East Metro Symphony Orchestra presents A Celebration of Finnish Music

The East Metro Symphony Orchestra (EMSO) is proud to announce the fifth and final program of its 2016-2017 concert season. A Celebration of Finnish Music will be presented on Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at Woodbury United Methodist Church, 7465 Steepleview Road, Woodbury, MN. Admission to this concert is free. Free will offerings in support of the orchestra’s work in the community are always appreciated.

Presented with the generous support of the Finlandia Foundation National, A Celebration of Finnish Music commemorates the one hundredth anniversary of Finland’s independence. Part of the international Suomi Finland 100 celebration, the concert will combine performances of both the folk and classical music of Finland. Singer, songwriter, poet and kantele player (Finnish folk harp) Diane Jarvi will join the orchestra for collaborative presentations of Finnish folk music and storytelling. Known in Finland as Minnesotan Satakieli – or Minnesota Nightingale - Jarvi is a versatile performer has performed throughout the United States and all across Finland and other parts of Europe. She studied kantele and Finnish folk music at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Author of multiple music CDs and poety books, Jarvi has been the recipient of a McKnight MacPhail performing fellowship and awarded Finlandia Foundation Performer of the Year among other awards and artistic grants. The concert will also include performances of various works by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and portions of the multi-movement work Kalevala Suite by Uuno Klami. A meet-and-greet with orchestra members and refreshments will immediately follow the performance. ASL interpretation will be available from VSA Minnesota when requested. Please contact EMSO within ten days of the performance to request ASL interpretation.

EMSO presented four other concerts in the A Season of Stories concert series this season: Chapter One: Friendship, Chapter Two: Holiday Dreams, Chapter Three: Romance, and Chapter Four: Generations. This final concert, representing Chapter Five: Traditions, completes the season. Visit EMSO’s website for more information on all five concerts.