Exhibitions & Events
NOW ON SALE:
Nordic Heritage Museum Presents Mostly Nordic!
Chamber Music of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden
Five Sunday Afternoons at the Nordic Heritage Museum
Now in our 15th season!
Tickets will go on sale December 1st for the 2010 season of the Mostly Nordic chamber
music series. Along with Artistic Director, Lisa Bergman, we will be presenting
internationally and nationally acclaimed artists. Performances represent all five
Nordic countries and will capture the magic of rarely heard masterpieces. This is
a rare opportunity to sample the many moods of the Nordic landscape – without buying
an airline ticket! Each of the concerts is followed by a smörgåsbord of gourmet
Nordic delicacies inspired by the featured country. Admission to all Nordic Heritage
Museum exhibits is free to concert-goers before each performance. A true bargain
of cultural pleasures – and a series not to be missed!
Tickets may be purchased through the Nordic Heritage Museum by calling (206) 789-5707,
extension 10. Single ticket prices are $40 for members, $45 for non-members and
$25 individual concerts only (excludes smörgåsbord). Season tickets for all five
concerts are $165 for members and $185 for non-museum members. Ticket price includes
smörgåsbord the evening of the performance. SUBSCRIBE to the 2010 season today!
2010 Mostly Nordic Chamber Music Series Concert Schedule:
Sunday, January 24, 2010, 4 p.m.
NORWAY
Nordic Elegance: Knut Erik Jensen, Virtuoso Pianist from Norway!
Norwegian pianist Knut Erik Jensen has performed over seventy solo concerts throughout
the US, Canada and Europe. He has appeared as concerto soloist with the National
Philharmonic Orchesstra of Moldova, the Trondheim Symphony and the Minot Symphony
Orchestra of North Dakota. This unusual lecture-recital features works by Norwegian
composers Edvard Grieg, Alf Hurum, Sinding, David Monrad Johansen, Harald Sæverud
and Geirr Tveitt.
Sunday, February 21, 2010, 4 p.m.
FINLAND
“Songs of Finland: Hearing Homeward” with Mimmi Fulmer and Rhonda Kline
Professor of Voice and Associate Director of Opera at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
soprano Mimmi Fulmer joins University of Washington opera coach and pianist Rhonda
Kline in a lecture-recital in tribute to the song literature of Finland including
art song, hymns, children’s songs, and folk song arrangements.
Sunday March 14, 2010, 4 p.m.
SWEDEN
"How Swede it Is!" with Karl-Ove Mannberg, internationally renowned violinist from
Sweden and Lisa Bergman, pianist
Karl-Ove Mannberg, veteran of the stages of Europe and the USA joins Artistic Director
Lisa Bergman with a fabulous sampling of Swedish masterworks by Wilhelm Stenhammar,
Bo Linde, Peterson-Berger with a peach-pear topping of Seattle composer Ken Benshoof’s
Diversions and the Heifetz-Gershwin “Porgy and Bess” arrangements.
Sunday, April 11, 2010, 4 p.m.
ICELAND
"Icelandic Fantasies" with Ögmundur Thor Johannesson, international award-winning
guitarist from Iceland and Michael Partington, British-born international guitarist
The program includes solo works for guitar by Icelandic composers Snorri Sigfús
Birgisson, Atli Heimir Sveinsson, Kjartan Ólafsson and the world premiere of Karólína
Eiríksdóttir’s Sonata for Guitar. The two guitarists then synergize with virtuoso
duets from around the world.
Sunday, May 23, 2010, 4 p.m.
DENMARK
“Danish Delight, The Northwoods Wind Quintet with guest Roberta Hansen Downey, cellist
A light-hearted sampling works for woodwind quintet by real Danes and honorary Danes
with unexpected twists and surprises including Nielsen’s Serenata in Vano and Humorous
Bagatelles and the “Variations for Banned Instruments” - PDQ Jensen (née Bach).
We hope you join us for this spectacular series – now in our 15th season! To subscribe
by phone, please call (206) 789-5707 x10.
Ticket prices for the five concert series and Smörgåsbord
Museum Members, $165 per person
Non-Members, $185 per person
Single Tickets:
1 concert (includes Smörgåsbord)
Museum Members, $40 per person
Non-Members, $45 per person
Single Tickets:
Concert Only (does not include Smörgåsbord)
$25 per person
Magnus Martensson in Concert
“Excuse Me, Does My Piano Count as One Carry-on?”
Saturday, January 30, 7 p.m.
Maestro Magnus Martensson, the Swedish comedian and musician who combines classical
music and humor, is back with a new twist that combines comedy with classical music.
Martensson will perform his own brand of music and comedy on his 2009–2010 North
American Tour of "Excuse me, does my piano count as one carry-on?". This season's
performances will include music by Peterson-Berger, Edvard Grieg, and Liszt as well
as a one-man piano/violin rendition of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, coupled with
some old-fashioned fun and silliness, guaranteed to bring light-heartedness and
laughter to all who those who attend.
$15 members, $17 non-members.
For tickets, please contact Charlotte Lehmann at (206) 789-5707 x21 or
charlotte@nordicmuseum.org
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is a social network providing experiences to people with Nordic
heritage or with an interest in the Nordic culture. The Arctic Circle organizes
events and programs with an emphasis on contemporary Nordic arts and contributions
to such global issues as environmental sustainability and social justice. For information
about the Arctic Circle, or to sign up for e-mail notifications of upcoming events,
please contact Stina Cowan at
stinac@nordicmuseum.org
or (206) 789-5707 ext. 21
Ennesbo
Sandra Binion
December 4, 2009 - February 7, 2010
The Nordic Heritage Museum would like to announce Ennesbo by multi-media artist
Sandra Binion. Through the use of multichannel video installation, surround sound,
photographs, and paintings, Sandra Binion seeks to reveal the “poetry” of the Swedish
farming community Ennesbo. The art exhibition, Ennesbo, will be on display from
December 4, 2009 to February 7, 2010
Sandra Binion is an American artist who is drawn to rural southern Sweden through
family ties. Her great-grandmother immigrated to the United States in 1896 from
Ennesbo. In the summer of 2007 the artist traveled to Ennesbo to discover and document
her personal, familial, and cultural roots. The exhibition Ennesbo is the interpretation
of Sandra Binion’s experience of the landscapes, rooms, houses and histories at
and around the farm her family has worked for the past 300 years.
Ms. Binion’s photographs focus on some of Ennesbo’s simplest and most enigmatic
details. Works such as “Moss on Roof” capture peculiarities of delicately shifting
light and traces of history. The multi-screen video and surround sound offer an
abstracted environment that doesn’t recreate the locale, but rather celebrates it
through a fresh, multifaceted perspective. The paintings on paper give us the artist’s
most subjective response to Ennesbo, transmuting details of the place through a
practiced hand and eye.
New Sweden Exhibit
From Colony to Community: The Story of New Sweden describes the journey of Swedes
and Finns who came to the Delaware Valley in 1638 to establish the New Sweden Colony,
an outpost intended to give Sweden a foothold in the growing fur and tobacco trades.
This exhibition explores the origins of the New Sweden Colony, the cultural endurance
of the settlement that made it possible for Swedes and Finns to continue to immigrate
to the area in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the ways in which New Sweden’s legacy
continues to be celebrated. This exhibition is organized by the American Swedish
Historical Museum, Philadelphia, by Carrie Hogan, Curator, in conjunction with the
Delaware Historical Society and the New Jersey State Museum. The exhibition will
be on display in the Museum’s second-floor hallway through mid-February 2010.
Movie: The Kautokeino Rebellion
Friday February 19, 7PM
Nordic Heritage Museum
Suggested donation $5
Set during the conflict between the Sami people and the Norwegian government representatives
in the mid 19th century, this film focuses on the famous 1852 Kautokeino rebellion
and its tragic consequences, including the be-heading of two of its leaders in 1854.
For centuries northern Scandinavia has been inhabited by the native Sami population
and their reindeers. In this historical saga, modernization is about to enter the
desolate village of Kautokeino where authority is held by a ruthless and prosperous
liquor dealer. One of the native tribes, led by young woman Elen, refuses to pay
their unjust debt, leading to one of the most dramatic episodes in northern Scandinavian
history.
The film’s director, Nils Gaup is himself a descendant of an executed rebel. This
is his second film to take place in Sami country. The first was the Oscar-nominated
feature, Pathfinder (Ofelas/Veiviseren/1987), based on a 12th-century Lapp legend.
The star filled cast include Mikael Persbrant, Anni-Kristiina Juusohn, Mikkel Gaup,
Mikael Nyqvist and Bjørn Sundquist.
Ray Jensen
February 19–April 18, 2010
The Nordic Heritage Museum is proud to announce an exhibition of work by acclaimed
local sculptor Ray Jensen. For more than fifty years, Jensen, who is of Danish and
Swedish descent, has been creating figural sculpture—both small-scale works and
large public commissions—and has developed a very distinct and economical sculptural
style. Jensen, a former instructor at Cornish College of the Arts and Bellevue Community
College, has explored a variety of media throughout his career and has been innovative
in his technical methods. The Museum’s retrospective exhibition will showcase the
breadth of Jensen’s career, from his early professional work of the 1950s to his
most recent projects.
Musical: Troublemaker’s Mother
February 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. and February 27 and 28 at 3:00 p.m.
Every February 28, Finns and Fennophiles everywhere honor the Finnish national epic,
Kalevala (Land of the Heroes), compiled by Elias Lönnrot and published more than
a century-and-a-half ago. There is particular excitement surrounding this year’s
local celebration, for it marks the second musical adaptation from that source by
Seattle writer Nick DiMartino. His popular Sampo (The Magic Mill) was the highlight
of the national FinnFest held on the University of Washington campus in 1999. DiMartino’s
new work, Troublemaker’s Mother, is derived from the story of “wanton lover boy”
Lemminkäinen and his adoring and long-suffering mother. This adaptation retains
the classic elements of tragedy – pride, passion, betrayal, violence and death –
while mining the humor beneath the somber surface. In bringing this work to the
stage, DiMartino is joined by composer Kim Douglass, director Lori Larsen, and a
cast of talented performers, including some returning from the Sampo production.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors and $17 for Museum members.
Children 12 and under are free with accompanying adult.
Troublemaker’s Mother is produced by Finlandia Foundation Seattle Chapter – an organization
dedicated to the dissemination of Finnish arts and culture in Greater Puget Sound.
For tickets, please call (206) 789-5707 x10
Northern Lights Auktion
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Seattle
The Museum is pleased to announce that the annual Northern Lights Auktion will be
held on May 2, 2010, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Seattle. For information,
or to make a donation, please contact
sarahl@nordicmuseum.org
or (206) 789-5707, ext. 32.
The Raoul Wallenberg Dinner and Lecture Series
In tribute to Raoul Wallenberg’s humanitarian work, the Nordic Heritage Museum presents
the 16th Raoul Wallenberg Dinner and Lecture Series, exploring topics relevant to
social justice and Scandinavian society. This year’s dinner will be held on Thursday,
May 6, 2010. In May and early June, the Wallenberg lectures, delivered by scholars
in Scandinavian political science, sociology, and related fields, will explore subjects
relevant to the Wallenberg theme.
Individual tickets and a ticket package that includes the Wallenberg Dinner and
admission to the entire Wallenberg Lecture Series will be available in spring 2010.