Four years ago Icelandic-born composer Guðrún Ingimundardóttir (Rúna) did not picture herself directing a consortium linking nine nations in the North Sea region. Today, Runa works as project director of the North Folk Database Project, to advance the research, preservation and dissemination of folk music and dance on the northern margins of Europe. This effort at regional integration is more than a practical response to modern ways of life and the demands of a global economy. It also promotes an ideology linking musical resources to the work of sustaining the environment and local culture and offers models for initiating projects towards this end. Furthermore, this composer-led project reminds us of the influence composers can exert on society and academia. Finally, it underscores the value of integrating ethnographic music study into the training of composers and performing musicians.

A New Destiny for Folk Music?