Russian, accompanying themselves on jouhikko (bowed lyre), kantele (harp), and saami drum along with button accordion, flute, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, and jaw harp. Tonight provides a glimpse of the musical heritage of this region, where east and west blend harmoniously to create an evening of fascinating fun.

The trio has released two recordings on the Gadfly label, an eponymously named all-instrumental album and another, Ingrian Folk Songs.