Want to know a little more (or a refresher) on Easter traditions in Finland? Check out this great blog entry:
Last night, many members of the CFCA attended the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra’s (CPO) Nordic Masters concert at the Jack Singer. CFCA was proudly recognized as one of the event supporters.
The evening started with a pre-concert discussion with guest conductor Rune Bergmann, who graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. You can read more about him at http://imgartists.com/artist/rune_bergmann
The concert began at 8pm and consisted of three pieces:
1. Sibelius’ Finlandia
2. Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, featuring the talented, 21-year old Conrad Tao on the piano (read more about this impressive young man at http://conradtao.com/ )
3. Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable”
Following the concert, a post-event conversation occurred with members of the orchestra concerning the featured pieces.
Overall, the event was a great success and our members had a lovely time.
Happy St. Urho’s Day to all! Make sure to celebrate this truly Finnish-Canadian/Finnish-American holiday today.
If you are unsure as to what St. Urho’s day consists of, visit http://www.sainturho.com/
If you are looking for somewhere to celebrate, you can join some of us at the new Unicorn Pub (formerly Below Deck) on Stephen Ave. (Calgary), starting at 6:30pm this evening. Remember to wear purple and green!
Well, better late than never. Happy belated Kalevala Day, which was officially on February 28th. In honour of this day, I thought I would share a book that I just read. It is JRR Tolkien’s (of “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” fame) short story “The Story of Kullervo”. We have long known that Tolkien was fascinated by the Finnish language and culture, but it has only recently come to light that he actually wrote a short story based on the Kalevala.
This book, released in 2015, includes the short story (never published in Tolkien’s lifetime), along with essays, written by Tolkien and the editor, about the Kalevala. It is a wonderful, quick read, and I definitely recommend it to everyone.
Enjoy!
Meaghan Peuramäki-Brown
Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association 