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Finnish
Happenings and News
See what else is happening
while we wait for FinnFunn 2021
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Finlandia
Foundation National
Soiva Music Camp Concert
December 21, 2020
(click
here for video) |
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Finlandia
Foundation National
Education in Finland
Two-part Webinar Via Zoom
January 12 and 19, 2021
(click
here) |
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Finlandia
Foundation National
Beautiful Music of the Season
Performed by
Jussi Makkonen and Nazig
Azezian
(click
here) |
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Historical
Society of Cheshire County
“Sirkka” is a documentary film
about the life of Sirkka Tuomi
Holm (1920-2020)
December 3 – 12, 2020
(click
here) |
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Finland In
The US
Newsletter, 3/2020
(click
here) |
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Finlandia
Foundation National
News of Finnish America -
Marraskuu/November 2020
(click
here)
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Finlandia
Foundation National
Meet Mikko Nissinen
(click
here) |
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Education in Finland
Two-part
Webinar Via Zoom
January
12 and 19, 2021 |
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What makes the
Finnish education system
so special?
Is
it possible for
non-residents to study in
Finland? |
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Attend a
free, two-part, online
webinar hosted by Finlandia
Foundation National and
the Embassy
of Finland in the United
States.
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Ilkka
Turunen, senior
specialist, higher
education and science
policy at the Embassy in
Washington, D.C., will
lead the webinars
addressing the popular
topic of education in
Finland.
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Attend Part
One, Part Two or both!
There
is no charge to
participate in the Zoom
webinars,
but
you must register for each
separately.
Register
for PART ONE by Monday,
January 11
Registration
for PART TWO will open on
January 12
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PART
ONE:
4-5 p.m. (Eastern), Tuesday,
January 12
THE FINNISH EDUCATION
SYSTEM
In the first session he will
address the factors that have
contributed to recognition of
Finland's unique system as one
of the best in the world; what
changes and challenges it is
facing; and what's ahead. |
PART
TWO:
4-5 p.m. (Eastern), Tuesday,
January 19
STUDYING IN FINLAND
The following week will cover
what's required for
non-residents to pursue
post-secondary and graduate
degrees in Finland, from
necessary permits to
anticipated costs and
opportunities for
scholarships. He will also
offer information on starting
a business in Finland. |
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| Click here for
information about
Finlandia Foundation
National, the leading,
independent source of
support for Finnish culture
in the United States. |
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Joulukonsertti
A Christmas
Concert
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Especially
for You
Beautiful
Music of
the Season
Performed
by
Jussi
Makkonen and Nazig
Azezian
Finlandia
Foundation National is
pleased to bring you this
special performance from
Nurmes, Finland by cellist
Jussi Makkonen and pianist
Nazig Azezian. The concert
was recorded at the artist
residence of Jussi, on the
shore of Lake Pielinen in
North Karelia.
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In
the past few years, the
musicians have had several
concert tours in the United
States organized by
Finlandia Foundation
National. In 2019 they
received the Finlandia
Foundation Award of
Excellence in recognition of
their musicianship and
commitment to performing the
music of Finland in the
United States, particularly
the works of Jean
Sibelius.
With
this Christmas concert,
Jussi and Nazig extend their
best wishes for a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New
Year!
This
30-minute program includes
beloved Finnish Christmas
music by Karl Collan,
Heino Kaski and Jean
Sibelius, as well as the
classic "White Christmas"
by Irving Berlin.
Please
share this program with your
family and friends, and
enjoy it often throughout
the holidays.
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Finlandia Foundation
National wishes you a
Merry Christmas and
the Happiest New
Year.
Hyvää
Joulua ja Onnellista
Uutta Vuotta.
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FFN
office in Pasadena: Tel:
626-795-2081
Email:
office@finlandiafoundation.org
FinlandiaFoundation.org
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Independence Day Broadcast
Dear
Friend of
Finland, we
warmly welcome
you to join us
to
celebrate Finland's
103rd
Independence
Day online!
Head
over to the
Embassy's Facebook
page this
Thursday
evening to
watch a video
stream filled
with music,
speeches from
the Head of
Missions, and
greetings from
Finns in the
US. This event
is held in
English, so
you can
(virtually)
grab a
non-Finnish
speaking
friend with
you to watch
it.
Recording
of the event
will be
available
afterward on
Facebook, and
we'll post
highlights of
the
broadcast on
the
Embassy's YouTube
channel at
a later date.
On the actual
date of the
Independence,
Dec 6th, you
can view the
President of
Finland's
reception on
Yle
Areena web
player (in
Finnish and
Swedish).
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Launch
event: Finland
and U.S.
cooperation in
bioeconomy
Finland
is
experiencing a
biofuel and
pulp boom and
the entire
bio-economy
value chain is
in place, with
strong
relationships
between
end-users,
companies and
researchers.
Many companies
and research
organizations
are
reinforcing
and building
their ties to
the U.S.
The United
States aims
for a
so-called
“Billion Ton
Bioeconomy
Vision”, i.e.
an annual
billion ton
biomass output
by 2030. At
the federal
level the
vision is
supported by a
robust
Bioeconomy
Initiative led
by the federal
administration
and an expert
body mandated
by the U.S.
Congress.
In this event,
Finland and
two States in
the U.S.,
Maine and
Michigan, will
launch
industry
working groups
in sectors of
the forest
bioeconomy.
These working
groups will be
open for
companies,
education and
research
organizations
as well as
industry
interest
groups.
More
information
and
registration
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Are
you a 90 Day
Finn?
Helsinki
Business Hub,
the
international
trade and
investment
promotion
agency for
Helsinki, is
looking for US
tech
professionals
to apply for a
free 90-day
Helsinki
Relocation
Package.
Whether you
are an
investor,
employee, or
entrepreneur,
this might be
your chance to
experience
living and
working in one
of the
world-leading
technology
hubs.
Apply by
December
10th here.
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Finland's
Independence
Day Event
ZOOM
December 6,
5:30 pm
Finlandia
Foundation
organizes an
online
celebration in
honor
of the
103rd
anniversary of
Finland’s
Independence.
Check out
their program
filled with
music and
speeches from
distinguished
speakers.
Read
more and
register.
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The
Shop at
Scandinavia
House
HOLIDAY
SPECIAL
December
1-3
Looking for
Nordic themed
gifts for this
holiday
season?
Scandinavia
House in NYC
is offering a
range of
design items
for personal
and corporate
gifts, as well
as
featured Nordic
Holiday Gift
Baskets with
Scandinavian
classics such
as glögg,
pepparkakor,
knäckebröd,
coffee,
lingonberry
treats.
Read
more. |
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Fulbright
programs for
Finnish
researchers
SCHOLARSHIP
OPPORTUNITY
Deadline:
December 6
The
application
round
for Fulbright
Finland’s
Scholar
Programs for
the academic
year 2021-2022
is open.
The Foundation
offers a
variety of
opportunities
for
pre-doctoral
researchers
and junior and
senior
scholars
interested in
research in
the United
States.
The deadline
for Finnish
researchers is
December 6.
Check the
details and
apply for the
programs
through the
link.
Read
more |
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Aalto
documentary at
ADFF:2020
FILM SCREENING
Now – December
3
A new
documentary
about Finnish
architect
Alvar Aalto
premieres for
US and
Canadian
audiences at
the
Architecture
and Design
Film
Festival's
2020
edition.
Aalto shares
for the first
time the
intimate love
story of the
Finnish
architect and
his wife, Aino
Aalto, and
highlights her
importance as
an equal
architect
colleague and
visionary
designer. It
takes the
viewer on a
cinematic tour
to their
creative
processes and
iconic
buildings
worldwide.
Watch the
film’s
trailer here.
The Aalto
screening will
feature a
special intro
by architect
Frank Gehry
and conductor
& composer
Esa-Pekka
Salonen. After
the film,
ADFF's
director Kyle
Bergman will
host a Q&A
with director
Virpi Suutari.
Use code
“FindlandNY”
for a 25%
discount on
the tickets!
Read
more |
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New
virtual market
entry program
to the U.S.
for Finnish
companies
WEBINAR
December
8-9
The Finnish
American
Chamber of
Commerce,
together with
official
partners
Embassy of
Finland in
Washington
D.C, Consulate
Generals of
New York and
Los Angeles,
Business
Finland, and
the Finland
Chamber of
Commerce, is
launching a
Market Entry
Program
‘Virtual
Bridge’ to
respond to the
business needs
in the current
limited
COVID-19
environment.
The two-day
virtual
kick-off and
information
session will
be held on
December 8-9,
2020 and it is
free of charge
for Finnish
companies. The
main one-week
'Virtual
Bridge'
program will
take place in
early 2021.
Full
list of
speakers and
program. |
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NB!
All times and
dates are
subject to
change, please
check the
event
site for
details before
attending.
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 Photo
courtesy
VisitFinland.com
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Did
You Know...
Photo
by Riku
Pihlanto
courtesy
VisitFinland.com
...that
you can SAY
IT WITH SANTA?
Ask
Santa to send
a special
message for
Christmas
through VisitFinland.com.
This
is your chance
to have a
greeting sent
from the real
deal in
Rovaniemi.
HURRY!
You must
submit a
proposal and
the deadline
is November
29.
Click here for details.
Please
Join
Us!
Finlandia
Foundation
National is the
largest
independent
organization
supporting
Finnish culture
in the U.S. No
other group
offers the
programs and
connections that
FFN has
developed since
its founding in
1953.
As
a member of
FFN, you are a
part of the
mission to
keep alive
Finnish
heritage in
the U.S.,
while building
awareness and
appreciation
of
contemporary
Finland.
"Like"
Us on Facebook!
Join
our
international
Facebook
community for a
daily dose of
fun facts, links
to articles,
event
information,
recipes and more
to do with
Finland and
Finnish America.
Just click
below:
Shop
Amazon? Tite
Your
online
shopping
through
AmazonSmile
can benefit
Finlandia
Foundation.
Amazon will
direct .5% of
your
qualifying
AmazonSmile
purchases to
FFN. To get
started just
click: AmazonSmile
Thank
you!
Share
Your Sisu
Join the new FFN
Facebook group
that celebrates
the unique
Finnish
trait.
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Thanksgiving Greetings!
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Dear
Friends:
This is
such a very
special time
of year. It is
our time of
Thanksgiving.
Despite
the
extraordinary
challenges we
have faced in
2020, we know
that our SISU
spirit
will see us
through!
Although
it is likely
more difficult
than in
previous
years, let us
take this
opportunity to
pause and
think about
all that for
which we may
give thanks.
On
behalf of the
dedicated,
volunteer
board of
trustees of
Finlandia
Foundation
National, I
extend
appreciation
for your
continued
interest in
sustaining the
rich history
of Finnish
heritage and
culture, and
the connection
to
contemporary
Finland in the
U.S.
That
was the vision
of the
Finlandia
Foundation
founders in
1953, and that
is why we are
here
today.
We wish
you and yours
a peaceful,
healthy and
Happy
Thanksgiving.
Thank YOU,
Anne-Mari
Paster
President
ampaster
@ rcn. com
Save
the Dates!
Mark
your calendar for
a two-part webinar
about education
and studying in
Finland, conducted
with the Embassy
of Finland in the
U.S. and Finlandia
Foundation
National at
4 p.m. (Eastern)
on Tuesdays,
January 12 and 19,
2021. Details to
come.
Meet
Mikko Nissinen
Photo
by Liz Vol
FFN is
thrilled to
share an online,
casual chat with
the esteemed
Artistic
Director of
Boston Ballet,
Mikko Nissinen. FFN Trustee Eeva Syvanen
(who is a
dancer!) visited
with Mikko; the
video is
available at the
FFN YouTube channel.
We are
developing our
offerings at
YouTube, where
you will find
the book chat
with Karl
Marlantes
about his
novel Deep River, and a wide array of
videos by past
FFN Performers
of the Year,
recipients of
grants and
scholarships,
and other
organizations
related to
Finnish
America.
Please
subscribe to
our YouTube channel. It's free! Once we hit 100
subscribers,
we can apply
for a
dedicated
"named" FFN
channel, which
will help us
to share these
fantastic
programs with
the
world.
Click FFN YouTube Channel
GIVING TUESDAY is
DECEMBER 1
Giving Tuesday
was launched
in 2012 as "a
day that
encourages
people to do
good."
It
was scheduled
after the
traditional
post-Thanksgiving
"Black Friday"
frenzy as a
way to help
non-profit
groups, as
well as
individuals.
Please
consider a
Giving Tuesday
gift to FFN.
Your gift is
eligible for
tax deduction
and is doubled
by a grant
from the
Paloheimo
Foundation.
Upcoming FFN
Deadlines
January 17, 2021
Grant Applications
Due
February 1,
2021
Scholarship
Applications Due
February 1,
2021 Lindfors
Law Scholarship
Applications Due
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Tel:
(626) 795-2081
Fax: (626)
795-6533
P.O. Box 92046,
Pasadena, CA
91109-2046
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Photo
by Liza Voll
"Take
the Best and
Leave the
Rest"
Mikko
Nissinen,
Boston
Ballet Artistic
Director
Finlandia
Foundation
National is
honored to
have had the
opportunity to
visit via Zoom
with
internationally
renowned Mikko Nissinen,
artistic
director of
the Boston
Ballet and the Boston Ballet School, the largest dance school
in North
America.
The
online visit
is conducted
by FFN Trustee
Eeva Syvanen,
(right) who is
also president
of the House
of Finland in
San
Diego---and is
a
dancer!
In
their
informal,
cross-country
chat, Mikko
talks about
how a boy from
Finland
rapidly rose
to acclaim as
a dancer, then
choreographer
and creative
director in
Boston; what
he does with
his free time;
how his
Finnishness
guides his
life and his
work; and his
advice to
"Take the best
and leave the
rest."
One of
the leading
figures in the
world of dance
shares why he
would consider
banishing the
word "ballet,"
and his views
on
contemporary
culture and
the arts in a
post-Covid
world: "We
are not a
museum. We
have to adapt
to a whole new
culture."
Learn
how he drew on
his sisu to
see Boston
Ballet through
its darkest
hours, and to
not only
survive, but
flourish: "I
was never
going to give
up. Failure
was not an
option."
Be
inspired by
his
outlook: "Life
is about
experiences," says
Mikko. "One
lifetime gets
you
to
scratch a
little bit of
that surface.
Let's not
waste that.
Enjoy
ourselves and
believe in
ourselves. We
can do
anything we
want when we
put our minds
into it."
It's an
interesting
and
entertaining
45-minute
program with
insights about
more than the
world of
dance.
Meet Mikko Nissinen in this free program on the
FFN YouTube channel; click here.
BB@yourhome
On
November 19,
2020, Boston
Ballet
premieres a
virtual season
of six
streamed
programs that
will run
through April
25, 2021. Click here for BB@yourhome
performance
schedule and
subscription
information.
For
more about
Finlandia
Foundation
National:
FinlandiaFoundation.org
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FFN
office in
Pasadena: Tel:
626-795-2081
Email:
office@finlandiafoundation.org
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The
FinnFest Team
Continues to
Plan for the
Future
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As
we move
forward with a
new format to
connect and
celebrate
together, the
FinnFest USA
board
continues to
meet each
month on Zoom
to share
reports and
develop action
plans. The
mission of
FinnFest USA
remains
strong, and we
are constantly
developing new
ways to
fulfill our
mission.
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Coming
in 2021: Two
FinnFest
Virtual Series
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Photo
Credit: Glenn
Kujansuu
FinnFest USA
2019 Detroit
Speaker: Eila
Stepanova
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Missing
your FinnFest
friends? Let’s
get together
in the new
year.
In 2021, on
the last
Saturday of
every month
except
December,
FinnFest USA
will offer an
alternating
lecture and
music series.
Each will
stream via
Zoom at 11
a.m. Central
time (7 p.m.
Finnish time).
All events are
free, but
donations are
encouraged.
The lecture
series—co-organized
with the Journal
of Finnish
Studies
and sponsored
by Sam Houston
State
University—presents
international
scholars
engaged with
Finnish arts
and culture,
including
Sharon
Franklin-Rahkonen
(January 30),
Hilary-Joy
Virtanen
(March 27),
Tuomas Hovi
(May 29), Eila
Stepanova and
Frog (July
31), Tim
Frandy
(September
25), and
Andrew
Nestingen
(November 27).
The music
series—co-sponsored
by the Nordic
Folklife
project at the
University of
Wisconsin-Madison—features
noted
performers and
scholars of
Finnish
American folk
music,
including
Laulu Aika,
with Tom
DuBois and
Marcus
Cederström
(February 27),
Lyz Jaakola
(April 24),
Diane Jarvi
(June 26),
Eric
Peltoniemi
(August 28),
Michael
Loukinen
(October 30),
and Carl
Rahkonen
(December 18).
Be on the
lookout for
details in the
coming months,
or visit the FinnFest
website
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We
Honor FFUSA
Board Member
Yvonne
Lockwood
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We'd like to
recognize one
of our board
members,
Yvonne
Lockwood, for
receiving the
U.P. Folklife
Award. Emerita
Curator of
Folklife at
Michigan State
University,
Yvonne has
researched and
written about
the cultural
traditions of
the people of
the State of
Michigan,
including the
Finnish
Americans in
the Upper
Peninsula.
She, along
with fellow
Finnish
Americans,
musician Randy
Seppala and
wood carver
Peter Olson,
will be
honored during
a ceremony on
November 6th.
To read more
about all
three and this
honor, check
out the
article below.
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Looking
for More From
FinnFest?
Check Out Our
Blog
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The
FinnFest team
is excited to
share that we
will begin
posting on our
blog more
frequently
about
contemporary
hot topics and
how these
items relate
to FinnFest
and Finnish
culture.
With
voting
occurring
right now, in
our blog, we
dive into the
differences of
voting in
Finland vs.
the United
States. Follow
the link below
and check out
the full
article.
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Giving
Tuesday Around
the Corner
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Thanksgiving
comes late
this year,
November 26th.
We want to
remind our
fellow
followers that
Giving
Tuesday,
always the
Tuesday after
Thanksgiving,
will occur on
December 1. At
the start of
this holiday
season, think
about
supporting
FinnFest USA
during this
international
day of giving.
We will be
providing more
details as we
get closer to
the date on
how you can
give back to
support
FinnFest USA.
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