Join us for a festive evening filled with holiday cheer at the SACC-NE Christmas Holiday Mingle 2024! This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to connect, network, and celebrate the joyous season with fellow professionals. Mark your calendars for December 10th and get ready for an unforgettable evening of laughter, music, and delicious treats.
We are happy to inform you that the Swedish School of Boston will be performing a classic Swedish “Luciatåg” at the Glögg & Holiday Mingle. Lucia is a 400-year-old tradition that has become a classic symbol for Sweden. With candles and beautiful traditional songs, the Lucia celebration creates joy and dispels the midwinter darkness. Please note that they will be performing the “Luciatåg” at 5:30 PM.
Tickets:
Non Members $35
SACC-NE Members $25
S&YP Members $15
Join Kevin A. Virgilio for an interesting lecture about Danish trombonists and a performance.
Danish composers made significant contributions to solo trombone repertoire in the early 20th century, and their works remain a staple in trombone recitals worldwide. This presentation explores three key aspects: the rise of the trombone in European Renaissance music and its integration into Danish culture; the stylistic features of two important solo trombone pieces and their connection to other Danish works; and the non-musical factors that helped popularize these pieces in the international trombone community.
Hailed by the New York Music Daily as a “carefree” and “soulful” player, Kevin A. Virgilio is a Boston-based trombonist and educator whose performances run the gamut of contemporary and classical styles. An active freelance musician, Dr. Virgilio recently appeared with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the New York Festival Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, the Bergen Symphony Orchestra, and the Westchester Oratorio Society. Dr. Virgilio appears regularly in local musical theater productions, including West-Side Story, In the Heights, A Christmas Carol, An American in Paris, Disney’s Frozen, and the Music Man. He is currently on faculty at Groton Hill Music Center, Needham Music in Needham, Massachusetts, and Brookline Public Schools, and has held faculty positions at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Luzerne Music Center in Lake Luzerne, New York, and with the Handel and Haydn Society.
Come celebrate light at the darkest time of year! Northbound presents a program of Nordic winter songs in 5 part harmony and a traditional Lucia procession.
Northbound is group of five singers from the Boston area with Scandinavian roots. Their music and performances are defined by a love of Nordic vocal music, long time friendship, humor and many years of performing traditional and contemporary vocal music together. For this special Lucia performance they are joined by their children in a candle lit Swedish Lucia procession.
Sankta Lucia celebrations are an important part of the Scandinavian Christmas season, which traditionally begins on St. Lucia Day on December 13 and ends on January 13. Lucia processions announce the beginning of the Christmas season, with Lucia appearing in a white gown and red sash, with a crown of lit candles in her hair. Traditionally the eldest daughter, dressed as Lucia, would carry a tray of buns and coffee to her parents in the early morning in their home. These days, many towns elect a girl to play Lucia for public processions accompanied by attendants of boys and girls who sing songs of the season, performing in churches, community centers, retirement homes, and even shopping malls.
The festival of Sankta Lucia or Saint Lucy in Scandinavia is most simply understood as a celebration of light and hope in a time of darkness. Celebrated close to the winter solstice, much of Scandinavia has just a few hours of daylight at this time. The customs surrounding Sankta Lucia Day are a combination of old pagan customs and Christian beliefs. Saint Lucia was a Sicilian martyr of the Catholic Church, whose story came to Sweden with Christianity. Originally Sankta Lucia was celebrated only in Sweden, but during World War II under German occupation, the custom became popular in Norway and Denmark as a way to assert Scandinavian identity, and remains popular all over Scandinavia today.
**Northbound is:** Megina Baker (voice and violin), Maria Ericsson (voice and recorder), Karin Holst (voice), Annette Kövamees (voice), Sonja Schmidt (voice), and Ken Lundberg (percussion)
A typical weapon in the arsenal of Vikings was fire, and Vikings were said to destroy everything with fire and sword (að setja allt í bál og brand), a phrase still current in modern Icelandic.
On November 16, 2024, Dr. William R. Short of Hurstwic will return to SCC&L to discuss the commonly used Viking-age battle tactic of attacking a man in his house by setting fire to the house. Hurstwic has just completed a major research project using experimental archaeology at the Viking house at Eiríksstaðir in Iceland. We built seven house structures, instrumented them with scientific apparatus, and then burned them down.
Join us for this fascinating discussion that will talk about the tactic and why Viking warriors thought it to be a humane way to conduct battle, and about the results of our research on the tactic.
We will have some of Dr. William Short’s books “Men of Terror” for sale
Dr. William R. Short is the manager of Hurstwic, LLC, a Massachusetts-based organization that researches all aspects of Vikings, with a focus on Viking combat. Dr. Short’s most recent book is Men of Terror: a comprehensive analysis of Viking combat, which was the topic of a presentation at SCC&L in January, 2022.
Sweden’s Sandwich Cake Day is November 13th, we think that’s cause to celebrate.
The Smörgåstårta is a dish of Swedish origin popular in Sweden, Estonia (called “võileivatort”), Finland (called “voileipäkakku” and “smörgåstårta”) and Iceland (called “brauðterta” [ˈprœyːðˌtʰɛr̥ta]). Smörgåstårta is a traditional Swedish Sandwich Cake enjoyed year round, especially during special celebrations like Midsommar, birthday parties and weddings.
Our quick & easy homemade Swedish Sandwich Cake features a “savoury icing” made up of mayonnaise and sour cream. The interior is layered with bread slices, shrimp salad, smoked salmon and dill. The Swedish entrée is then topped with sliced vegetables, fresh dill, eggs and lemon slices.
Come in and try this delicious Swedish creation in the Kaffestugan!
Saturday, November 15th in the Kaffestugan from 10am-2pm*
**No reservations necessary. While supplies last. Full menu will also be available for order**
Presented as the Library’s November film choice: Family Time (2023)
An uncomfortable family Christmas is the setting for this unconventional Finnish debut.
Family Time (Finnish: Mummola) is a 2023 comedy – drama film written and directed by Tia Kouvo in her feature directorial debut. The film follows an annual family Christmas get-together that sees the usual tensions rise. It’s based on Kouvo’s s 2018 short of the same name.
The film had its world premiere in the Encounters section of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on 20 February 2023. It was chosen as the Finnish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Saturday, November 9th | 1pm | $10; $5 for members | tickets
In Finnish with English subtitles | Comedy – Drama | 116 minutes
** PLEASE ONLY SIGN UP IF YOU ARE ABLE TO PREPARE A DISH TO SHARE WITH THE GROUP. THE FUN OF IT IS ABOUT THE PARTCIPATION**
What’s a cookbook club? It’s the idea is that — like a traditional book club — every month you get together as a group. Instead of talking about a book you will make a recipe from a chosen cookbook, bring it in and the group will sample the recipes and discuss the the recipes and the cookbook. If you love to cook or bake, (especially Scandi recipes) and love sharing food with friends this is the perfect place for you!
Each month we will choose a different cookbook from a Scandinavian country and pick out 15-20 recipes for people to choose from. On November 7th we will be tasting mostly Danish recipes. The cookbook is ScandiKitchen: Recipes for good food with love from Scandinavia by Bronte Aurell.
The cookbooks we choose are available on amazon to purchase: ScandiKitchen
Thursday November 7th | 7pm | REGISTRATION CLOSED
Put the other cookbook club dates on your calendar!
Here’s a fun workshop for beginner to intermediate needle felters. We will create a useful and decorative wool hot mat, appropriate for all seasons. Starting with a pre-felted wool circle, we’ll felt a red-bearded “Viking” with his horned helmet. If you’ve been wanting to try needle felting this is a great way to start!
Merry Beninato is a fine artist that has joined us at several of our festivals at the SCC&L. This time Mary joins us to teach a class in needle felting. During the class Merry will teach you how to make an adorable Viking hot mat, perfect for gift giving or for your own home.
Saturday, November 2nd | 10am-noon | $75pp (including materials), $60 for members | register here
During the event, Chris will go over the folklore, traditions, and tails of everything magical within Scandinavian mythology. Either they be nisse, tomte, jötunn, elf, dwarf, or god, they are all Trolls. Afterward, there will be a book signing, and some Troll treats from Scandinavia will be offered.
Friday November 1 | 7:30pm | FREE
Books will be for sale onsite or you can purchase one in advance here: paperback or hardcover (affiliate link, a percentage will go to programming at the SCC&L)
This 64 letter word is the longest in the Icelandic language, that loosely translates to, “the key ring to the tool work shed in the road works of Vaðlaheiði, a mountain road in North Iceland.” Scott loves this word because it’s the bringing together of words to make a new one– exactly what his does with his jewelry.
Scott Rohnstrom’s art pieces are a fusion of creativity and craftsmanship, each one a testament to his unique vision and skill. Drawing from his background as a retail visual artist and his profound interest in fashion, Scott creates whimsical jewelry that blurs the lines between sculpture and accessory.
On Display September – October 2024
ABOUT SCOTT: Scott Rohnstrom has spent decades as a retail visual artist and also has a deep passion for all things fashion related. He has channeled that passion into creating assembled necklaces, bracelets and earrings using objects he has found or purchased over the years, in particular those things generally not thought of as “jewelry.” They are wearable sculptures that often contain dozens of components, all arranged and assembled in a thoughtful way. He particularly enjoys commissioned pieces where he incorporates someone’s heirlooms and keepsakes into a custom-made necklace.
About 
About the Lecturer
Here’s a fun workshop for beginner to intermediate needle felters. We will create a useful and decorative wool hot mat, appropriate for all seasons. Starting with a pre-felted wool circle, we’ll felt a red-bearded “Viking” with his horned helmet. If you’ve been wanting to try needle felting this is a great way to start!
ABOUT SCOTT: Scott Rohnstrom has spent decades as a retail visual artist and also has a deep passion for all things fashion related. He has channeled that passion into creating assembled necklaces, bracelets and earrings using objects he has found or purchased over the years, in particular those things generally not thought of as “jewelry.” They are wearable sculptures that often contain dozens of components, all arranged and assembled in a thoughtful way. He particularly enjoys commissioned pieces where he incorporates someone’s heirlooms and keepsakes into a custom-made necklace.