Contact
Finland Center Foundation
c/o The Kota Alliance
43 St Nicholas Place
New York, NY 10031
Tel. No.:+1 (347) 884-3626
E-mail: info@finlandcenter.org
Board of Directors:
Born in Finland and relocated to New York 50 years ago, Eija has always kept her connection to her home country. Despite having been widowed at a young age and left to raise three children (and now busy with seven grandchildren), Eija kept her connection to Finland through literature, music, and being active in Finnish organizations in New York. With Eija's background as an experienced bookkeeper, FCF was very lucky when she agreed to join our Board as treasurer.
Eija Bucciarelli
Markus Kaitila
Markus Kaitila, the president of FCF since 2023, holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Aaron Copland School of Music, City University of New York Queens College, under guidance of Nina Lelchuk, following studies at Sibelius Academy and Folkwang University of the Arts in Europe and masterclasses with Paul Badura-Skoda, Leon Fleisher and Bernd Goetzke. He is a winner of the Köhler-Osbahr Piano Competition, and his soloist appearances include Wratislavia, Jackson Heights, New Amsterdam and Queens College Chamber Orchestras with conductors such as Tong Chen and Charles Neidich. Markus has performed at Wiener Saal, Salzburg, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Carnegie Hall, Music Academy of the West and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. He is a graduating Master’s student of Eteri Andjaparidze and Adjunct Professor of Piano and Keyboard Skills at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
MIKKO OJA
Mikko is a designer and interior architect SIO with a rich background in product and furniture design, office and commercial spaces, construction, and property development. He is the founder of MOJA, his own design and interior architecture studio in Finland.
Outside of work, Mikko enjoys music, exploring his surroundings, and diving into the architecture and history of New York City and New Jersey. He also has a deep appreciation for museums and loves discovering the rich cultural heritage found in American museums. As a bassist with a passion for live music, he even organized the Rootsinpyhtää Bluegrass Festival in 2024.
oscar psychas
Oscar Eilitta Psychas serves as Board Secretary of the Finland Center Foundation. Born to a Finnish mother and American father, he grew up outside of Finland but returns every year to his family’s ancestral farm along the Kemijoki in Finnish Lapland. In his career Oscar has led environmental education programming to connect diverse communities with nature and environmental stewardship. He currently serves as an Urban Park Ranger with the City of New York. In his home state of Florida, Oscar founded and led several programs that engage youth to advocate for their local environment. Since joining the FCF board in February of 2024, Oscar has enjoyed building community across generations through Finnish food, music, and shared traditions. Oscar is particularly passionate about promoting Finnish traditional ecological knowledge, and he organized an inaugural “ruskaretki” hike with FCF.
jaana rehnström
A physician (gynecologist) recently retired from private practice. She has been a lifelong human rights activist and since her move to New York 30+ years ago, became interested in promoting Finnish culture and values. She has served on the Boards of several Finnish expatriate organizations
in New York and is now also on the Board of The Kota Alliance, a new NYC organization dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment (an offshoot of FCF). In her free time she enjoys music in all its forms, reading, cooking, gardening, socializing with friends and family, and travel.
anna urrey
Finnish-American flutist Anna Urrey enjoys a busy and versatile career as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. She is a core member of the Frisson Ensemble, a shape-shifting group that tours nation-wide, and Co-Artistic Director/flutist of the Exponential Ensemble, a NYC-based chamber group that aspires to expand the contemporary repertoire. Anna has performed with groups such as The Knights, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, International Contemporary Ensemble, Radio City Christmas Spectacular Orchestra, NOVUS NY, and on numerous Broadway productions. A dedicated educator, she is a Wm. S. Haynes Artist, New York Philharmonic Teaching Artist, and a member of the instrumental faculty at the Marymount School.
Having a mother from Vimpeli, Finland, Anna has always felt a strong connection to her Finnish heritage. She feels at home celebrating her background with NYC's Finnish community, and is passionate about sharing the beauty of Finland's culture and traditions with others
Advisory Board:
Heli Blum, Leonard Easter, Sari Gold, Kristiina Oja, Anya Peck, Molly Ripatti, Robert Saasto, Mari Simonen