Swedish Events / Info
News from the Swedish Council of America
June 12 & 13, 2009 - Nisswa, MN: Nisswa-Stämman, which marks its 10th anniversary this June, is a gathering of fiddlers, nyckelharpa players, hardingfele players, accordionists, guitarists, vocalists, dancers and general aficionados of Scandinavian folk music here in the "New World." The festival will feature 150 folk musicians performing on three stages, daylong dancing opportunities on two dance floors, dance instruction, a cultural children's activity/performance tent, and great Scandinavian food...all under the shade of the majestic Norway pines of the Nisswa Pioneer Village in Nisswa, Minnesota. For more information, visit www.nisswastamman.org.
June 19 through 21, 2009 - Vermillion, SD: The Dalesburg Lutheran Church in rural Vermillion, South Dakota, will be celebrating its 140th annual Midsummer Festival. The afternoon and evening programs feature the themes of Scandinavia, Scandinavia-America and Rural Life. A highlight of the Festival is the frequent performing individuals and groups from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The smärgåsbord supper is served by the Women of the ELCA at Dalesburg Lutheran. Food is also served by the Dalesburg Luther League throughout the day. A visitor is always välkommen! The Midsummer weekend closes on Sunday morning with a community worship service sponsored by Dalesburg Lutheran, Dalesburg Baptist, and Komstad Covenant Churches. The public is invited to attend. For more information, visit www.angelfire.com/sd/dalesburg99.
Former Genesis star, Peter Gabriel, and Venezuelan composer, Jose Antonio Abreu, have been jointly awarded Sweden's prestigious Polar Music Prize. They will both win one million kroner from the Royal Swedish Academy Of Music. The prizes will be presented by King Carl XVI Gustaf at a gala ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall on August 31. The Polar Music Prize is the biggest of its kind in Sweden, and is split between pop and classical musicians.
The city of Stockholm has been named Intelligent Community of the Year 2009 by Intelligent Community Forum, a New York think tank that studies economic and social development and identifies best practices in today's global broadband economy. Stockholm has an extensive open-access fiber network that connects more than 90 competing service providers to government and business customers. The city has a 98 percent broadband penetration rate and will provide access to over 95,000 households in low-income public housing by 2009. For more information, visit www.intelligentcommunity.org.
An increasing share of Sweden's vacation homes are owned by foreigners, according to new statistics. Counties with a large percentage of foreign-owned holiday homes include Värmland County in western Sweden (20 percent), and Jönköping County, in southern Sweden (14 percent).
Swedes in favour of joining the euro zone now outnumber those against, for the first time, a new survey indicates. The survey shows that opposition to the euro is largest in the north and lowest in the south with women more negative than men.
The American Nyckelharpa Association
Around Swedish America in 365 Days
In celebration of its 80th anniversary, the Swedish Press magazine has taken off on a virtual trip through Swedish America. The journey started on New Year's Day on the West Coast of Canada, in the little town of Lund, that was founded in 1889 by Karl and Fredrik Thulin from the university town of Lund in southern Sweden. For the rest of January you can follow this interesting trip primarily through Alaska and find out, among other things, how Charlie Anderson, the Three Lucky Swedes and John Nordström of the Nordstrom department stores, made their fortunes.
The 365 current and historic points of Swedish interest will pop up on a Google map at the www.NordicWay.com web site. Each day a new dispatch will be posted from places like West Hollywood, where Ann-Margret's handprints outside the Mann Chinese theater in West Hollywood, to L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland where the Vikings established their first base camp. When completed the "travel blog" will form the most complete and fun documentation of the most important Swedish points of interest in the U.S.A. and Canada. Best of all, "Around Swedish America in 365 Days" is free and will remain at NordicWay.com long after the trip is completed. The popular site also contains information about the Nordic countries, a calendar with Swedish American events and extensive material from Swedish Press and its sister publication Scandinavian Press.
This trip of a lifetime was the dream of editor (and Honorary Consul of Sweden in Vancouver) Anders Neumuller. He had planned to complete it in 80 days, but realized that he would not have time this year when Swedish Press celebrates its anniversary. "Svenska Pressen" started as a weekly in Vancouver in 1929 and now has subscribers in every U.S. state and Canadian province, as well as subscribers in Sweden and elsewhere around the world.
Biogas in Sweden
According to The International Herald Tribune, there are dozens of municipalities in Sweden with facilities that transform sewage waste into enough biogas to run thousands of cars and buses. Sweden is the leading user of biogas as a vehicle fuel in Europe, although ethanol has made deeper inroads into the Swedish market.
May 3 - Minneapolis, MN. FEST!'s Walpurgis Night
May Day Eve Celebration featuring Kubb - A Viking Lawn-toss game starting at 5 p.m., the "Kubbligans" - a high school Kubb club will join us. Korv och potatismos "Gatukök" (Hot dogs and mashed potatoes "street food"). Food at 6. Urban bonfire at twilight. Not a 10-foot tall bonfire, but enough fire to banish winter for good. Bring a lawn chair. Fun for all ages! Rain or shine; $7 FEST member, $5 student, $10 non-member. More info at www.festmn.com
Swedish Council of America - www.swedishcouncil.org
The mission of Swedish Council of America is to support and to foster cooperative relationships between all groups and individuals whose purpose is to promote knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Swedish heritage in American life and to strengthen contemporary cultural and educational ties between North America and Sweden.
It is the vision of Swedish Council of America to be the pre-eminent organization that exists to assist affiliated organizations in preserving and enriching the Swedish heritage in North America through programs, funding, communication and activities in partnership with all Swedish Americans promoting a continued strong relationship between North America and Sweden.
SWEDISH MIDSUMMER, SILL, NUBBE, JORDGUBBAR AND….
Swedish ballads belongs to the most beloved part of life for a lot of Swedes!
Friday 9 – Saturday 10 May representatives from four leading culture centres in Kalmar County, will visit the House of Sweden in Washington!
The City of Swedish Songs, Västervik will be one of the participants. We are working purposeful to preserve, spread and develop the song heritage that literally follows almost every Swede from the cradle to the grave. We also started the Swedish Center for Audio Migration to preserve sounds which are threatened with disappearance.
You are cordially invited to enjoy Swedish songs in five different ways in House of Sweden these two days:
1. The Exhibition “Discover Sweden”
Listen to a selection of Swedish songs (“visor”) in our brand new soundchairs!
2. The Investment Breakfast (9 May, 8-9 am)
Learn more about how to invest in the Swedish Heritage and the Tourism Industry in Kalmar County
3. The Seminar (9 May, 1-6 pm)
Six Leaders recount How To Use Culture Heritage to Stimulate Economic Growth (see special invitation below)
4. The Swedish Family Festival (10 May, 1-6 pm)
Meet Pippi Longstocking and her friends from The Astrid Lindgren´s World Theater. Listening to several of Swedens´s most exiting current songwriters!
The concert is free of charge. Bring your picnic basket and come and enjoy!
5. www.listentosweden.se
You can also enjoy Swedish songs at internet! Welcome to follow the Map of Ballads, try our Sound Quiz or listen to interviews with old emigrants etc, at www.listentosweden.se.
Would you like to…
… have more information about the events?
… know about our efforts to develop a national centre for the Swedish songs?
… preserve your own collection of analog recorded sounds?
Send us an email to claes.brunius@telia.com
Hope to see you in Washington!
Best regards
Västervik - The City of Swedish Songs
Claes Brunius, leader of project.
Phone: +46703481789
Upcoming Nordic event
Wisconsin Annual Scandinavian Retreat at Beaver Creek Reserve, Fall Creek, WI Feb 15 - 18. $40 room and board, bring sleeping bags. To register contact varrow2@ecenet.com. Registration deadline Feb 7, 2008. Family friendly retreat features humanities based discussions, films, Nordic academic lectures, ax casting, spark races, weaving, wood carving, music and bygde dance, telemark skiing, home cooked Nordic food. For more information www.nordenfolk.org. 20.396.2147
LearnSweden online classes start late January/ early February
Hej
LearnSweden will start new online classes - late January/ early February.
The Swedish Start course for beginners (10 weeks), the Beginning Conversation course (10 weeks) and a conversation course for those who already know some Swedish - Free Conversation course - but lack practise and (perhaps the confidence to speak).
We invite you to join us. You may try our courses FOR FREE, for a about a week (we´re flexible), and see if you like them. If you do, you may continue and still get a substantial discount on the course fee. Should you want to quit after your trial period, you are of course free to do so with no obligations.
Both the Swedish Start and the Free Conversation are $299 for ten weeks (normal $399 and $349). The Beginning Conversation is $249 for 10 weeks (normally $299).
All courses include interactive learning material on our online learning platform and a course instructor that supports you all throughout the period. We do Skype conversations (talk in real time over the internet) in small groups (between 2-8 learners plus instructor), once a week. This means that you´re free to do assignments and excercises on your own until the following week´s Skype conversation. Assignments and excercises get feedback from the course instructor. If your everyday life is busy, you´ll still be able to complete the classes - there´s only one hour a week that´s scheduled.
Kom och lär dig svenska med oss på LearnSweden - we are friendly and personal and will give more live instruction (from a real instructor) than probably any other on the internet. We also do customized courses and gives private lessons upon request.
Also, if your organization members are spread out geographically and you would like to use an online learning platform to run your own courses, you may use ours. Then any of your members can be the course instructor - we´ll then just host your classes online. Of course, if you would like our instructors, we´ll be happy to assist you. Please contact us for details.
If interested, just send an email to me and I´ll get back to you with your login details to our learning platform and some information on course material you may need (book and CD set for around $.20 at Amazon.com or similar book seller).
Kind regards from Sweden,
Torbjörn Bergsdal, Course Designer and Instructor,
LearnSweden
torbjorn@learnsweden.com
Ps. We are based in Stockholm, Sweden :)
Texas Swedish Pioneers Association
The Texas Swedish Pioneers Association is the premier Swedish immigrant organization in Texas. In June of 2007 it celebrated its 90th reunion at Palm Valley Lutheran Church in Round Rock, Texas. The first reunion in 1917 celebrated the 50th anniversary of the arrival in 1867 of 100 immigrants from Barkeryd, Sweden-- the first and largest group of immigrants to come to Texas from Sweden. The TSPA's efforts include preserving the history and culture with two new projects. The first project is the "Swedish Texans" exhibit at the Williamson County Historical Museum in Georgetown, Texas which will open in January 2008 and run for a year. The exhibit will include a Memorial Name plaque.
The Association added a second project in October 2007 when new board member, David Borg, created the website www.swedesintexas.com, containing the text from the English version of the book Swedes in Texas in Words and Pictures, 1838-1918 as well as an extensive data base for Texas Swedes from the United States Census. The Association encourages everyone with a Texas Swedish heritage to become a registered user and to contribute their family genealogy, history and photographs. Over 12,000 Swedish Texans are recorded as of November 2007.
This article was written by Rod Johnson, TSPA President.
Swedish Trio (oboe, flute, piano) Now Booking 2008
My name is Jan Holmgren and I am an oboist in Stockholm, Sweden.
Together with two other musicians (flute and piano) we have formed Trio con Brio. We are frequently booked in Stockholm and all over Sweden.
The summer of 2008 between June 13 – 29 we plan to tour Minnesota and if possible we’d love to come to you for a concert.
Please write and ask for a photo and a short presentation of Trio con Brio. And of course, if you want a CD I will gladly send you one.
Best regards,
Jan Holmgren, Stockholm, Sweden
holmgrenjan@hotmail.com
Swedish Sister City reception in Braham
Braham, MN—Three representatives from Orsa, Sweden will visit Braham the week of Labor Day. Braham and Orsa are sister cities and the Braham Area Chamber of Commerce will host a community wide reception to welcome them at The Dance Place on West Central Drive from 4 – 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 6. All are welcome to attend to meet the Swedes and also to take a peek at the renovated main floor of the VFW, old Covenant Church building.
The Swedish group is on a mission. It received a grant from the E.U. to study youth entrepreneurship and youth self esteem. They have visited their sister cities in Norway and Estonia, and after the completion of the Braham visit they will compile the data that they gathered and put together an international conference in Sweden in late October. Everyone is invited to attend. Cheryl Braddock, dance instructor, will be open for class registrations during the reception, giving the Swedish visitors an opportunity to meet folks who believe the arts help to foster self esteem.
Plans are in place for the Swedes to attend a Braham City Council and a high school student council meeting. They will observe athletic practice after school. They are scheduled to meet with representatives of 4-H, Giant Step Theatre, the arts and Pine Ridge Farm. Their first day in Minnesota will be spent at the State Fair, paying special attention to youth projects in the 4-H building.
For information about the reception call The Dance Place at 320-396-4131, or the Chamber at 396-4956.
Swedish singers perform at The Dance Place in Braham
Two Swedish singer-songwriters will give an acoustic performance on Saturday, June 16, 2007 - 7 p.m. at The Dance Place located on West Central Drive two blocks west of Hwy 107 in Braham. All are welcome and donations are cheerfully accepted.
Maria Blom lives in Stockholm, Sweden and released her first album called Ordinary Girl in 2005. She tours with a show especially for children and participates in a group called Urban Cowgirls.
Christine Hellqvist is from Gothenberg made her first album called Sorrowing Bird in 1996 after her husband died suddenly. She has been singing and performing in Swedish acoustic festivals, churches and also in Finland.
The women will perform their own music translated into English, but also some old Swedish folk songs during this tour of the Midwest. Their goal is to see the parts of the U.S. where so many Swedes once went during the mid 1800s. “We especially want to meet people who are Swedish Americans,” said Hellqvist.
The concert is being promoted through Experience the Arts also known as CAPP. For general information call 320-396-4956 or the Dance Place at 320-396-4131. Braham is one hour north of the Twin Cities just off Hwy 65.
LearnSweden - Swedish Culture & Language Online courses - travelling in Swedish America, June 11-18, 2007
Hej Chuck Andrews
My name is Per Svangren and I´m representing LearnSweden - Swedish culture and language online courses - from Sweden.
I would just like to take the opportunity to inform you of our upcoming trip to the USA, on June 11. Torbjörn Bergsdal, course design and instruction and Stigh Sameland, marketing, will travel to Minneapolis. After a few days of meeting with people there they will move on to Lindsborg, KS and then participate in the Midsommar Festival in Stromsburg, NE. They will travel by car and return to Minneapolis on June 18 for a late evening return to Europe.
Should you have any questions about our online courses, please do not hesitate to contact Torbjörn and Stigh at +46707568423 or send an email to torbjorn@learnsweden.com . They´ll be happy to help. Apart from their set itinerary, they are open to meet informally with people, if time and place allow. Just give them a holler.
We currently offer beginning Swedish language courses and several courses on Swedish culture topics. Most courses will start again in September. You may enjoy a LearnSweden course instructor or enroll for a course and have your own moderator/instructor leading your own group on our learning platform. This is a good alternative when people of an organization are spread out geographically and may not be able to meet physically that often. Then, take advantage of our platform on the internet and run a course with your group of people. It´s easy, fun and rewarding.
Hope this may be of interest to your organization. Thanks for taking your time.
Kind regards,
Per Svangren, CEO, LearnSweden
Ps. We´re an affiliated member of the Swedish Council of America (SCA)