Musikki, Tanssi ja Laulu (“Music, Dance and Song”)
East Metro (MN) Symphony Orchestra performs with Finn Hall Band and Kisarit
The East Metro Symphony Orchestra (EMSO), based in the Twin Cities, Minnesota and formerly the 3M Club Symphony Orchestra, will perform Musikki, Tanssi ja Laulu (“Music, Dance and Song”) a concert of Finnish music featuring Finn Hall band and Kisarit Finnish American Folk Dancers, at 3:00PM, Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at East Ridge High School, 4200 Pioneer Drive Woodbury, MN.
This unique concert will present several forms of Finnish music, including orchestral - Karelia Suite and Finlandia by Jean Sibelius, Säkkijärven polka arranged by Osmo Vänsksä, and Kesäilta valssi by Oskar Merikanto – featuring East Metro Symphony Orchestra; Finnish social dance music featuring Finn Hall band with demonstration dancers - waltz, tango, polka, masurkka, schottische and humppa; and traditional Finnish dance, featuring the Kisarit Finnish-American Dancers. In addition, local composer, Randall Davidson, is arranging special music that combines the three performance groups. Members of the audience will be invited to join in social dancing as well.
Kisarit Finnish-American Dancers
East Metro Symphony Orchestra is a community orchestra that has been providing a broad range of orchestral experiences to the greater Twin Cities area since 1957. Their mission is to provide a variety of educational, multicultural, and inspirational orchestral experiences to East Metro communities.
Finn Hall band is a group of musicians dedicated to preserving the feel and sounds of historic Finnish-American dance halls of the last century. Based in Minneapolis, the band recreates this experience for local dancers and in the concert hall as well. Frequent performers at FinnFests and Grand Fests in US and Canada, they have toured in Finland and performed at the Kaustinen International Folk Music Festival several times. Most recently, Finn Hall was featured at the FinnFest 09 cruise to Alaska. In their October meeting, the Board of Trustees of Finlandia Foundation National (FFN) selected Finn Hall band from Minnesota as the Finlandia Foundation National Performer of the Year (POY) for 2010. Core members of the band are Al Reko – accordion and vocals, Dennis Halme – accordion, Cheryl Paschke – violin and nyckelharpa, and Ralph Tuttila – mandolin.
Kisarit Finnish-American Dancers was organized in 1972 to preserve and present Finnish folk music and dance. Based in the Twin Cites of Minnesota, the volunteer members of the group practice weekly, honing their repertoire of recently choreographed dances and traditional folk dances from both the eastern and western regions of Finland. Several members of the group have trained and studied with recognized Finnish and Scandinavian folk dance teachers and experts, enabling them to teach folk dances from many regions of Finland as well as other areas of Scandinavia. Kisarit members include descendants of Finnish immigrants, many of whom settled in the iron mining districts of Michigan and Minnesota. They have delighted audiences throughout the United States, Canada and Finland with their performances.
Tickets will be sold at the door, $10 adults/$5.00 children, students, and seniors. For further information, go to www.emsorch.org.
