About

… is a veteran among Scandinavian artists with her long, active career as a ballad singer-songwriter and entertainer. Originally a phys.ed. teacher she got a MA in education at Stanford university in the 60’s, got hooked on American folk music and switched to singing.

… left teaching, began working freelance for Finnish radio and got involved in a popular TV-series where she got a chance to sing. First album was American “folk” in Finnish.

… married an American diplomat of Finnish descent, was stationed in Oslo for 7 years = the beginning of a long and successful working relationship with Norway.

… started writing her own material and soon worked in all the Nordic countries. Today she has also had very successful concerts and gigs in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Israel, Spain, Japan, Germany and Latvia.

… has appeared countless times on Nordic TV and likes to emphasize the importance of Nordic co-operation. She finds it important to reach across all borders and, with the help of the timeless ballad, build bridges, particularly through her translations (of own songs, poems with her music and songs in general) to (and from) Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and English.

… accompanies herself on her guitar and has been applauded everywhere as “warm, human and humorous” with a very “charming personality” and “a charisma that spellbinds her audiences”.

… writes and sings about our globe and its people with their strengths and weaknesses, songs ranging from sensitive poetry to comedy. At the moment she has written more than 700 texts – originals and interpretations.

… worked free lance, until recently, for a great many years at YLE International, Radio Finland with programs reaching all over the globe.

… teaches guitar accompaniment, the writing of lyrics and interpretation

… has been honored as a singer-songwriter & cultural personality as well as for her work on behalf of Nordic music with the Alf Hambe- and Nils Ferlin awards in Sweden, Finnish-Norwegian cultural foundation prize, the NordVisa statuette and, in Finland, the Pro Cultura Esbo

… has published two song books in Swedish: “Vill du visor min vän?” and “Kanske en visa” (Schildts) and a booklet with her translations of songs based on poems by the great Eino Leino. She has also written “Songs Finland Sings”, a book with her English versions of much loved Finnish Songs and produced 2 CD’s with some of the material sung by 30 popular artists. Many Finnish schools use the book and CD’s in the teaching of English.

… has 12 albums with her own songs and Finnish songs sung in Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and English. Her songs and lyrics can be found on many recordings by other artists.

… is married to Henry “Hank” Koski, has two daughters, Marika and Karina, 3 grandchildren and Siberian huskies, loves outdoor life, Mother Nature, tennis and “the good ballad”. Represented Finland in fencing in the Olympic Games, Rome 1960.

… has been on the board of many music- and cultural organizations. Former chair of Finnish singing society Helsingin Laulelman Ystävät (“Hely”) (“friends of ballad music”), former chair and now honorary member of singing society Visans Vänner i Helsingfors, honorary member of Women and Music and of Yrkestrubadurernas Förening in Stockholm (the association of professional trubadours). Elected member of Svenska Visakademien (The Swedish academy of songs)