Zosha Warpeha is a Brooklyn-based composer-performer working in a meditative space at the intersection of contemporary improvisation and folk traditions. Using bowed strings in tandem with her own voice, her performances explore transformations of time and tonality. She performs primarily on Hardanger d’amore, a resonant-stringed instrument relative of the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle that houses five bowed strings as well as five sympathetic strings. Her current work is informed by the cyclical forms, rhythmic elasticity, and the physical momentum of Nordic folk music, developed during her time living abroad in Oslo. Born in Minnesota, her artistic work has been supported by the US-Norway Fulbright Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, and the MN State Arts Board. Warpeha’s performance at the Scandinavian Cultural Center & Library will be part of a spring tour celebrating the release of silver dawn, her debut solo album on Relative Pitch Records (April 2024).
Saturday, April 20th, 2024 | 1pm | $20; $10 for SCC Members | tickets
Fettisdagen – “Fat Tuesday” is on February 13th– come celebrate with us in the Kaffestugan on Saturday, February 17th from 10am – 2pm (while supplies last)
To celebrate we will have semla, kremla, and a special roast beef sandwich– along with our regular menu.
HISTORY FROM Swedentips.se:
Swedes have cherished these sweet buns since the 16th century, initially served on Shrove Tuesday, known as “Fat Tuesday” (Fettisdagen in Swedish). This indulgence marked the last treat before the beginning of Lent, a 40-day religious fasting period. Interestingly, the term “Lent” (German “Lenz”) translates to “spring.”
Available until Easter
Nowadays, you’ll spot semla at Swedish bakeries and cafés starting from late December, persisting beyond Shrove Tuesday. Why? Well, modern times have seen a departure from strict adherence to religious fasting, making semla available until Easter.
Abundance Sauna will be at the Scandinavian Cultural Center in Newton, celebrating National Sauna Week Friday thru Sunday February 23-25, 2024.
There are many sessions available each day, starting as early as 10:00am.
Friday has a variety of one hour and one 1/2 hour sessions, Saturday and Sunday sessions are all one hour. One-hour sessions are $65, one and a half hour are $90, regardless of the number of people in your party.
The sauna comfortably accommodates 3 people at once. Sessions are respectively 50 minutes and 80 minutes of heat.
You are welcome to book available consecutive sessions for a longer sauna experience.
Daring souls are invited to experience the thrill of thermal extremes with a dip in the cold plunge tank or if mother nature supports us… some snow angels.
Afterwards relax around the fire pit to share stories of sauna adventure while enjoying tasty snacks.
Each participant must provide their own towels, swimsuits and hydration.
Preregistration is required. An welcome/orientation packet will be sent and a liability waiver must be signed by each participant.
**Be sure to check out the screening of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood as part of the National Sauna Week events**
If you have Sauna specific questions Mark@gotsauna.com For more information about Finlandia Foundation Boston www.Finlandiafoundationboston.com This event is supported by Finlandia Foundation National www.Finlandiafoundation.org
*please note this event is at Brookline Booksmith*
Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for an in-store event with author Linnea Axelsson to discuss and celebrate the release of Ædnan: An Epic, presented in conversation with our board member, Tryggve Fossum.
The winner of Sweden’s most prestigious literary award makes her American debut with an epic, multigenerational novel-in-verse about two Sámi families and their quest to stay together across a century of migration, violence, and colonial trauma.
In Northern Sámi, the word Ædnan means the land, the earth, and my mother. These are all crucial forces within the lives of the Indigenous families that animate this groundbreaking book: an astonishing verse novel that chronicles a hundred years of change: a book that will one day stand alongside Halldór Laxness’s Independent People and Sigrid Undset’s Kristin Lavransdatter as an essential Scandinavian epic.
The tale begins in the 1910s, as Ristin and her family migrate their herd of reindeer to summer grounds. Along the way, forced to separate due to the newly formed border between Sweden and Norway, Ristin loses one of her sons in the aftermath of an accident, a grief that will ripple across the rest of the book. In the wake of this tragedy, Ristin struggles to manage what’s left of her family and her community.
In the 1970s, Lise, as part of a new generation of Sámi grappling with questions of identity and inheritance, reflects on her traumatic childhood, when she was forced to leave her parents and was placed in a Nomad School to be stripped of the language of her ancestors. Finally, in the 2010s we meet Lise’s daughter, Sandra, an embodiment of Indigenous resilience, an activist fighting for reparations in a highly publicized land rights trial, in a time when the Sámi language is all but lost.
Weaving together the voices of half a dozen characters, from elders to young people unsure of their heritage, Axelsson has created a moving family saga around the consequences of colonial settlement. Ædnan is a powerful reminder of how durable language can be, even when it is borrowed, especially when it has to hold what no longer remains. “I was the weight / in the stone you brought / back from the coast // to place on / my grave,” one character says to another from beyond the grave. “And I flew above / the boat calling / to you all: // There will be rain / there will be rain.” Translated stunningly by writer and literary translator Saskia Vogel.
Linnea Axelsson is a Sámi-Swedish writer, born in the province of North Bothnia in Sweden. In 2009, she earned a Ph.D, in art history from Umeå University. In 2018, she was awarded the August Prize for this book. She lives in Stockholm, Sweden.
Oskar Stenmark is a Swedish musician based in NYC, join us for a new exciting project where he pays homage to one of Sweden’s greatest lyricist/song writers of all time – Evert Taube. Hailing from Gothenburg (just like Oskar), Taube was a multi talented artist who wrote, painted and sang about his trips around the world. Taube is pictured on the Swedish 50 kronor bill and is an important part of the Swedish cultural heritage. Oskar will play some of his most famous songs and talk about his life and the places he experienced through his music, together with Ana Petrova on piano.
Saturday, February 3, 2024 | 1pm | $20; $10 for members | tickets
**ALL SLOTS ARE SOLD OUT. YOU MAY CONTACT MARK BELOW TO GET ON THE WAITING LIST. Please note Get Sauna will be returning next month for national sauna week. Find those dates here**
A Traditional Wood Fired Sauna Experience
There are many Saturday sessions available, starting as early as 10:00am. Sessions are one hour the cost is $65 regardless of the number of people in your party. The sauna comfortably accommodates 3 people at once. A session is 50 minutes of heat and 10 minutes for turn over. You are welcome to book available consecutive sessions for a longer sauna experience. There are also several longer Friday night sessions available for $100
Daring souls are invited to experience the thrill of thermal extremes with a dip in the cold plunge tank, or if mother nature is cooperative… SNOW ANGELS
Afterwards sit and relax, share stories of your sauna adventure while enjoying tasty snacks and beverages
Each participant must provide their own towels, swimsuits and hydration.
Preregistration is required. An welcome/orientation packet will be sent and a liability waiver must be signed by each participant.
Based on Vilhelm Moberg’s much-loved suite of novels — previously adapted in 1971 by Jan Troell into an Academy Award-nominated classic — The Emigrants tells the story of Kristina Nilsson (Lisa Carlehed), a mother who leaves poverty-stricken Sweden with her family in the 1850s on a long, dangerous journey to find a better life for herself and her children in America. When news of opportunities reach the devoutly Lutheran Kristina and her husband Karl Oskar (Gustaf Skarsgård), hardships and tragedy at home lead them to set sail from Småland, alongside fellow passengers who challenge Kristina’s views while laying the foundations of friendship for the days to come. When they land in New York, new perils face them on their trek across the rugged landscape of the Midwest — ranging from schemes of various locals to the dangers of childrearing on the frontier. But as Kristina and Karl-Oskar reach the wilds of Minnesota, they learn to carve out a new life for themselves, as well as opportunities to come.
In Swedish with English subtitles | 148 minutes
Saturday, January 13th | 1pm | $10; $5 for members | tickets
Through the eyes of the four-legged celebrity dog Titina, discover a true story of triumph and defeat! Italian airship engineer Umberto Nobile enjoys a quiet life with his beloved dog, who charmed him into rescuing her from the streets of Rome. When Norwegian explorer superstar Roald Amundsen contacts him and asks him to design and build an airship to conquer the North Pole, Nobile seizes the opportunity to go down in history, bringing Titina along. The unlikely trio sets out on an expedition to the last undiscovered place on Earth. Their quest is successful, but in the aftermath, the two men start to quarrel over the glory.
Ages 5-12 | 91 minutes | In Norwegian with English subtitles
Monday, January 15th, 11:45 AM @ Brattle Theater | Tickets
When you’re 12, it can be hard to have the time of your life! Full of self-doubt, awkward 12 year-old Mina nonetheless challenges herself to take part in a dance competition at school, in part to win the heart of a famous hip hop dancer who moves to her town. With the support of her spirited grandmother, whose candid advice is always an invitation to laugh, she progresses from an awkward initial audition to a final show-stopping number, learning along the way what’s important.
Ages 8+ | In Norwegian with English subtitles | 91 minutes
The woven heart is a traditional decoration on the Danish Christmas tree. It is said that the original julehjerte was crafted by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The oldest preserved heart dates back to 1860 and is on exhibit at the HC Andersen museum in Odense, Denmark.
And while this is Christmas decoration we couldn’t think of anything cuter to share with the American holiday of Valentines Day.
Join Britta in this workshop where you will learn a some background of the craft and how to create your own!
Fun for ALL ages!
Saturday, January 27th | 11am-noon | $10 per person | *advanced registration required* | register here
Sponsored by the 