Kaivama is a Finnish word that stems from the verb kaivaa: to delve or dig. Sara Pajunen and Jonathan Rundman both grew up in Finnish-American epicenters not far from the shores of Lake Superior, both towns famous for vast open-pit iron mines--Sara in Hibbing, Minnesota and Jonathan in Ishpeming, Michigan.

Jonathan is a third-generation Finnish Lutheran organist. His paternal grandmother was a Finnish church organist, as are three aunts who are organists at Finnish congregations. Playing harmonium (pump organ) in Kaivama, Jonathan taps into that organ-music heritage. In addition to the harmonium, Jonathan complements Pajunen's violin virtuosity on guitar, piano and mandolin.