A beautiful summer is coming to an end in the Pacific Northwest and it’s time to get ready for the fall, which once again looks to be full of interesting events. Below are some of the happenings in the local Finnish community this fall.
On the first weekend of October cellist Jussi Makkonen and pianist Ruusamari Teppo will be performing at Seattle Finnish Lutheran church (Friday October 4th) and at Pacific Lutheran University (Saturday October 5th). Jussi Makkonen has been in Seattle before, performing at the Nordic Heritage Museum some 5 years ago. Ruusamari Teppo is a great-granddaughter of Jean Sibelius and currently working on her doctorate at the University of North Texas. The two will continue from Seattle to Lynden where they will be performing at the Lynden Music Festival.
The Seattle Finnish Lutheran church will have its annual auction and dinner on Saturday October 12th at the church. The dinner and auction are a fundraiser for the church featuring both a silent and live auction.
The 35th annual Holiday Bazaar will be held this year on Saturday November 2nd at the Nordic Heritage Museum. Many of the local Finnish community organizations will be at the bazaar, selling baked goods and other food, crafts, and other items as fundraisers.
Mark Hillman will be giving an interesting presentation on bicycle touring in the Nordic countries at the Swedish Club on Friday November 8th. He will be showing photographs and talking about his most recent trip – a 3-week, 600 mile (1000 km) tour through southern and western Finland and Åland Islands.
Andy Nestingen, University of Washington Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies, will be talking about “The Mystery of the Finnish Tango in Aki Kaurismäki’s Films” at the Nordic Heritage Museum on Wednesday November 13th. The presentation is based on Nestingen’s new book “The Cinema of Aki Kaurismäki: Contrarian Stories”.
On Sunday, November 24th pianist Marja Kaisla, Finlandia Foundation National Performer of the Year, will perform at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. Each year the Finlandia Foundation National organization selects a Performer of the Year, awarding them a stipend to cover travel expenses for touring in the United States.
We will celebrate 96 years of Finnish independence at the traditional Independence Day Dinner and Dance on Saturday December 7th. This event is probably the oldest one sponsored by Finlandia Foundation Seattle Chapter as it apparently has been held since 1970. It was originally called the Holiday Supper Dance and at the first such celebration 125 attendees were graced with the presence of the 1970 Miss Finland Carita Holm.
Last but certainly not least, the FFSC Films from Finland program presents a Finnish film each month at the Swedish club. On October 23rd we will see “Kovasikajuttu” (The Punk Syndrome), and the November movie will be on the day before Thanksgiving when we’ll see “Hiljaisuus” (Silence), a film set in the waning weeks of the Continuation War. See the FFSC website (www.finlandiafoundationseattle.com) for more information these and other movies.
A rather rich variety of program is being presented this fall. More details on the events can be found in the event calendar of this newsletter as well as at our website (www.finlandiafoundationseattle.com). I hope to see many of you at these events!
Mikko Männistö
FFSC President