Latest News

 

Thursday, July 29th, 2010
11am - 4:30pm (workshop/seminar)
Delta Waterfront Hotel (208 Saint Mary's River Drive)

The idea is to bring the Kalevala close to the participant by
1. Discussing many different dimensions of the Kalevala;
2. Close reading a 4 poems from the Kalevala (poems 1, 8, 11, 16);
3. Making the Kalevala easy to approach and understand, also placing
the Kalevala in its historical context.

The workshop/seminar will be conducted by Professor Börje Vähämäki of the University of Toronto. Börje is well-known for his Kalevala expertise, his enthusiasm, and his humor, including singing.

The Kalevala Seminar fee ($10.00) includes lunch and coffee/tea + refreshments - Register on Main Festival Registration form HERE.

Program
11:00 Opening of Seminar – Professor Hannele Jönsson-Korhola
11:15 Worldview and Shamanism in the Kalevala (poem 16)
12:00 Myths and Their Meanings in the Kalevala (poems 1 & 8)
12:40 Lunch - Provided
1:30 Viking Mentality and Lemminkäinen (Poem 11)
2:10 About Young Girls and Weddings in the Kalevala.
2:45 Coffee / Tea
3:10 Rune Singers, Oral Tradition, and Elias Lönnrot
3:50 The Kullervo Sequence - A Classical Tragedy within the Kalevala
4:30 Closing of Seminar

5:00 – 6:30 Reception at Delta Hotel:
"175th Anniversary Celebration of the Kalevala"
Host Professor Hannele Jönsson-Korhola

Participants are recommended but not required to read poems 1, 8, 11, and 16 from the Kalevala. The seminar will use the American Eino Friberg translation, but you may use any translation you have available. If you do not have a copy of the Kalevala, you may order one from www.aspasiabooks.com.

Please click HERE for more info.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland has now an operational portable passport system! This system will first be sent by the Finnish Embassy in Ottawa to the Consulate in Vancouver and after that to the Consulate in Toronto.

The Embassy will also make the portable passport system available at the Finnish Grand Festival in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. The purpose is to provide passport service to the Finns living both in Canada and in the US. The embassy will send an additional press release containing detailed schedule and instructions closer to the event.

PLEASE CONTACT Tanja Neuvonen at Tanja.Neuvonen@formin.fi for more info or set up an appointment!

See Press Release!!

Press Release in Finnish.

The Finnish word Rajaton translates as "boundless" – a word that so accurately describes the way this six-voice a cappella ensemble approaches music. Regularly performing over 100 concerts and workshops each year, Rajaton exposes audiences to the kind of diversity of repertoire, singing style, and stage presentation that has made them a phenomenon on the world stage.

In their native Finland, Rajaton is a bona fide pop phenomenon, successfully bridging the gap that often exists between classical and mainstream convention. The group has released 10 different albums. In 2003, Rajaton rose to number 2 on the charts with their album Joulu ("Christmas") which has to date sold double platinum in Finland. Building on the momentum of this mainstream success, in 2006, the group recorded Rajaton sings ABBA with Lahti Symphony Orchestra, an album which topped the charts in Finland and sold platinum in a month.

Rajaton will be performing at the Essar Center Friday, July 30th at 7pm, tickets are available to registrants of Finn Grand Fest 2010 and will be available on a first come first serve basis. There is limited seating, so register for Finn Grand Fest today and get your Rajaton tickets!