Finding New Avenues of Resonance for the Kannel in Canada

The twanging and decay of the psaltery—whether you call it a kannel in Estonian, a kokle in Latvian, a kanklės in Lithuanian, or a kantele in Finnish—is a sublime sound. One of deep history, filling the atmospheres of our legends and oral histories. Sometimes it seems untouchable but for a chosen group of songsmiths, but the psaltery was made available, and in great numbers, at Tartu College in Toronto during the Baltic Psaltery Meetup, a cross-cultural event hosted by VEMU Estonian Museum Canada.

Organized by Katariina Jaenes of the Canadian Estonian Youth Association (KENA) and supported by the Estonian Central Council in Canada, the gathering served as a performance showcase and a pedagogical foundation for the kannel. Jaenes noted that while these instruments are often described as a “box of strings,” each Baltic culture maintains distinct traditions for them structurally, in the way they are used, and how they preserve heritage.

Some instruments have especially humble origins. One Lithuanian kanklės on display at a museum was recovered from a farm where it had been repurposed as a container for chicken feed.