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Program

7 pm

Cocktail Reception in Great Hall

Silent Auction opens

Dinner in West Lounge

8 pm

Special Guest Performance by:

Frank Basile, Opera Singer
Welcome address by:

Lena Stenwall, President
Lifetime Achievement Award 2014, presented to:

Taina Elg, Actress, Singer and Dancer
9:45 pm Lucia Procession in Great Hall

Helena Liljeblad, Lucia

Music by:

Walter Eriksson Jr.s Orchestra

Dancing until midnight

10:30 pm
Midnight

Silent Auction closes

Open Bar closes

Dinner Menu

FIRST COURSE
Trio of Salmons
Smoked, Pepper Cured and Gravlax
Red Cabbage Slaw and Vodka Creme Fraiche with Caviar
ENTRE
Roasted New Zealand Rack of Lamb
Rosemary Jus, Asparagus, Yellow Squash
Baby Carrots, Pommes Fondant
DESSERT
Dark Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Sponge Cake
Rasberry Coulis
Coffee and Tea
WINES
Chardonnay Ardeche, Louis Latour
Cote du Rhone, Domaine de Beaurenard

We thank our faithful Sponsors

Viking Sponsors

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Kramer

Novo Nordisk, Inc.
Pfizer
Shipco Transport, Inc.
Mrs. Sheila Johnson Robbins
SAS Scandinavian Airlines Systems
Mr. Ronald Srensen W.H. Reaves & Co.
***

Corporate & Society Sponsors

Mr. and Mrs. Warren Andersson

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Donnelly
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Horowich
Transatlantic Lines LLC. - Mr. Gudmundur Kjaernested
Norwegian Consulate General
Mrs. Solveig Andersen
Mrs. Marilyn Brown
Mr. and Mrs. Percy Beck Roervig
Ms. Julia Bergland
Dr. Karen Alexandra Brush
Mr. and Mrs. Lars Colliander
Mrs. Ritva Dellerson
Mrs. Gun Elisabet Dronge
Mr. and Mrs. Guy Eklund
Mr. Bruno Bedholm
Mr. and Mrs. Per Falkenhall
Mrs.Tuula Feineis
Mr.Peter Flinch
Mr. and Mrs. Magnus Gustafsson
Dr. Ulla Kristiina Laakso-Harwin
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hessellund-Jensen
Mrs. Lillian Hess
Ms. Emilie Holmgreen
Mr. Anders Holst
Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Hunter
Mrs. Ulla Jenkins
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Jensen

Mrs. Charles Jones

Mrs. Madeleine Kristoffersson
Mrs. Rikki P. Lindholm
Mrs. Bertha Lindefjeld
Mr. Bo Wiking Long
Mr.Terje Lvig
Mrs. Frederick Mali
Mrs. Ritva Metso and Mr. Vir Agarwal
Mr. Sven Mohr and Mrs. Bonnie Haber
Mrs. Ruth Gjessing-Newman
Mr. Lars Nilsen
Mr. and Mrs. Olafur Olafsson
Mr. Bjarne Martin Pedersen
Mrs. Leena Scutt
Mrs. Gunvor Birgitta Simpson
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Stevenson
Mrs. Astrid Tvetenstand
Mr. and Mrs. William Viklund
Mrs. Judith Vogel
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Warner
Mrs. Inger Wedin

The American Scandinavian Society is deeply grateful for your generous support.

Holiday Greetings

Honored Guests,

AMERICAN SCANDINAVIAN
SOCIETY
The Board of the American Scandinavian Society, its Committees and I are honored and delighted to welcome
you to this very
special evening at the beautiful Metropolitan Club!
I would first like to thank the previous President, Katla Donnelly, under whose leadership impressive work has been performed.
During the last years the Society has continued to flourish, has gained a more stable organizational structure and the number of
Members have increased. It is an honor, a privilege and a challenge for me, as the new President, to continue the excellent work.
A Society cannot exist without its precious Members who are the very foundation of the organization. It is thanks to your loyal
support that the important work to build even stronger ties between the United States and all the Nordic Countries could continue.
The Society is deeply grateful to all generous Sponsors for their financial support, without which it would be difficult to pursue
the purposes of the Society. A warm thank you to the distinguished Consuls General of the Nordic Countries for their continued
support and for sharing this wonderful evening with us.
Funds that have been raised tonight through the Silent Auction and the Christmas Journal are crucial for the Society. These funds
enable us to give much needed financial support to Scandinavian/American outstanding artists. On behalf of all grant recipients
a heartfelt thank you for your invaluable support.
Our Guest of Honor, Taina Elg, is not only a very multifaceted and talented artist but also a wonderful person who with her grace,
charm and warmth honors us all. Congratulations on the Award!

Photo by Douglas McAndrew

I wish Taina and all those who have made this fabulous evening possible, a wonderful and joyous
Holiday Season. Thanks to all your various contributions and thanks to your presence here
tonight we are together enjoying the much loved Scandinavian Christmas traditions, allowing for
the Joyous Season to start!
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
Dear Members and Friends,

Lena Stenwall
President
American Scandinavian Society
of New York, Inc.

Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, a time to share merry moments with
family and friends. For many Scandinavians in the New York area, the American
Scandinavian Societys annual Christmas Ball has become a tradition many of us
look forward to with delight. It is a great opportunity to share the wonderful spirit of
Christmas while celebrating our common cultural heritage.
We would all like to extend our thanks and our warmest greetings to all of the
members of the American Scandinavian Society, wishing everyone a joyful evening,
a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year!
Glaedelig jul, Hauskaa joulua, Gledileg jl, Gledelig Jul, God Jul!

......................................................
H.E. Ambassador, Mr. Jarl Frijs-Madsen
Consul. General of Denmark

.........................................
H.E. Consul. General, Mr. Hlynur Gujonsson
Consul. General and Trade
Commissioner of Iceland

.....................................................

H.E. Consul. General, Mrs. Elin Bergithe Rognlie

Consul. General of Norway

.........................................

Honorary Consul. General, Mr. David E.R. Dangoor

Honorary Consul. General of Sweden

.........................................
H.E. Ambassador, Mr. Jukka Pietikinen
Consul. General of Finland

The American Scandinavian Society of New York, Inc.

The American Scandinavian Society, founded in 1908, is a non-profit, membership organization
dedicated to strengthening cultural, literary, educational and intellectual relations between the United
States and the five Scandinavian Countries through programs, lectures, art exhibits and concerts.

HONORARY MEMBERS
H.E. Ambassador, Mr. Jarl Frijs-Madsen...............................................Consul. General of Denmark
H.E. Ambassador, Mr. Jukka Pietikinen.................................................Consul. General of Finland
H.E. Consul. General, Mr. Hlynur Gudjonsson......................................Consul. General and Trade
Commissioner of Iceland
H.E. Consul. General, Mrs. Elin Bergithe Rognlie................................ Consul. General of Norway
Honorary Consul. General, Mr. David E.R. Dangoor........ Honorary Consul. General of Sweden

BOARD AND COMMITTEE CHAIR MEMBERS

Lena Stenwall.............................................................................................................................. President
Lisa Christiansen-Falkenhall......................................................................... Executive Vice President
Susan F. Ullmann.................................................................................................... Recording Secretary
Edith Nielsen Warner.....................................................................................Corresponding Secretary
Lena Beck Rrvig.............................................................................................Vice President Denmark
Lars Fuchs............................................................................................................Vice President Finland
Gunnar Oddsson................................................................................................. Vice President Iceland
Lars Nilsen............................................ Vice President Norway and Nominating Committee Chair
Gun Elisabet Dronge......................................................................................... Vice President Sweden
Sandy Ginsberg.........................................................................................Vice President United States
Tuula Feineis...............................................................................................................................Treasurer
Elfi von Kantzow Alvin.......................................................................................Arts Committee Chair
Ritva Metso.............................................................................................Program Committee Co-Chair
Leena Scutt..............................................................................................Program Committee Co-Chair
Bertha Lindefjeld...................................................Membership and Fundraising Committees Chair
Cathrine Mellquist............................................................................ Christmas Ball Committee Chair
Madeleine Kristoffersson................................................................. Cultural Grant Committee Chair
Cindy Smalletz.............................. Communications Committee Chair and Website Administrator
Rolf Kristian Stang......................................................................................................... Public Relations

ADVISORY PANEL
President Emeritus Katla Donnelly.............................................................................. Special Advisor
President Emeritus Peter L. Hesselund-Jensen.............................................................Legal Advisor
President Emeritus Vibeke Steineger........................................................................... Special Advisor

ACCOUNTANT
Ann-Christine Westerlund ................................................................................................... Accountant

The Christmas Ball Committee 2014

Lena Stenwall, President
Cathrine Mellquist, Chairperson

David F. Barthold
Lena Beck Rrvig
Sigrid Carlsson
Gun Elisabet Dronge
Lars Fuchs
Sandy Ginsberg
Marianne Halvorsen
Lillian Hess
Sandra Lindefjeld Hodne
Bertha Lindefjeld
Gunhild Ljung
Gretchen March
Ella Moscaritolo
Lars Nilsen
Gunnar Oddsson
Eva Porshed
Michelle Resling-Halpern
Cindy Smalletz
Margareta Wilkmar

Board and Program Committee Members

Elfi von Kantzow Alvin

Marilyn Brown
Lisa Christiansen-Falkenhall
Ritva Dellerson
Tuula Feineis
Karen Giannelli
Madeleine Kristoffersson

Ritva Metso
Ruth Nelson
Leena Scutt
Rolf K. Stang
Susan Ullmann
Edith Nielsen Warner
Kristy Rao

To order photos from this evenings event, go to www.ManhattanSociety.com

and click on the events page. To order photos from Berit Hessen,
please check our website www.americanscandinavian.org

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Gledelig Jul
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WARMEST WISHES FOR A GREAT HOLIDAY

SEASON AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Glaedelig Jul
HAUSKAA JOULUA
GLEDILEG JL
GLEDELIG JUL
GOD JUL
&
MERRY CHRISTMAS
TO ALL...
Peter L. Hessellund-Jensen
Attorney at Law
Tower 45, Suite 2801, 120 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036-4041
Tel.: (212) 750-4991
Fax: (212) 750-4997
PHJ@Danelagen.com
www.danelagen.com

Kalvebod Brygge 39
DK-1560 Copenhagen V
Tel.: (45) 33 30 02 00
Fax: (45) 33 15 02 99
www.lesadv.dk

Holiday Greetings and

a very special congratulations to Taina Elg from

The American-Scandinavian Foundation

Enjoy a Scandinavian Christmas in New York!
Join us at Scandinavia House for a scrumptious Christmas Julebord,
a holiday concert, and a terrific assortment of Scandinavian treasures,
toys and treats in the Holiday Shop @ Scandinavia House.

Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America

58 Park Avenue (at 38th Street), New York, NY 10016
Tel. (212) 779.3587 www.scandinaviahouse.org

Guest of Honor

TAINA ELG
Dancer Singer Actress

Legend
To have lived in a very, very unique, adventuresome, successful life does not fall to
many. Taina Elg, our 2014 Guest of Honor, has lived such a life. Born in Helsinki,
Finland, hers would come to be an international career in film, on the stage and on
TV. Accounts and photos of her roles in Hollywood Films are now a part of history.
Conceivably, since both her parents were pianists, she ambitiously, as a preteen,
started studying ballet, strongly drawn as she was to music and performance.
Before long, dancing lead to singing, and both these talents lead to a career as an
actress of note.
A series of bold advertising posters of her films, aside from revealing her as a versatile performer, also
astonish as they reveal her co-stars. Imitation General, with Glenn Ford and Red Buttons; Gaby, with
Leslie Caron and John Reit; Cole Porters Les Girls, with Gene Kelly, Kay Kendall and Mitzi Gaynor;
two films came in 1959, the great Alfred Hitchcocks The 39 Steps, with British Hollywood star, Kenneth
More, and Watusi, with Arnold Schwarzenegger; all are
a sampling of films which featured her with the elite of the
film industry.
In 1957, she won the Golden Globe for the Foreign
Newcomer Award female. She won another Golden
Globe in 1958 for Les Girls, as Best Motion Picture
Actress in a musical comedy. In 1958, she was nominated
for a Golden Laurel as Top Female Personality.
Among Elgs first experiences with film was seeing Ben
Hur. Enchanted by the movie, she and her friends
memorized the names of the actors and collected cards
with their names and pictures on them. Elg began dancing
at a very young age, appearing in her first film at the age of
ten. Before leaving for Hollywood, she had parts in three
Finnish movies. Her training as a dancer began at the
Finnish National Ballet. But, she went on to study ballet in
both Stockholm and Gothenburg at the time, studying
abroad was extremely uncommon for Finnish students,
she says.
She remembers the kindness of people in Sweden after the
war. We were a small group of Finnish girls starting our

lives anew. Elg was supported financially by her

Swedish host family, who gave her the opportunity
to continue her dance training at the esteemed Royal
Ballet in London.
Taina Elg was soon discovered in London by an
American movie producer. She entered the world
of Hollywood and began her career as an actress,
a multi-talented one. In Hollywood, she signed a
seven-year MGM contract-player agreement and she
was grateful that Hollywood offered a magnificent
chance for her to train further as a performer. Roles
came to her soon and she shone brightly as a screen
actress. Since the sixties, she has played on stage
in several Broadway musicals, amongst them, The
Sound of Music, West Side Story, A Little Night

Music, and Titanic. She appeared on TV in One

Life to Live. Two movies, Liebestraum and The
Mirror has Two Faces were filmed in the 90s.
Taina has been involved as a loyal Finn, volunteering
to participate in activities in the New York Finnish
Community whether, for instance, Independence
Day celebrations or a recent promotional video for
the Finland Centers new KOTA Project. Though
Taina is a naturalized Ameican citizen, in 2004, she
was honored by her native homeland, Finland, when
she was knighted with the Order of the Lion.
To this day, Taina Elg carries herself with a dancers
posture.

THERES ALWAYS MORE TO READ.

Since 1872, Nordstjernan has been, and remains, Americas Swedish Newspaper.
Visit www.nordstjernan.com or call 1.800.827.9333 Ext. 10

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Events of The 2014 Season

Ritva Metso and Leena Scutt, Co-chairs

The Program Committee is dedicated to presenting events that truly represent

Scandinavian culture. Each year, they continue to do so at a very high level. Turning to the
five Nordic countries with their deeply rich cultural lives, there is certainly much to draw
from. That does not mean these programs happen by themselves. It takes an enormous
amount of work and skill to put together the kind of varied season shown following. Think
of how many decades this devoted effort on the part of the American Scandinavian Society
has been innovative, vibrant and vital!
January 22
The annual Harriet Nilsen Winter Concert was held with three distinguished A.S.S.
Cultural Grant recipients: Kersti Kveli, Helena Liljeblad and Yael Archer, performing.
February 20
The opening reception for the exhibition, entitled Bagels. The brilliant portrait
painter, Patrick Graham also offered bright, shining bagels, each painted with individual
characteristics, as only a painter with his technical skills could render.
March 24
An outstanding talk was given at the International Peace Institute by Deputy Secretary
General of the U.N., Jan Eliasson. His subject: The New Global Landscape brought with
a seasoned insiders wisdom and insight. A very special evening indeed!
April 4
We enjoyed the screening of the film: PAAVO, a Life in Five Courses, a documentary
about the great chef Paavo (Turtiainen) and his life & work with Ingrid Bergman and Lars
Schmidt. The screening was followed at his apartment by cocktails and a delicious dinner
in Paavos famous elegant-festive style. Fun, interesting and delicious!
May 4
We celebrated the change of season with our annual Welcoming Spring cruise on the
Hudson. Again, we collaborated with other Scandinavian organizations: Danish-American
Society, FAWNFinnish American Womens Network, Finlandia Foundation / New York
Metropolitan Chapter, Finnish-American Chamber of Commerce, NIAThe Norwegian
Immigration Association, Inc., SWEASwedish Womens Educational Association, Inc.
/ New York Chapter, and Swedish VASA ORDER of New York, NY District #4. Great
weather, great luncheon and great atmosphere.

May 22
Our Annual General Meeting with the annual presentation of American Scandinavian
Society Cultural Grants, held at the Battery Gardens Restaurant on the harbor. A new
slate of officers was elected. We enjoyed the company of or 2014 grant recipients: Louise
Kendra Lohman, singer/songwriter; Olli Hirvonen, jazz guitarist; Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir,
cellist; Hilde Skappel, actress/singer/dancer; Emma Larson, jazz singer and composer;
Karen Odyniec, screen writer/film maker; and Nordic Artwork on-line gallery [a special
endorsement grant].
September 20
We had a wonderful, large gathering of people, young and old, at the annual storytelling
at HCAs statue for the Ugly Ducklings Birthday Party. Of course, our own Rolf Stang
again kept everyone mesmerized by that great story and why it is enduringly popular.
By the way, its the most popular written-down story world-wide, translated into more
languages than any other!
October 20
An Icelandic musical event at Scandinavia House: Decoda: New Music from Icelands
Music Festival. The talented 2014 Icelandic recipient of the A.S.S. Cultural Grant, Saeunn
Thorsteinsdottir, performed with three other prominent musicians.
October 21
A fascinating talk on the exploration into the origin of the name, Bronx, by Brian G.
Andersson. Brian is a noted historian/genealogist and former Commissioner of NYCs Dept.
of Records. He has gone to the source, found Jonas Broncks birthplace in Svsj, Sweden,
and caused a stir of heightened interest there. The event was co-hosted by SWEA NY.
October 25
Backstage tour of the Metropolitan Opera. Remarkable space and place! After the tour, we
enjoyed a great brunch at Atlantic Grill.
December 5
Our uniquely beautiful annual,
CHRISTMAS BALL

THE ARTS COMMITTEE

Elfi von Kantzow Alvin, Chair

Each year, the Art Committee forges ahead with its very special mission: exhibiting the work or
visiting the studios of young emerging Scandinavian artists. Showing in New York with a listing
in the Gallery Guide and in other important New York City art-event calendars, plus a chance to
sell makes this A.S.S. tradition unique and significant. Motivating spirit, volunteer without equal,
Elfi von Kantzow Alvin, has presented some 300 artists in 80-plus exhibitions through nearly four
decades.
February/March 2014
Patrik Grahams Bagels and Other Portraits was a very popular exhibit, on view in the Trygve
Gallery, offering individual studies of bagels! Mr. Grahams remarkable portraits were also
shown. Patrik Graham, who left Sweden in 1993, having finished high school, went on to study
in Florence where he distinguished himself in the study of the Old-Master techniques and realist
tradition. These skills reveal themselves unmistakably in his remarkable portraits and, further, in
his brilliantly executed, special New York subject: Bagels!
November 23
On a beautiful, autumn, Saturday afternoon, a members-and-friends walking tour of artists
studios and galleries took place in Chelsea. Within just a two-block area W. 23rd to 25th Street, no
less than ten artists could be visited! The A.S.S. Art Committee invites artists to make themselves
known when they are here studying or working in New York. This makes possible tours, arranged
and lead by Elfi, for A.S.S. members to familiarize themselves with the work of these talented
young Scandinavian artists.
February/March 2015
An exhibit featuring the work of artist, David F. Barthold, Norwegian-American member of the
A.S.S. will be presented in the Trygve Lie Gallery. Details/invitation to come.

THE AMERICAN SCANDINAVIAN SOCIETY

CULTURAL GRANT AWARDS PROGRAM
Madeleine Kristoffersson, Chair

Established to recognize and nurture young artists in their pursuits leading to a professional
career, the American Scandinavian Societys Cultural Grant Awards program reaches out with
praise and support.
Prerequisites for grant eligibility:
Ties to at least one of the Nordic countries
Engagement in creative work to explore/interpret/promote Scandinavian culture
Talent, skills, and aspirations in the chosen field of their art must be shown
The roster of recipients who are now singing in opera or the world of pop, soloing as
instrumentalists or painting, writing, directing, working as established photographers or
composing is a long list and very much a point of pride for the American Scandinavian Society.

2014 Cultural Grants Recipients

LOUISE KENDRA LOHMANN

AKA KENDRA LOU

Louise Kendra Lohmann, also known as Kendra Lou, is a singer, she is a

songwriter, and she is an actor. She is Danish and lives in Brooklyn.
She mixes genre and style to challenge herself and the listener, and loves to mix

art forms like theater, music and dance.

AMERICAN SCANDINAVIAN
has released music over a decade and released her first solo album To the
SOCIETY She
end of the world in 2010.

Kendra is now finishing up her second album, Songs of the Black Moon here in
New York.
As a Dane, Kendra Lou comes with her strong Danish values to the US. Her songs
speak up for equality and the ending of injustice. On her new album Songs of the Black Moon equality between men and
women are the theme on several of the songs.
Kendra is still trying to find her feet on US soil, bridging the Danish and the US culture through her music, and this grant will
give Kendra the opportunity to not only finish her album, but also produce concerts in the New York area.

OLLI HIRVONEN
Olli Hirvonen is a Finnish jazz guitarist currently based in New York City. He is the most
accomplished Finnish guitarist of his generation, having already been chosen as the Artist of
the Year of the Pori International Jazz Festival 2011 and having an international career well
on its way.

AMERICAN SCANDINAVIAN
SOCIETY
Born in the city of Lappeenranta, a lakeside town in southeast Finland, he began his musical
studies at the age of nine at the local music institute with classical guitar and piano.

After finishing high school in 2008, Hirvonen began his studies at the prestigious jazz
department of Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he got to study with Tim Hagans, Raoul
Bjrkenheim and Teemu Viinikainen. He finished his Bachelors degree in June 2011.
In August 2011 he relocated to New York City to pursue his Masters degree at the
Manhattan School of Music, where he had a chance to study with such jazz luminaries as Rodney Jones, Dave Liebman, Jim McNeely, John
Riley and Phil Markowitz. His curriculum there also included composing classical and electro-acoustic music. He graduated in the spring of
2013 with excellent grades.
Hirvonen has been performing with his own ensembles all around the world since 2008. These performances include festivals in Finland
and abroad, including the main stage of Pori Jazz, the most famous jazz festival of Finland, Kennedy Center Nordic Cool 2013 Festival, UCLA
European Jazz Festival, Sounds NEW Contemporary Music festival in UK and Tudengijazz in Estonia, and numerous clubs in New York and
around, such as Cornelia St. Cafe, Bar Next Door, Bitter End, Stone Pony, Rockwood Music Hall and Caffe Vivaldi.
Hirvonen was nominated as the Artist of the Year of the Pori Jazz 2011 festival, which is one of the highest and the most visible recognitions
in the Finnish jazz scene. Included in the award, his trio also worked as the house band for the 2011 festival.
The other ensembles he has been performing with are the international sextet Life Size, the trio Ohne, a winner of the Finnish Young Nordic
Jazz Comets competition of 2010, and the big bands Umo Jazz Orchestra and The Great Helsinki Swing Big Band.

2014 Cultural Grants Recipients

SAEUNN THORSTEINSDOTTIR

Charismatic (New York Times) cellist, Sunn Thorsteinsdttir recently made her debut
with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for which the LA Times praised her for her emotional
intensity. Following the release of her recording of Brittens Suites for Solo Cello, last season
she performed in some of the world s greatest halls including Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall and
Disney Hall.

CANDINAVIAN
CIETY

A versatile cellist, Saeunns 2013-2014 season includes debuts as soloist with the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra and the Quad City Symphony in Iowa; an inaugural season as cellist of
the Manhattan Piano Trio including a debut performance at the Chautauqua Music Festival; a
performance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as cellist in the group Decoda; a performer in
composer David Langs collected stories project at Carnegie Hall; and being named the 20132014 -in-Residence at Sonoma State Universitys Green Music Center in California.

An avid chamber musician, she has collaborated in performance with Itzhak Perlman, Mitsuko
Uchida, Richard Goode and members of the Emerson, Guarneri and Cavani Quartets and has participated in numerous chamber music
festivals, including Prussia Cove and Marlboro, with whom she has toured. She is a founding member of Decoda; a group that seeks to
revitalize the world of chamber music through refreshing concert experiences, creative education, and community engagement.
Along with the masterpieces of the 18th, 19th and 20th century, Sunn is constantly inspired by works composed in our time and enjoys
working with living composers. In addition to working closely with Danel Bjarnason on his award-winning composition Bow to String, she
has premiered dozens of works, including new pieces by Peter Schikele, Paul Schoenfield, Anna Thorvaldsdttir and Kendall Briggs.
Sunn has garnered numerous top prizes in international competitions, including the 2008 Naumburg Competition in New York and the
Antonio Janigro Competition in Zagreb, Croatia. She received a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master of
Music from The Juilliard School. Her principal teachers include Richard Aaron, Tanya L. Carey and Joel Krosnick.
Sunn is a graduate of The Academy, a collaboration of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with
the New York City Department of Education, performing chamber music at Carnegie Hall and bringing classical music to students in the New
York City Public Schools. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the State University of New York, Stony Brook as a student of Colin Carr.
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunn lives in New York City.

HILDE SKAPPEL
Hilde is a New York based Norwegian actress, singer, translator and writer.

CAN SCANDINAVIAN
SOCIETY

In 2013, she received the American Scandinavian Societys Grant Award for outstanding
achievements in her field and for her dedication to Scandinavian Culture.

She got her Musical Theatre Certificate from The Baardar Academy in Oslo, and her Acting
Certificate from The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, where she currently
works as an actress both within Film, Theatre and Musical Theatre. New York productions
include among others Holiday in Heaven, Obama: At The Table, Love So Dear and Oedipus Rex.
She has performed in The Norwegian Seamens Church in several concerts and events both as
singer and MC, created childrens theatre for The Norwegian School and been a vocalist in a
rock band. In Norway she did the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar, When Midnight Strikes and
A Chorus Line/Into The Woods, and has translated the productions Parade, Legally Blonde and
Spelling Bee for Norwegian theatre companies.
Currently she is working to write and produce Musical Theatre pieces in collaboration with the Norwegian New York-based composer
Christian Stahr, as well as writing her own solo projects.

2014 Cultural Grants Recipients

EMMA LARSSON

MERICAN SCANDINAVIAN
SOCIETY

As a young Scandinavian, Larsson inevitably has a strong interest in form and

aesthetics. It means that the stretch of her interests and influences is global,
but her viewpoint is strongly individual. The make up of her current Quintet
reflects this spread from the Old to the New World. Benito Gonzalez is a pianist
well known to many on the New York scene. On the Scandinavian side are Finns
Joonathan Rautio playing saxophone and Jukkis Uuotila on drums, and from
Sweden, Christian Spering on bass.
Hailing from Uppsala, a university city in central Sweden, she started her
studies in the local music school. There were all kinds of music in my home,
from disco to Duke Ellington, fusion jazz, Motown, worldmusic... I always knew
I was gonna become a musician although it took a little while to find my path,
theres so much great music. I just wanted to do everything, but at some point I
made jazz my homebase.

On finishing high school she had the chance to go to Ostrava in the Czech Republic, studying classical piano at the
conservatory. It was here she scored her first vocal gigs at local jazz clubs, realising then and there College of Music with
a major in jazz and pop vocals, Larsson moved to Finland in 2003. Here she cut her first album, Irie Butterflies, recorded
in Helsinki while studying for her masters degree in jazz studies at the prestigious Sibelius Academy. Also released on
Imogena Records, it sold well in Scandinavia as well as being picked up in Japan where it garnered some very favorable
attention amongst jazz circles.

KAREN ODYNIEC
Karen is an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter. Her recent work includes the
feature screenplay Fashionably Late set in the high-end world of fashion. She is also
adapting the Finnish book Vertiginous Heels with director Alli Haapasalo. The project
has received development funds from the Finnish Film Foundation and the American
Scandinavian Society. Her commercial work includes a campaign for The Poarch Band
of Creek Indians, the only federally recognized tribe of Native Americans in Alabama.
Other narrative projects include Charm School for Primates, a Nicholl Fellowship
quarter finalist, Sloan Foundation award recipient, and Hamptons Screenwriters
Lab and Film Festival selection. Her 2012 short, So Over You, screened at festivals
throughout the U.S. such as Nantucket and Carmel, receiving the Audience Choice
Award and Cinematography Jury Prize at NYU Fusion Film Festival, and Best Short at
L.A.s Broad Humor Film Festival. Also in 2012, The League of Professional Theatre
Women produced her play, Book Club (directed by Kim Spurlock), for its 30th
Anniversary Festival. Other works include America, Lets Go! (SXSW), an award-winning music video based on Karens short
film, Deadline; The Valise (Lincoln Centers Toons, Tunes and Trik Films); Watermelon (sponsored by Women Make Movies).
Karen has made several short documentaries, most notably The Face of Family Homelessness, which raised money and
awareness for homeless families in San Francisco, and Richard Gardner Portrait of a Professor, celebrating the illustrious career
of a U.S. ambassador and educator.
Karen studied directing with Lee Grant and Lenore DeKoven, and documentary filmmaking with Academy Award winning director
Rob Epstein. She holds an MFA from NYU Maurice Kanbar Institute for Film & TV.

AMERICAN SCANDINAVIAN SOCIETY SILENT AUCTION

We thank the following for making The Silent Auction possible:

Aamanns Copenhagen

Hanne Stvring

Aquavit

Millenium Hilton

Bradford Renaissance Portraits

Laila The Essence of Norway

Siri Berg

Lumene

Malena by Malena Belafonte

Nordic Artwork Kristina Kjelsmark

Mirjam Bayoumi Salon

Statens Museum for Kunst

Oscar Bynke

LEGO - Americas

Yvone Christa

Nordstjernan

Bradford Renaissance Portraits

Bjarne Pedersen

Chisholm Larsson Gallery

Red Rooster

Face Stockholm

Smrgs Chef Restaurant Group

Janus Fuglsang

Toys and Models Jan Halvorsen

Edith and Robert Warner

Norseland, Inc.

Special Donations to the Society

Judith Vogel
Gail Adrienne Nygaard
Pfizer, Inc.

Thank You
PLEASE REVIEW THE DONATED ITEMS AT THE SILENT AUCTION TABLE.
BIDDING WILL CLOSE AT 10:30 PM

Special Thanks

We gratefully acknowledge the following who, by their generosity,

have supported the Christmas Ball
Efva Attling Stockholm

LT Travel, Inc.

Arthur Doerner

Aquavit

Laila The Essence of Norway

American Scandinavian Foundation

Lumene

Lisbeth Roslev Horowitz and

Lawrence D. Horowitz

Mirjam Bayoumi Salon

Novo Nordisk

Jesper Hoijland

Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP

Merimekko

Lina Th. Jonsson

Malena Belafonte

Elizabeth Rhein

Klaus Jepsen

Chisholm Larsson Gallery

Red Rooster

Gudmundur Kjaernested

Component Assembly Systems, Inc.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines System

Elizabeth and Donald Kramer

Yvone Christa

Sealift, Inc.

Lars Larsson

Dive, IS

Shipco Transport, Inc.

Ragnar Meyer-Knutsen

East Air Corporation, Inc.

Smrgs Chef Restaurant Group

Helena Niskanen

Euro-Center USA, Inc.

Statewide Custom Modular Homes

John Nepola

Eforea Spa at Hilton

Studio Fun House

Geir Ness

Face Stockholm

Telemark

Glenn Nilsen

Glenn Partition

Tin Can Studios

Marcus Samuelsson

Greater Hudson Bank

Transatlantic Lines, LLC

Neil S. Stearns, D.M.D.

Haram-Christensen Corporation

Volvo

Morten Sohlberg

Peter Hessellund-Jensen

Westmusa, Inc.

Walter Seifert

Hurtigruten

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard

Haakon Swahn

HL Adventure

World Yacht New York Cruise Line

Kenneth and Brigitte Torsoe

Iceland Naturally

Ralph Vigorito

Viveka Kjellgren

******
Ingrid Carozzi

Kon-Tiki Travel, Inc.

Roy Dalene

*******

Kelsey Nakken
Valerie Liu

Barrington Press ** Walter Eriksson Jr. Orchestra ** Metropolitan Club *******

We are grateful for all the volunteers who helped make this evening
possible, the contributors to the silent auction,
the Program Committee and Christmas Ball Committee

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