Sverre Risdal Trio

The Sverre Risdal Trio comes to the Midsummer Celebration from Arendal on the south coast of Norway. The trio is comprised of Sverre Risdal on guitar/vocals, Ãyvind Seljasen, accordion and Ãge Sagedal, bass. Almost every weekend for the past twenty years they have been on the road as one of the most requested bands in the southern part of Norway. They say they play Gammelddans (Norwegian old fashioned dance music) but for all of us who have heard them perform, we know they play American standards, country western, and other toe-tapping fun songs and dances.

In the past, the trio was known as 'Frolands Swingen Band' and received three silver record awards from 1986-1992. In 1987 they made their first trip to the USA together along with a group of 20 folkdancers from the Froland Ungdomslag (youth group), touring from New York to Washington, DC. The trio took part in the 17th of May parade in Brooklyn, New York last year and have been invited back this year.

OLKA - Experience and Enjoyment of Dance

Folkdance ensemble OLKA was founded in January 2005. The aim of the newest Dance Company in the field of Finnish folk dance is to perform folk dance with great passion and enjoyment. All the members of the group are experienced performers, former dancers and musicians of various premier dance groups of Finland. In its performances, OLKA combines the experience of the performers in the playful interplay between music and dance. Most of the dancers of the ensemble are professional dance instructors and choreographers. The musicians of OLKA are professional folk musicians, who not only play well, but are eager to dance too.

OLKA consists of 8 dancers and 2 musicians, who all live in the cities of Oulu and Rovaniemi in northern Finland.

OLKA´s repertoire is a versatile combination of dances, music and folk songs from all the main areas of the Finnish folk tradition. OLKA performs lively and energetic Karelian dances, festive minuets and polskas from the Swedish speaking area on the West Coast of Finland and, of course, not forgetting the traditional Finnish polka. In addition, OLKA´s repertoire includes dances that combine traditional dance with other fields of performing arts like contemporary dance as well as dance theatre.

In March 2005, OLKA participated in a folk dance classification organized by the Finnish Youth Association. OLKA received a ranking of the highest level, “Master Class.” Currently only three groups in Finland belong to the Master Class. In June 2005, OLKA will debut internationally when the ensemble will be touring in the United States.

Prior to appearing on our stage they will have toured the New England area, New York, and New Jersey under the auspices of the Scandinavian American Heritage Society (SAHS).

Dr. Christian Wilhjelm

Dr. Christian Wilhjelm, Music Director of the Ridgewood Concert Band and the famed Goldman Band in New York City, is praised “for his classical conducting technique, for his phrasing and nuance and with his understated baton, he stretches long musical phrases seamlessly over time.” Since his appointment in 2001, Wilhjelm’s enthusiastic showmanship has re-energized the legendary Goldman Memorial Band.
Dr. Wilhjelm is the founder of the Ridgewood Concert Band (New Jersey), and for the past 20 years its music director. In 1998, he took the band on a critically acclaimed tour of Central Europe and again, in 2003, to the French Riviera. He has recorded the CDs Organic Band for organ and concert band and the Music of Michael Valenti.
Dr. Wilhjelm is also in demand as a conductor of orchestras and chamber music concerts. He has conducted the Norwalk Symphony (Connecticut), the Adelphi Orchestra and the Fair Lawn Summer Series (New Jersey). For the past four years, Wilhjelm has conducted Merry Tuba Christmas with host Harvey Phillips in Rockefeller Center to a huge audience with network television coverage. Dr. Wilhjelm is now the permanent conductor for this annual event.
Dr. Wilhjelm graduated from the New England Conservatory where he studied French Horn with Harry Shapiro of the Boston Symphony. He was the principal hornist with the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Gunther Schuller and the Wind Ensemble conducted by Frank Battisti. He received a Master of Music degree from The College of New Jersey, and a Doctor of Education degree from Teachers' College, Columbia University.

The Swedish Trio - Kicki, Tina, and Björn

Christina (Kicki) Nylund, Tina Glenvik, and Björn Olsson will represent Sweden at our Celebration. All began their musical training in Sweden, continued in the USA, and have extensive experience in theatre productions in Europe and the United States. They will perform a mixed program with music by Olle Adolphsson, Monica Zetterlund, Benny Andersson, and Evert Taube, as well as a couple of popular hits from musicals.

Christina (Kicki) Nylund

Kicki has been the musical director at the Church of Sweden in New York City since 2002. She is not only a talented musician (she plays seven instruments!), vocalist (classical singer – Mezzo), and conductor, but for the last three years she has also produced and directed all the Lucias at the Church and for the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce at the Waldorf Astoria. She has accompanied and helped present concerts and shows for many of the leading Swedish and Swedish-American entertainers that appear in the metropolitan area. Her education includes a Master of Fine Arts in Music Education at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

Tina Glenvik

A graduate of Gothenburg University of Music with a Master of Fine Arts in Music and Musical Communication, Tina is not only an accomplished vocalist (Soprano with belt/strong mix), she is also a vocal, music, and drama coach and she plays four instruments. She has appeared in many theatre productions in Sweden and in the United States, including two national tours in 'The Merry Widow' and 'Heaven' in Sweden. Tina has also appeared on the Good Morning America TV show and has had lead parts in film productions. She is still continuing her fine arts training here in New York City.

Björn Olsson

Björn spent his first professional years in the chorus of the Gothenburg Opera in Sweden. He then crossed over to musical theatre when offered a part in the 'Phantom of the Opera' in Stockholm as understudy for the role of Raoul. Björn then went on to make that role his own and now has sung it in four languages in many productions in Europe. In New York his biggest success has been the off-Broadway show 'Berlin To Broadway With Kurt Weill' a revue about the German-American composer. To learn more about Björn Olsson check his website: www.bjornolsson.us

Henrik Jansberg Quartet

Henrik Jansberg is one of the most talented young fiddlers on the Danish folk music scene. A graduate of the Carl Nielsen Academy in Odense, he has already played in Denmark, England, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and Japan both as a soloist and with various bands. Henrik, born into the Danish dance music tradition, has 'the touch' - the rhythm and the right swing that is the essence of this music. He has gathered inspiration for his playing from many sources, as can be heard on his two-time DMA-Folk Award winning debut CD 'Signatur.'

As one critic wrote, “The debut of an excellent young fiddle player with excellent technique and a great sense of humor. He can write a good tune and even do strong justice to traditional pieces. Good accompaniment offers him plenty of support, and it will be interesting to hear where he goes from here. Denmark is full of fiddlers, but he offers the sense of being something special.”

The Henrik Jansberg Quartet consists of some of the best young folk musicians in Denmark: Sigurd Hockings on guitar, Sophia Eriksson on violin and viola d’amore, and Rasmus Brylle on percussion.

Annie Galle Dance Company

Annie Galle, a Danish trained ballerina performed with the Royal Danish Ballet, with the Pantomime Theater in Tivoli, and with the National Swedish Dance Academy before coming to the United States. In 1987 she established the highly acclaimed Annie Galle Dance Company. The Company has performed extensively throughout the Northeast and was enthusiastically received during tours to Denmark and Sweden in 1996 and again in 2004.

Rolf Stang

Rolf Stang could not have known when he graduated Columbia University with his Masters degree in Education just how much his career and the rest of his life would be routed in his Scandinavian Heritage. Across the country Natural History museums know him as the icelandic navigator "LEIFUREIRIKSSON"; University audiences know him as Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg and last but not least over 50,000 elementary school pupils know him as Hans Christian Andersen. These one-man shows are in addition to his work as a singer lecturer and teacher. We welcome him to our 2005 Celebration.

Eurodance

Richard and Helvi Impola will be teaching Eurodance at various times throughout the afternoon. Everyone young and old is welcome to join in and try it. It is easy to do and fun.

Eurodance groups are dancing weekly in ten Northern European countries. The dances are easy - ”based on only a few steps” - but using the music of many cultures. The fun comes in the way they are combined to include easy versions of the waltz, polka, schottische, fox trot, rumba, tango, mambo, mazurka, and even the tarantella. Some are line dances, but most are mixers. In Europe the dances are called Seniordans, but we use the name Eurodance because they are enjoyed by all ages