Aug 30, 2010

By Kristina Ann, Arctic Circle Finns of NY

When I recommend to my fellow Finns to join Finland Center as a paid member the first response is always “Why? How does it benefit me?” Well, by becoming a paid member Finland Center is able to keep renting space from The Salmagundi Club and keep arranging events and free concerts. On August 27th Finland Center hosted a ‘Finntastic Jazz Lounge’ as a joint event with Arctic Circle, Finns of NY. The icing on the cake was jazz singer Tuija Komi, who was visiting from Germany.

Watching Tuija perform was an absolute pleasure. She treated us to such gems as ‘Tanssivat Porot’ and ‘I’m Gonna Live ‘Till I Die’ from her CD. Tuija is a very vivacious and personable performer, who really knows how to capture the attention of her audience. She performed for about 30 minutes, and then treated us to an encore. While Tuija was performing, the audience was treated to complimentary platters of cheese, courtesy of Valio. The full service bar not only had Finnish beer, prosecco, and a gracious bartender, but also what might be the cheapest priced wine in Downtown Manhattan! Following her performance Tuija mixed and mingled with the crowd, signing for autographs and posing for pictures. The turnout was good, about fifty people. This was such a fun event, and I’m already looking forward to the next “Finntastic Jazz Lounge”.