Finns in New York: Mikki Nylund

Suvi Tiihonen & Linda Lumikero

Mikki Nylund always believed he would end up in New York City. Although he was born and raised in a small village near Pietarsaari, Mikki has lived in many countries, including Finland, Sweden and Denmark. A rebel at heart, Mikki got fired while working on a mink farm after releasing the minks out of their cages and into the wild. His fondness of animals also reflects in his art work. He has spent a lot of time exploring the United States, including living with Native Indians in North Carolina, slumbering in a barn deep in the woods outside of San Francisco, jazzing around New Orleans and hanging out with hippies in Las Vegas.

What made you come to New York?

I decided to move to New York City after years in the advertising and digital media business, with the aim of trying to fully focus on my art. One day at the office where I worked, I decided that would be the last day. I told my boss “I am quitting,” then went home, packed my bags and arrived in New York later that night. I moved into a building located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, filled with other artist in huge loft apartments. That was on Hart Street off the L-Train, and soon we had started the infamous gallery—950 Hart Gallery.

What do you think is the best part about living in New York?

The people. I love watching people and communicating with them—there’s plenty of them— of all shapes and forms, ages, colors, religions and sexual preferences—New York truly is a melting pot representing the whole world. The subway is a good place to draw or write because there’s a lot to get inspired by. Old faces with history in the lines of their skin. All the situations that pop up. The “weirdoes”—the group I probably belong to myself. The old man covered up in tattoos. The old lady dressed up on her way to a cabaret. There are other places where you can find some of this, but New York has the smorgasbord.

What do you think are some of the biggest differences between living in New York versus living in Finland?

The largest differences are, of course, the amount of people, the amount of restaurants, concerts, museums, et cetera—the multitude of things to do. The weather is also different, as well as the language and culture.  It’s also different being able to go to a restaurant at 4 o’clock in the morning. Many things are different because they are manufactured that way, but all together, I know the world is getting smaller, and having moved around a lot, I also know that we’re all pretty much the same all over the world.

 
What are some of your best New York tips?

Don’t get stuck in Manhattan, and especially not around Times Square. Of course, we’re all different, and what appeals to one, may not be of interest to another. I’d say, look around a bit. Visit Brooklyn, and take one of the ferries instead of the subway if you can—that’s how you’ll get the best views of Manhattan. Visit Harlem and the Bronx, Queens, Hoboken and Jersey City. Central Park is great both in the summer and in the winter but Coney Island, Prospect Park and Rockaway Beach are also great for an outdoors experience. Bushwick is a must for art and second hand shopping, not to mention for food and drink. Find out about shows, festivals and other events—try to find the unique plethora of things New York and its boroughs have to offer.

Finns in New York: Mari Karppinen

Written by: Linda Lumikero & Suvi Tiihonen

As a child, Mari Karppinen dreamed about one day being a journalist so that she could share with the world the struggles of everyday people living all over the world. During her first trip as a video journalist, which was to Ethiopia, she began filming the stories of the people she met and the places she had seen. She fell in love with the camera’s ability to connect her audience to the lives of people worlds away.

Karppinen studied Journalism and Mass Communication in Tampere and was first employed by the Pohjolan Sanomat, a daily newspaper in Kemi, she then worked on Ajankohtainen kakkonen, a weekly TV program at Yleisradio. In 2009, she was hired by the Finnish TV channel MTV3 in Helsinki as a reporter and video journalist. Currently she is working as a foreign correspondent for the channel in New York.

Photo by Stanley Williams.

Why did you come to New York?

In August of 2014, I moved to New York City for work. I had actually never been here before. Washington D.C. is generally where the correspondents have been posted in the past, but I suggested New York instead because of its wide array of events and news. Washington D.C. is only a few hours away from New York by car, so it is easily accessible when important political issues need to be covered.

What is the best part about living in New York?

The fact that it’s New York—there is a different type of energy in this city, a sense of hope, ambition, diversity that can’t be experienced anywhere else.

What are some of the biggest differences between living in New York and living in Finland?

The size of the city, of course. Everyday people have a different state of mind here. The atmosphere is unique—there is solidarity between the people here. They remain hopeful and optimistic despite the many obstacles of life. Having said that, New York can be a cold and tough place to be as well—the competition is harsh.

New York City already feels like home after living here for six months. In the end it’s all about the friends you surround yourself with—they make it home.

Name a news story you covered in New York that was the biggest or most meaningful to you.

Most emotional one was a story about the homeless in New York. I interviewed a woman who had lost everything during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Hearing about these personal tragedies, motivates me because even in the roughest ones one can still find hope. It is amazing and incredibly inspiring that despite all of the hardships and pain in this world, people continue to survive and strive.

Share your best tips for the city as a New Yorker.

I loved Fuerza Bruta, which is a postmodern Off-Broadway theatre show running downtown at the Daryl Roth Theatre. The show uses strobe lights, loud noises, water, mist and fog. It’s magnificent. I also enjoy spooky house venues.

The best way to experience New York is by walking around, I would especially recommend walking from Soho in Manhattan all the way to Flatbush in Brooklyn. There’s a lot of interesting areas in between.

Different boroughs are worth exploring—you’ll observe different lifestyles and get to know different cultures. In Brooklyn Heights you can enjoy the view of the Manhattan skyline. Also, there is a different view towards street art like graffiti here—Bushwick, East Brooklyn and Queens have plenty of it.

There are also small concerts almost every night in the city. You could walk in to a random bar and enjoy live jazz. It truly is the city that never sleeps, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.

Finns in New York: Elsa Gustavsson

By Suvi Tiihonen

People say that if you truly want to become an actor or actress, you must go to New York, and in the fall of 2013, that is exactly what Elsa Gustavsson did.

Acting has been a big part of Elsa’s life from early on. She joined Espoo School of Performing Arts at the age of 8 and continued studying theatre for 10 years—learning the basics of her art.

Because of her love for the theatre, it was logical Elsa studied at the Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts to start pursuing a career in acting. After graduation, she joined the Improvisaatioryhmä JooJoo, an improvisational group where she studied and explored improvisational theatre. At the same time she studied at the Työväen Akatemia, an academy for Open University studies in the Theatre Academy of Helsinki.

Why did you come to New York?

“I came to New York to pursue a higher level of education in acting. My school was Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre” (notable alumni include, Chris Noth, Sex and the City, Jeff Goldblum, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Allison Janney, American Beauty, and Diane Keaton, The Godfathertrilogy).

Did the school live up to your expectations?

“Definitely, it changed my whole life. Neighborhood Playhouse is known for the Meisner technique, created by Sanford Meisner. The quality of teaching in New York is better than in Finland. The Meisner technique not only affects your acting but has an effect on your entire life.”

What has been the most amazing part of your New York experience?

“Overcoming the fear of death — I feel like I have achieved as much as one can achieve by this age. [In school], I felt so much and so intensely that it almost felt like I couldn’t achieve more even though that’s not the case.”

What drives your desire to be an actress?

“As a child I found theatre to be the only stable environment — one in which I felt safe. I was an extremely shy child — intimidated by most human contact. The reason I fell in love with theatre was the idea of getting to play with my imagination.”

What differences are there between studying acting in Finland and in the United States?

“In New York, there is a more professional approach to the theatre studies, at least at an advanced level. Standards and requirements are higher. The technique they teach is unbeatable. All of my teachers, at the time, were working within the theatre industry in New York. The studies were intense — studying in New York was ten times harder both mentally and physically because of the work load and higher expectations. You need to really be up to par.”

What are your best tips on what to do in New York?

“Forget the tourist traps and broaden your horizon by visiting other boroughs. Some parts of Manhattan aren’t real. You don’t see how the majority of New Yorkers live if you don’t leave Manhattan. I lived in the Bronx for a year and absolutely fell in love with it.”

Since leaving New York in the spring of 2014, Elsa has continued to act. She did an episode for Valheen vangit, a Finnish scripted reality TV series.

Exclusive interview with actress Nina Sallinen

By Miia Pirttijärvi

When I meet with Los Angeles-based Finnish actress Nina Sallinen at a diner near Penn Station in Manhattan, she tells me that I’m her second meeting of the day and she still has two appointments after our interview. She’s in New York showcasing her one-woman play, Poor Poor Lear, and her days are crammed full of work-related meetings before she heads back out to L.A. Despite her busy schedule, she never gives the impression of being in a hurry.

While I order a chicken sandwich for lunch, she opts for coffee and apple pie. She asks the waiter whether the pie comes à la mode and we spend a few moments discussing the random fact that in the U.S the phrase inexplicably came to mean “served with ice cream” instead of the direct translation “in the style.”

Nina was born in Sweden in a town near Stockholm where she spent her early childhood. Her family moved to Helsinki when she was seven. She tells me that in elementary school she would put on plays she wrote in front of her entire class. She went on to study at the Kallio High School of Performing Arts in Helsinki, and later graduated from the Theatre Academy with a Master’s Degree.

Nina has been involved in many different productions both in Finland and oversees. She started out as a child actress in the Finnish National Theatre at 14.  After graduating from the Theatre Academy in Helsinki she worked at the TTT (Tampereen työväenteatteri) –theatre for a while before continuing her work as a freelance actor in Helsinki. She has done several theater productions as well as some television, for example Tuhlaajapoika (1992) and Jäitä hattuun (1994).

After crossing the pond approximately 15 years ago she decided to try her luck in the theater circles of Chicago. Over the years Nina has taken part in many theater groups in both Chicago and L.A. Poor Poor Lear saw its American premiere in 2000 after a producer saw a clip of the play in Finnish and suggested that Nina translate it into English. She has performed the play in several locations, including Finland, Chicago, Los Angeles and Macedonia. At the moment she lives with her husband and son in L.A. After her New York showcase, she would eventually like to bring the play to New York for a longer run.

When asked about the highlights of her career, Nina says she can’t point out any individual productions, as all of them have been so different. Some have given her amazing experience as an actress and some have given her lifelong friends. However, she says that theater is the art form she’s the most familiar with and the most passionate about. “Theater is my home.”

Romance rekindled

When I ask Nina how she came to live in the U.S, she gives a self-conscious laugh and proceeds to tell me a story that would make for a fantastic script. At the age of 16, she spent a year in Iowa as an exchange student. During that time she met her future husband and they dated throughout that year. When her exchange was over Nina returned to Finland and the two lovebirds lost contact. At that time, long-distance relationships were not as easy to uphold as today, and the two had no contact for almost a decade. Nina was actually engaged – twice – during that period of time. Nina says that all of a sudden her high school sweetheart just popped in to her head and she started wondering what ever happened to him. She decided to contact him, and they started keeping in touch again. They subsequently met in New York, and decided to get married after just two weeks.

Unfortunately Nina had to return to Finland where she had a permanent role in a play. Her contract was ironclad and there were only a few ways one could get out of it before the play would close. One of these was military service, and the other was pregnancy. Nina and her husband knew they wanted to have children, so they decided to start right away. Nina got pregnant and was released from her contract – and at the premiere of Poor Poor Lear in Finland, she was five months pregnant.

Mixed candies and theater traditions

I’m curious to know what kind of a relationship Nina has with Finland as a Finn living abroad. “I think I have a romanticized image of Finland,” she admits. “I don’t think I’ll ever live there permanently again, I’ve been gone for so long. But I’d love to do some work there.”

She says she misses different things at different times. Sometimes it’s the food, sometimes it’s Finnish Christmas traditions. She also misses her friends, and traditions in the local theater scene.  The one thing she seems fairly passionate about is the lack of proper mixed candies in the States, especially the movie theaters. “The candy selection at movie theaters in the U.S sucks!” Nina exclaims spiritedly.

She tells me that there’s a big difference between Finland and the U.S when it comes to theater. The recruitment process is different, and in the U.S people become actors through all kinds of different paths whereas in Finland the traditional way is going to the Theatre Academy at the University of Helsinki and building your career on that. “Here it doesn’t really matter if an actor is highly educated or not, unless he or she wants to teach acting.” The options for actors differ even within the States; for example Chicago is more focused on theater, while in L.A the business is mostly about movies and TV.

Next we discuss the reason that brought Nina to New York: her one-woman show. Poor Poor Lear is a dark comedy surrounding a veteran actress who decides to perform Shakespeare’s King Lear as her farewell performance. The diva begins to see the similarities between the lives of herself and King Lear and question her decisions in life.  Nina says that the play came about after she and co-writer Katja Krohn brainstormed for months talking about their fears and interests concerning acting.

“Before this play I always found interacting with the audience to be very awkward. So of course in Poor Poor Lear my character is extremely interactive with the audience.” Nina laughs. Nina was pregnant at the time and Katja already had children, so the question of whether it’s possible to be a good actress and a great mom at the same time came up. There is no direct answer to that question, but in Poor Poor Lear the main character is a mom who chose her career over her family.

“I feel like this choice between children and a career is one that women have to make more often then men,” Nina says.

One of the other themes of the play is aging. Aging can be a touchy subject to older actresses. Nina uses the word “useless” to describe what many actresses feel like when they get older. Even though the play deals with aging, it does not venture into the theme of death or dying. “In the end the character never learns from her mistakes – well, maybe she does momentarily learn from them, but she keeps going back to her old ways nevertheless.”

I ask Nina if she sees her future self in the character of the old actress. “That would be my nightmare!” she exclaims. “She’s so lonely and not very emotional.”

Nina says that putting on a one-woman show has helped her mature as an actress. She finds doing Poor Poor Lear much livelier and flexible than other plays, since every night is different. “The audience plays the second role, so every time is different for that reason alone.”

New York tips

Nina tells me she very much likes New York and frequently visits the city. She usually stays with friends while in town, and recommends wondering around the city exploring different neighborhoods.

“Last time I stayed with a friend in Harlem and now I’m staying in Brooklyn. There’s so much to see, I don’t know if I can recommend just one place. I really like Brooklyn though, for example Greenpoint and Williamsburg, I’d never really been around there before. I would say try to avoid Times Square – if you haven’t seen it before, spend half an hour there and be done with it. It’s just so artificial and busy.”

Nina says she especially likes New York because it’s a walking city. “You can’t walk anywhere in L.A.”

Towards the end of our interview, I ask Nina if she has any pointers for aspiring foreign actors trying to start a career in the States. She laughs and says that there are probably better people to ask because she’s still learning after 15 years, but she says that most importantly one has to consider him-or herself a business. Actors need to be able to market themselves. Nina says she’s always been bad at that.

“The difference between Europe and the U.S. is that here you need to push yourself onto people. You should also take accent reduction classes and be proactive.”

Interview with a Finnish-American acting legend, Taina Elg

At 83 years old, Finnish dancer and actress Taina Elg still carries herself with a dancer’s posture. Much of her vigor is probably due to her active lifestyle: she still has a manager who helps her scout for roles in commercials, for example. Elg also enjoys going to the movies and to the theater. Elg was born and grew up in Helsinki but spent much of her childhood summers in Impilahti near the Soviet border, a place which they had to abandon as a result of the Second World War. Her father, a talented pianist, died in the war.

Among Elg’s first experiences with cinema was seeing Ben Hur in Sortavala. Enchanted by the film, she and her friends memorized the names of the actors and collected cards with their names and pictures on them. Elg began acting and dancing at a very young age, appearing in her first film at the age of ten. She began to train as a professional ballet dancer at the Finnish National Ballet in Helsinki and went on to study ballet in Stockholm and Gothenburg; “at the time, studying abroad was extremely uncommon for Finnish students,” she says.

She remembers how everyone in Sweden was especially nice to the small group of Finnish girls who were starting their lives anew after the war. Elg was supported financially by her Swedish host family, who gave her the opportunity to continue her dance training at the esteemed Royal Ballet in London.

Elg was soon discovered in London by an American movie producer. She got a seven-year contract with MGM, meaning not just opportunities in Hollywood films, but also a magnificent chance to train further as a performer.

Elg speaks fondly of her Italian singing coach at MGM. Each actor also had drama coaching in groups and one-on one. “During these sessions we worked on things like using our eyes when acting.”

A dancing background became a valuable asset for Elg: She was able to obtain roles in such films as Les Girls (1957) that required skills in both dancing and acting. Les Girls was a hit and so was Taina. She was awarded with a Golden Globe first in 1957 for Best Female Foreign Newcomer (Gaby, 1956) and again in 1958 for Best Actress in a Musical (Les Girls).

Tough competition behind the scenes has always defined Hollywood, but Elg says she was fortunate to work with many people whom she remembers fondly: one of them was Les Girls director George Cukor, whom Elg describes as “the ideal director.” Elg has also followed the career of Sophia Loren and her fellow cast members from the musical Titanic.

Much of Elg’s later career has focused on Broadway musicals and theater. She has appeared onstage in e.g. West Side Story and The Sound of Music, as well as A Little Night Music and Where’s Charley?, for which she earned a Tony nomination.

Les Girls © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer MGM

Taina tells us that she rarely watches her own films, but admits that Les Girls remains one of her all time favorites. Old dance movies and a selection of French films are also close to her heart.

Elg has lived in New York for over 30 years, and loves her home city. “In New York you have the opportunity to meet people from all around the world; this gives New Yorkers a magnificent possibility to learn from one another,” she says.

Taina visits her son, the gifted jazz musician Raoul Björkenheim, and her old friends from the days of the Finnish National Ballet in Finland almost every summer and she feels proud of her country of birth. “There is something so decent about how for instance schooling is valued. It is also great that young people today have more opportunities to travel and put their education to use in an international context.”

One day at MGM all actors and actresses who were present that day were called in for a group photo. Taina Elg second from the right in the back row wearing a red shirt.

Taina is always ready to volunteer at events of the Finnish community in New York; she has read poetry at many an Independence Day celebration of the Finlandia Foundation New York Chapter, and recently volunteered for a promotional video for Finland Center’s new Kota Project (video can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/cwmedia/review/74212132/0b5313fe00)

Last year Taina was invited to attend the Sodankylä Film Festival in northern Finland as a star guest and was introduced to the Finnish film historian and director Peter Von Bagh. He will soon visit New York to attend the screening of his film, The Story of Mikko Niskanen, as well as the screening of director Mikko Niskanen’s Eight Deadly Shots at MoMA’s International Festival of Film Preservation.

When we ask Elg how she would advice aspiring Finnish actors and actresses dreaming of an international career, she emphasizes the importance of having fluency of the English language. “The inability to produce a certain kind of dialect, in this case American English, can be a major hindrance,” she says. 

Interview: Marjo Eskola and Jaana Jumisko
Article: Finland Center Foundation, and Marjo Eskola
Photos: Marjo Eskola, Jaana Jumisko, and MGM

Finns in New York: Anna

Q: Why did you move to New York?
It’s always been a dream of mine to come and live in New York, even for a little while.
So when I had the opportunity to come here and do my internship I took it!

Q: What did you get from this experience?
I have met some amazing people, seen some amazing places and I’m sure that it’s going to take some time for me to understand that I really did stay in New York for 3,5 months!

Q: What are your three favorite places in the City?

Central Park, all the parks actually and West Village

Q: Do you have a favorite restaurant in NYC? 

I’m the worst person to say any good restaurants. But there is a great italian restaurant on 2nd avenue, famous pizzaplace Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn and best sushi comes from Roosevelt Island.
Q: Do you have a favorite store?

Not really, we don’t have Forever 21 or Brandy Melville in Finland so I did spend some time (and money) there. There are lots of great small stores all over the city. Whole foods is also nice!

Q: What are your favorite things to do on your free time here?

Just walking around, there is so much places to see and you always end up somewhere nice!

Q: What do you think is the best thing about living in New York?

Well it’s New York! Who wouldn’t want to live here? Everybody always talks about New York, movies and tv is full of New York and now I’m able to say; been there done that!

Q: What do you miss from Finland?

Chocolate, my dog, family, and friends

Q: Describe New York in three words

Spectacular, scary, and stylish

Q:  Describe Finland in three words
I’m not going to say cold because people here think it’s freezing cold all the time. I think Finland is clean, care-free and cheerful!

Happy Midsummer!

Imagine you are sitting by a quiet lakeside at midnight and reading a book in clear daylight. Or leaving a nightclub to find the sun has risen before you even got to bed. Finland is at its magical best from June to August. Even though the towns and cities thrive, many Finns head for their lakeside summer cottages to relax. Most people head to the country especially for Midsummer’s weekend in June. It is a weekend of celebration of the amazing daylight. Around that time in northern Finland the sun does not set for several weeks.

Midsummer is one of the biggest celebrations in Finland. When staying at the country there are loads of traditions people like to do, for example bonfires, barbecues and dances. They boat and swim and practise one of their most relished traditions, sauna-bathing. It is not only sitting on the sauna bench and sweating in the heat, it is a much appreciated ritual for those wanting to get the ultimate relaxing experience. For you beginners out there, here are some guidelines you should follow.

1. Reserve enough time.

2. Take ALL your clothes off. We Finns consider nudity natural.

3. Start by having a shower. For reasons of hygiene, yes, but also bathing in a hot sauna is said to be better if your skin is wet.

4. Use a bench cover to sit on. Again there is hygiene to think about but also the benches in a sauna get very hot. Leave your newspaper, your cell phone, and your drink outside.

5. About the heat level, the advice is that 80°C is enough and less for beginners. Add moisture by throwing water on the stove.

6. Finns sometimes compete about who lasts the longest in a burning hot sauna, but you should know that is unhealthy. You should only stay as long as it is enjoyable.

7. Use birch twigs, if provided, to beat yourself to stimulate circulation. It is considered common courtesy to beat or scrub your sauna mate’s back too.

8. A sudden change from hot to cold is not recommended. Cooling off and resting are an essential part of the sauna ritual. The advantage of a waterside sauna is jumping into the cooling water straight from the heat.

9. Warm yourself up and have a shower before heading back to the heat.

10. Repeat the sauna/cooling off process as many times you like. Maybe once is enough, for Finns three times is perhaps the average.

11.  Finish the sauna ritual by washing yourself with refreshing water. After a sauna you should not be in a hurry, even dressing can wait. Just rest, drink something refreshing and have a light snack.  That is the perfect ending to an enjoyable sauna.

Q&A with Deborah Ottenheimer

On June 16th, Finland Center will hold its second annual 5K run in Prospect Park. In addition to bringing together active New York Finns and friends of Finland, the event supports the work of an organization benefiting peace, gender equality, education or health care – all aspects of Finland Center’s mission statement.

This year Finland Center has partnered with Hope for Haiti (HFHF), a foundation that helps provide medical care, education, environmental awareness, community growth and faith-based services to the country’s poor communities. The organization was founded in 1999 by Jean Elade Eloi, originally of southeast Haiti. Among the group’s most important causes is reducing maternal mortality in a country where a woman’s lifetime risk of dying in childbirth is an estimated one in 47. 

New York -based OBGYN Deborah Ottenheimer has taken part in Hope for Haiti’s efforts for two years. We spoke to her about her experiences.

Q: What first drew you to this particular organization and cause?

A: I first went to Haiti with Medi-Share in July 2010 after the earthquake. I didn’t feel that my unique skill set [in women’s health] was being used there, but I knew I wanted to return to Haiti for further work. I started calling around and following leads, and Hope for Haiti Foundation was the only organization I found that was truly interested in sustainable development. I had no interest in going to some hospital for a week and cranking through 1,000 patients; my interest was in educating Haitians so that they could care for themselves. The fact that HFHF was led by someone who grew up in that community also lent credibility to its vision. And once I spoke to Kim Sniffen, the midwife in charge of maternal health at the organization, I was sold.

Q: You’ve returned to Haiti a couple of times each year. What have been the most rewarding, and the most challenging, aspects of your work there?

A: The most rewarding thing is seeing changes in the health of the community, both in the yearly reports and during our visits. People seem to feel comfortable about coming to the clinic, and the nursing staff has been very capable. I’m always welcomed back as a friend, and feel privileged to be able to help. The most frustrating thing for me personally is that I can’t spend more time there; witnessing the level of health care available (or not) in a place located just three hours from New York by plane has been shocking.

Q: What changes would you like to see happen at Hope for Haiti, and in Haiti’s medical community in general, over the next five or so years?

A: I’d like to see better education among local girls and better access to birth control; I’m currently working on funding a grant to introduce IUDs to our clinic, for example. I’d also like for there to be regional hospitals that can provide surgical services and transportation so that women stop dying at home because of fairly simple obstetrical complications. In addition, I’d like for us to have more clinics in the mountains, a doctor on staff, midwives, a consistent supply of medications and other necessities, and an ultrasound machine.

Q: Has it been challenging to get friends and colleagues in the U.S involved in Hope for Haiti? Do people become overwhelmed in deciding what causes to support?

A: People have “tragedy fatigue” and short attention spans: once the acute phase of a disaster is over, we move on to the next thing. I tell people about my work, hoping to inspire by example. I have decided on a fairly narrow area of focus, but most people look out there, see unbridled chaos and prefer to hide.

To find out more, visit hopeforhaitifoundation.com.

Q&A with Flutist Anna Urrey

Interview by Laura Palotie

Finnish-American flutist Anna Urrey has built her career – and a solid reputation – in New York and beyond. The Manhattan School of Music alumna has performed, among other ensembles, with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in C in Philadelphia and Le Poisson Rouge’s new orchestra in Manhattan.

This Friday, May 10th, Anna will perform alongside distinguished South Korean pianist Soyeon Kim at the Salmagundi Club (see our events page for more details). We recently caught up with Anna to talk about her career, her sources of inspiration and her life as a classical musician in New York City.

Q: You have a Finnish mother and an American father. How would you characterize your own connection to Finland – and your experiences of performing with Finnish musicians?

A: Both of my parents are musicians, and met while studying voice in Vienna. I’m proud to be American, but also feel a strong connection to Finland. I love learning about my mother’s culture and the country’s history – and let’s be honest: pulla is one of the best things ever created. I feel a particular connection to Finland as a musician, too: my first Finnish musical experience was several years ago at a small summer festival in Riistavesi. I quickly learned that there was a depth to the Finnish musical approach, an understanding of the music that was incredibly inspiring. Finns have a serious work ethic and they feel deeply, and it all comes across in the music. It feels honest and not superficial. They want to do things right, not half-way, all of which appeals to me as well.

Q: As a performer, how would you describe the Finnish music scene?

A: It’s busy, and performances are given at a very high level. This is rather amazing, considering the fact that the population of the country is smaller than that of New York City. The high level clearly reflects the country’s serious commitment to their musical education system.

Q: You have also performed with a Chinese music ensemble. Tell us about that experience.

A: I love working with musicians with different backgrounds and perspectives. The Chinese East-West ensemble, for example, combined western instruments, like the modern flute and the piano, with traditional Chinese instruments, such as the pipa and the erhu. My Chinese colleagues have so much pride in their traditional music and are true masters of their instruments. They are also passionate about finding ways to expand their repertoire through contemporary music.

Q: Is there something in particular that draws you to multicultural collaborations?

A: Much of my interest stems from my childhood. I saw my father travel all over the world for concerts, to places like Turkey, Japan, Spain and Portugal. In high school, I also began to travel and perform in Italy, Finland, Germany, France, and most recently, Oman. Whenever possible, I take advantage of opportunities to share my love of music and be inspired by others. I hope that music will continue to help me explore the world.

Q: What has been the most memorable moment in your career thus far?

A: This past November, I went on tour with Maestro Lorin Maazel and his Castleton Festival orchestra to perform Puccini’s “La Bohème” at the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman. Puccini’s music is beautiful, Maestro Maazel is a musical genius, and going to such an exotic location was a surreal experience. Because I was making music with such amazing musicians and friends, it really didn’t feel like work at all.

Q: New York is, obviously, a musical mecca. What is it like being a classical musician in the city today?

A: On just about any given night, one can attend an opera, orchestra concert or Broadway show, hear a jazz combo, check out an indie singer in the West Village, go salsa or swing dancing…you name it, and NYC has it. As a freelancer, I experience a great variety of work. I could perform at an opera one evening, play the Brahms Requiem with a large chorus and vocal soloists the next day, and then a couple days later give a solo recital! It’s hard work, but also extremely gratifying.

Q: What are the downsides to being a classical musician in this city?

A: Unfortunately, classical music in general is decreasing in popularity. Especially since the recession, work opportunities have been significantly reduced. Even seemingly well-off, large orchestras are experiencing financial struggles. Today the classical musician must be creative and an active entrepreneur to create his or her own “niche.” It’s no longer enough to simply play well and hope that someone takes notice. While this career involves hard work, it forces each musician to take ownership of his or her craft. I find that empowering.

Q: Any upcoming performances you’d like to share with us?

A: I’m part of Ensemble LPR, the new resident orchestra at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street) conducted by Tito Muñoz. Our debut concert with violinist Jennifer Koh will be on June 14th. The next day I leave for the Castleton Festival in Virginia to work with Maestro Maazel for six weeks. This season we will be performing three fully staged operas: Puccini’s “The Girl of the Golden West,” Verdi’s “Otello,” and Poulenc’s “La Voix Humaine.” There will also be several orchestra concerts with substantial programs, including Mahler’s 4th and 5th Symphonies and Mendelssohn’s 5th Symphony. I’m looking forward to it! 

As for post-summer plans, pianist Ritva Koistinen and I are already planning another recital at Finland Center. I’m also part of a flute-harp duo with Kristi Shade, and we will be performing on November 17th as part of the Concerts on the Slope concert series in Brooklyn. There will definitely be Finnish works performed at both of these recitals.

Supporting a new generation of women in Nepal

By Sari Gold

On Friday, March 1st, Finland Center will host a special fundraiser in collaboration with the Empower Nepali Girls Foundation, which supports the education of girls in rural Nepalese villages. The organization was begun more than a decade ago by Dr. Jeffrey Kottler, and provides education to nearly 200 girls all around Nepal. It only costs about $125 to provide a full year of education for one girl.

I’m an active member of the ENG, and this past Christmas, after several months of intensive fundraising, I took my first trip to Nepal as part of an annual delegation. We connected with families, village elders, schoolteachers and administrators to encourage cultural exchange and appreciation towards educating girls. Our motivation was running high as the alternative is unthinkable: early marriage to servitude, or even worse, ending up as victims of sex trafficking that takes over 12,000 young girls away from their families annually.

Below are a couple of entries from the diary I kept during our trip.

12/24/12

“We got up early to enjoy one last look at the view from Bandipur hilltop campsite down to the partially cloud-covered valley. We then hiked downhill to the village, bid everyone farewell and hopped onto a bus towards Bullbhule. Several hours later some of us switched to another bus, while some took the option of hiking uphill to a mountain village for the next school visit. Us hikers walked nearly halfway up, but it was such slow going that we had to ride the bus the rest of the way. At the top, we were greeted by the teachers and students, and proceeded to award multiple scholarships to smiling faces and outstretched hands. This particular village is so remote it has not received visitors in at least two years. Later we engaged in games and songs with the children and shared information with parents and teachers.” 

12/25/12

“After a break we walked over to the Bahundanda village school for our last ceremony and the awarding of scholarships. Long speeches were given as usual, but today was special. This time the scholarships and gifts were given out by an all-female team, either by graduates of the program who are now in college, or by the very capable Babita Gurung, the general secretary of ENG. What wonderful role models these young, articulate women were!”

Our trip was unforgettable. The new friendships that were formed and the amazing experiences of meeting countless warm and lovely people are forever with us. We are excited to continue our work to help as many young girls as possible to reach their dreams and become the new leaders in their communities.

Q&A with Phyllis Kalajian of Nordikreations

By Kristina Reilly, Arctic Circle Finns

Phyllis Kalajian, based in Indiana, is a self-taught jewelry maker and designer who finds inspiration in her Scandinavian roots; she is half Norwegian, a quarter Swedish and a quarter German. Kalajian’s pieces are available on Etsy as well as at the Finnish School of New York’s annual Christmas Bazaar tomorrow, December 1st (83 Christopher Street in Manhattan). Look for them at Finland Center’s table.

The artist herself, Phyllis Kalajian.

Q: What sparked your interest in making jewelry and connecting that with your Scandinavian heritage?

A: I’m a single mother and have two beautiful grown children, Michael and Cheri. When they were younger, I had them enrolled in a local Swedish culture group. The children’s group performed at many Scandinavian functions, including the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s Christmas Around the World exhibit. The Swedish culture group is what got me interested in all things Scandinavian. As far as creativity goes, for as long as I can remember I had to be creating something, from sewing to making jewelry to designing props for the performances put on by our Swedish group. I also have a regular day job, but only because I have to pay the bills. Now my remaining free time is consumed by jewelry making.

Q: How did your idea for Nordikreations take shape? 

A: I have been creating Scandinavian jewelry for about eight years. It started as a fundraising initiative for our newly formed Swedish club for adults. I thought we could all make and sell some Scandinavian jewelry. However, when I brought the samples to one of our meetings, no-one was interested in making them; they wanted to buy my jewelry instead.

Q: Many of your designs really capture the spirit of Finland. Where do you get your inspiration and ideas?

Lakka earrings from the Nordikreations collection.

A: In the beginning I only had a few designs. Then people began to request particular items and I started doing research to figure out how I was going to make them. Doing a little research on one item would lead me to another, and then to the next. I sometimes spent so much time reading about traditions and customs that I lost track of time. There are so many beautiful things in the Scandinavian culture: the jewelry, the folk costumes  and the artwork, both ancient and contemporary. I think Scandinavians have an inherent creative side.

Q: Which pieces do you like working on the most? Do you have a favorite design?

A: My favorite look is the Viking Knit earring, and the piece I love working on the most is the newest one I’m creating. I love thinking of new ideas and then trying to find the right pieces to create them. When I put the pieces together and it looks like I’ve successfully visualized something, I’m really happy. If I could afford it, I wouldn’t charge anything for my jewelry. If one of my pieces becomes special and meaningful to someone else, that gives me a good feeling and I want to create more. I also would like to say that I have met some of the nicest people through my jewelry making.

Q: What’s next for Nordikreations? 

Viking Knit earrings from the Nordikreations collection.

A: I’m working on more bracelets but haven’t listed them yet. The holidays are really busy for me, so I haven’t had time to take pictures and list the bracelets on my site. I’m using only the same colors that Viking women used. I’m also thinking about making bracelets with Scandinavian colors. I use memory wire, so there is no clasp; it just winds around your wrist. There are a couple of ideas for viking earrings that I have in my head. I will be making a Viking Thistle Brooch earring, and I would also like to make viking Runes out of black beads.

Tastes of Finnish Christmas

By Jaana Rehnström

At Christmas time, Finnish expats tend to get nostalgic and begin missing their mothers’ (or grandmothers’) cooking. Finnish holiday recipes are easy to come by, but not always the ingredients.

Fortunately, there are people in the New York area who can help. If you would rather avoid the extra hurdle of cooking, contact Tuula Malmi (tuulamalmi@aol.com), who runs a catering business out of her house in the Bronx year-round. She is a master of traditional Finnish cuisine, and can also be hired for upscale events. She used to cook at Estonia House, and her customers included kids from the Finnish School during the years in which they met there.

Northern Rye makes traditional and non-traditional Karelian pies and other goodies, and they now sell them in two stores on Manhattan’s East side and several places in Brooklyn. Check out www.northernrye.com and contact them at ryes@northernrye.com.

Nordic Breads makes the best Finnish sourdough rye bread on this side of the Atlantic. Their products are available at Union Square Greenmarket on Fridays and Saturdays (8 am to 6 pm), at Stuyvesant Town Greenmarket on Sundays (9:30 am to 4 pm), and at New Amsterdam Market on Sundays (11 am to 4 pm). In addition, Nordic Breads is represented at Whole Foods and other markets in Manhattan and Brooklyn. You can also order the bread by mail; just order a package and freeze what you don’t consume immediately. Very healthy and yummy!

Rice porridge, topped with cinnamon, is a perennial holiday favorite.

Here are a few tips for aspiring cooks:

Want to make riisipuuro (traditional rice porridge served around Christmas)? Be sure to use sushi rice (“sticky rice”). Want to make kiisseli (kissel dessert)? Potato flour can be hard to come by, but try Jewish stores, or Sockerbit on Christopher St. between 7th Avenue and Bleecker Street. They also have vanilla sugar (used in many Finnish dessert recipes) and a good selection of candy by Fazer – Finland Center members get 10% discount on that!

Also check out the Norwegian Seamens’ Church at 317 East 52nd Street. (between 1st and 2nd Avenues). They carry cloudberry jam, black currant juice and great Scandinavian cheese….at steep Norwegian prices, however.

Want to make rahkapiirakka (quark pastry)? Schaller and Weber, the wonderful German food store on 2nd avenue just south of 86th Street has quark; also the Russian stores in Brighton Beach carry it. Lingonberry jam can be found at many of the aforementioned stores and of course at IKEA – this Swedish giant also stocks other essential foods such as herring and Kalles kaviar. And for the best Scandinavian coffee: I’m sorry, but you have to order it from Gevalia (I haven’t found a Finnish brand available in the U.S that is equivalent…and it’s quite expensive).

Lastly, for the best gravlax I will share my own recipe, adapted from the New York Times (who probably stole it from some Scandinavian): Start two or three days before the event at which you want to serve it:

• 2 lbs salmon fillet, cut into two pieces of equal size

• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1.5 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper

• 1 bunch of dill, chopped

Place one fillet on a large piece of aluminium foil. Mix the spices and  spread over both fillets. Add the dill to one of them. Flip the other slice quickly over the other one (face to face) and wrap the foil around it tightly. Wrap again with saran wrap.

Place the piece in the fridge and (this is important) place a clean brick or another weight on top. Turn the piece every 12 hours. Some juice will seep out so keep it in a Pyrex dish or an equivalent. When ready to serve, discard the dill, cut crosswise in thin slices, and decorate with fresh dill and lemon slices.

Feel free to comment and add your own culinary tips!

Happy holiday munching!

Finns in New York: Saara

Our blog series offers a peek into the lives of the local Finnish community. Today we meet Saara who resides in Upper West Side and has a thing for expensive shoes and vintage stores. Saara is also an aspiring photographer and she can be seen in many of our events with her camera taking some great shots for our albums. Check out Saara’s blog Diamonds and Pearls and she can also be found and friended here.

Q: How long have you lived in New York?

Since October 2008.

Q: Why did you move to New York?

I love big cities. It was a natural move after living in London for seven years.

Q: What are your three favorite places in the City?

Central Park, Soho, and South Street Seaport.

Q: Favorite restaurant? 

Koi at Bryant Park Hotel.

Q: Do you have a favorite store?

Housing Works thrift shops for those vintage treasure hunts.

Q: What are your favorite things to do on your free time?

Go to Broadway shows and nice restaurants. Wandering around the city.

Q: What do you think is the best thing about living in New York?

Diversity and possibility. You can do anything you could possibly think of at any given time.

Q: What do you miss from Finland?

Sauna, family, and friends.

Q: Describe New York in three words

Vibrant, diverse, and exciting.

Q:  Describe Finland in three words

Clean, quiet, and safe.

Finns in New York: Niina

Our blog series offers a peek into the lives of the local Finnish community. Today we meet Niina who was interning with Salmagundi Club and volunteering in our West Village office for three months during the last winter season.

Q: How long did you live in New York?

For about three months

Q: Why did you move to New York?

This has always been a place where I want to live and that’s why I came to do my internship here. Love the City

Q: What are your three favorite places in the city?

West Village, Fifth Avenue and SoHo

Q. What’s your favorite restaurant in the city?

There are so many good restaurants but one of my favorites is The Smith in East Village

Q: Do you have a favorite store?

No, but Woodbury Commons and Garden State Plaza drives me crazy

Q: What do you like to do on your free time?

Jogging in Central Park and spending time with my friends in a good restaurant, nam!

Q: What do you think is the best thing about living in New York?

To meet interesting people from all over the world

Q: If you were to describe New York in three words, what words would you use?

Exciting, experiential and enormous!

Q: What words would you use to describe Finland?

Cold, Cool and Clean

Talk design at Marimekko

By Laura Palotie

What inspires designers? Who and what is shaping design conversation today? What is the role of design in cultural exchange and the evolution of society? These questions have surfaced, in a variety of forms, during Helsinki’s 2012 Design Capital year, and on Thursday, October 18th, an international group of designers gathered at Marimekko’s Manhattan flagship shop to share their design philosophies.

The event’s fast-moving format allowed design professionals from eight different organizations to share their thoughts. Each presenter was asked to prepare 20 slides and spend no more than 20 seconds explaining each slide; beyond these requirements, the format was free.

Parsons professor Timo Rissanen spoke of his project promoting sustainability,  15%, which sells plain white T-shirts alongside the fabric scraps created in their manufacturing. The shirts are made and sold at Helsinki’s Amos Anderson museum as part of this year’s Boutique exhibit.

Aamu Song and Johan Olin, whose tiny Salakauppa (“secret shop”) in the centre of Helsinki puts a quirky spin on everyday items, gave the audience a tongue-in-cheek Finnish lesson (the word for “earth,” for example, is “maailma,” which literally translates to “ground air”). Idealist Group‘s creative director Saku Tuominen, meanwhile, spoke about the ways in which design thinking can be the basis for a better work-life balance.

Kristian Lazzaro of fab.com‘s vintage shop, NYC & Company‘s chief creative officer Willy Wong, Artek‘s design director Ville Kokkonen and Lynn Shanahan, president ofMarimekko North America, also described their organizations’ unique approaches to design.

The event was part of the wrap-up of New Finnish Design CITY, a ten-month long project addressing the role of design in urban life through lectures, exhibits and other events. The initiative, which launched in February, was organized by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York and the Consulate General of Finland in New York. Thursday’s event was held in collaboration with Marimekko and Surface magazine.

City tips for young Scandinavians

By Nea Pakarinen

In late September, Finland Center organized an informational event for young Scandinavians living in New York. The Saturday evening event, which was held at the Finnish Lutheran Church on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, was attended by young people from various backgrounds as well as experts who discussed various aspects related to life in New York. Doctor Jaana Rehnstrom, director of Finland Center, spoke about what to do if you get sick, immigration lawyer Ceridwen Koski gave advice on visas, real estate broker Angelika Kallio talked about housing in the city, and actor and church employee Heli Sirviö offered a few general pieces of NYC wisdom.

I found the event very useful. Not only was it a great opportunity to connect with people from backgrounds similar to mine, but it also offered plenty of useful information, including where and how to get a flu shot, and which visa options are available for young immigrants.

Yummy Karelian pies and Finnish cheese, as well as Candy donated by nearby Sockerbit, were served. We also had a lively discussion about the great things we had done and seen in the city.

After our discussion we continued with a night on the town, and the following morning we enjoyed a superb Sunday brunch at Smoke Jazz Club, where you can have your eggs with a side of live jazz. By the end of the weekend, I had a number of new friends to explore the city with.

Here are just a few city tips I gathered from the attendees:

• Top of the Tower for drinks with great views of the city

• Comedy Cellar: the city’s best stand-up venue

• The Village Underground and Rockwood Music Hall: excellent live music

• Sleep No More: an unparalleled live performance experience

What are your favorite places in the city? Share them in the comments section.

Finns in New York: Kristina Reilly & Nina Kulmala

Our blog series offers a peek into the lives of the local Finnish community. Today we meet Kristina Reilly and Nina Kulmala, founders of Arctic Circle Finns. The organization puts together art and fashion events, upscale happy hours and charity benefits around the city. 

Q: What brought you to New York?

Kristina: I’ve been in the States since 1997, but was originally living on the West Coast. I was working as a flight attendant when I met my now-husband, who’s from Brooklyn. I relocated to New York, and we now live in New Jersey.

Nina: I was 2 when my parents decided to move from Helsinki and start a new life on Long Island, New York; my father started a construction company there with his brother in the 1970s. As soon as I graduated high school I packed my bags and headed to New York City, where I attended The Fashion Institute of Technology in the mid-1980s. The city has been my home ever since.

Q: What inspired you to start Arctic Circle Finns of New York?

Kristina: Even though lots of great Finnish organizations already existed in New York, we felt that there wasn’t anything for the younger generation – especially for second-generation Finnish-Americans. Since we both had extensive experience as event planners, several of our friends asked us to set something up, so we did! I’m a former travel agent and specialize in setting up corporate events. I also worked as a charter flight coordinator and planner contracted to NASCAR.

Nina: I felt like there was something missing in the Finnish community. My parents were very active in the Finnish Cultural Society of New York, which had a lot of members back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. As a kid, I recall attending many social events with my parents, including beauty pageants, church events, comedy shows and dinner dances. My father was even a drummer in a Finnish band. So, having grown up in this kind of an environment, I began thinking that there was nothing out there now for the younger generation of Finns. We need more social events to help keep our culture and language fresh. On that note, the most important inspiration is to practice the Finnish language. There is nothing better than speaking with fellow Finns that have the same interests as you.   

Q: What are your favorite things to do on your free time?

Kristina: Between working and spending time with my family – we have two kids and two dogs – I don’t have a lot of spare time. My husband and I like camping and hiking in New Jersey, going to the beach, spending time with our friends, trying out new restaurants and traveling whenever possible. I also work as a promo model.

Nina: I try to keep busy all the time, and when I have a free moment I am usually thinking of new projects. I have a great day job in a law firm, but to balance out my life I look for creative projects. For instance, I am the general manager of an off-off-Broadway theater company, Hotel Savant, and volunteer for organizations such as DOT429. I also love to go out dancing and shopping; I like vintage clothes and accessories.

Q: What are your favorite places in the city?

Kristina: I like Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan. However, I prefer to spend my free time in New Jersey. We have fabulous beaches, beautiful scenery and quaint old towns.

Nina: I never get tired of seeing the New York skyline. I have recently been rediscovering NYC by visiting neighborhoods like Carroll Gardens, Williamsburg, SoHo and The Bronx. There are a lot of great restaurants and sites in this grand city. For example, I recently attended a fabulous, 1920s-themed garden party in an old Italian “palazo” in the Bronx…only in New York.  

Q: What do you think is the best thing about living here?

Kristina: Being able to reconnect to Finland. When I lived “out West” I didn’t know any other Finns. Now Helsinki is just eight hours away. Most of my friends are Finnish, and we have a strong Finnish community here.

Nina: It’s the most eclectic city I know. You can move from the Upper East Side to the Village, and feel like you are in another world. It’s a place that is always evolving. I like the opportunities this city can give you.

This Thursday, September 13th, Arctic Circle Finns and Finland Center are co-hosting a health and beauty event at the Nygård flagship on Times Square. Connect with Arctic Circle Finns on Facebook, and email ACFinnsNY@hotmail.com with event requests.

Q&A with puppeteer Terhi Lintukangas

Interview by Laura Palotie

By fusing her knowledge of method acting into her career as a puppet artist, Finnish Terhi Lintukangas has garnered accolades on both sides of the Atlantic. She has won the Finnish national championship in puppetry, spent a year as resident artist at New York’s International House and studied at the city’s famed Actors Studio Drama School on a Fulbright scholarship.

Last year she staged a large-scale puppetry production in Turku, Finland as part of the city’s Capital of Culture program. The performance, which partially drew from her personal experiences of chasing her dreams in both Finland and New York, earned praise from local critics.

I recently chatted with Lintukangas about the origins of her puppetry career, the methods she employs in planning her performances, her sources of early inspiration and her future plans with this distinctive art form.

Q: What inspires you about puppetry?

A: As a visually oriented person, I’ve always seen stories as images, so puppetry has been a natural art form for me. A lot in puppetry is communicated without words. To me, puppetry means telling a story through an object; the story, not the puppet, is the most important thing. The puppet can be a rock or a glass of water, anything.

Q: Where, or when, would you say that your interest in puppetry sparked?

A: I grew up in the countryside, in a tiny Finnish town called Iitti, where we didn’t have a lot of options for things to do. So I relied a lot on my imagination, making up stories and characters using branches and pine cones. Years later, studying pantomime with a Czech theater instructor, I became interested the use of objects in theater and applied to study puppetry and acting in Prague. I got in, and spent a year there. They have a long tradition of puppet theater, and it was wonderful to see how respected that art form is. After that I went back to Turku, Finland for my bachelor’s degree in puppetry.

Q: You completed your master’s degree at New York’s Actors Studio Drama School. What made you want to study there, specifically?

A: As a child, I spent a lot of time watching movies, and specifically old movies. Some Like it Hot is my favorite, and the comedy I use in my own work has been strongly influenced by that film. It’s a story with so much heart and excellent comic timing – and, well, that movie has a direct link to the Actors Studio, because Marilyn Monroe, like a lot of actors of that era, trained here. In my application I mentioned people like Marilyn and James Dean, and how I wanted to come and spend time at the original source of so much legendary acting. The application process was thorough and the audition was tough; getting in was, obviously, a dream come true.

Q: You’ve used a wide array of different kinds of puppets on your performances and workshops. What’s the process of planning a performance like for a puppeteer?

A: I’ve had the joy of working closely with puppet makers. I firmly believe that there are no surprises – that the right collaborators are always out there. I like to first have a vision of the performance myself, and when I meet the puppet artist, we can figure out together what the puppetry expression would be like for this particular story. Once the puppets have been made, they continue to develop until opening night. Part of puppetry for me is finding the best possible expression in the material I use. It’s like playing as a kid – seeing a familiar object in new ways.

Q: One of your puppet theater works, UKI-NYKI, was selected to be part of the 2011 Capital of Culture program for Turku, Finland. How did that performance come about?

Students of a puppetry workshop at New York’s International House.

A: I had this idea about the importance of dreaming, and how one’s surroundings affect his or her happiness. In my story, I had a Finnish girl and American girl who both have dreams, explore them and see if they lead to happiness. I knew I wanted to work with Timo Väntsi, a fellow puppeteer, and we also got some American collaborators. Timo and I subsequently started HOX Company, our puppetry ensemble.

Q: When seeing the work of other puppeteers, what are some common mistakes you see, and what aspects of puppetry do you appreciate the most?

A: Well, in many ways I think that mistakes are gifts. However, it’s a problem if a puppet doesn’t appear to breathe. Puppetry is based on the idea that the puppet is alive in the same way as any other actor, so it can’t be treated like an object. I always appreciate when time has been put into planning the puppet’s expressions and movements. 

Q: You taught puppetry to adults as the performing artist-in-residence at New York’s International House. What was that experience like?

A: I had done a lot of teaching before my time in New York, and knew that puppetry has a very strong universal language. International House had people from all different fields and backgrounds, but the feedback was similar across the board: that it’s wonderful to use one’s imagination and do something creative. Everyone is capable of playing and coming up with stories, and it’s nice to give people the opportunity to experience that joy. Once you let go of the fear of feeling awkward or silly, your imagination takes off. Teaching is something I’d love to do more in the future, especially in the U.S, especially now that Finland has gotten so much international acclaim for its education system.

Q: Where would you like to end up? New York, Finland or elsewhere?

A: New York feels like home after three years here, and my dream is to be able to get involved with interesting projects here. It would be wonderful to be part of a good movie, for example, while continuing in puppetry as well. So an ideal scenario would be to spend time both here and in Finland, and draw from both cultures in my work. 

Finns in New York: Johanna Telander

After a short summer hiatus, we return to our blog series featuring members of our Finnish community. Today we meet Johanna Telander, a singer/songwriter and actress who moved to the city in 2007. When she isn’t performing around town, she can often be found working at the Marimekko flagship store on 23rd Street.

Q: What are your three favorite places in the city?

A: One is Hudson Pier. I love walking along the pier, especially in the summer. The pier is always full of life with joggers, families and dogs. Being by the water is relaxing because it helps me dispatch from the everyday grind, and the pier is also a fun place to stroll and people-watch. I also love Greenwich Village; the little shops and bakeries along Bleecker Street are one-of-a-kind, and the music scene is versatile. My third favorite spot is Bryant Park, which is a great place for meetings, and offers activities ranging from free yoga lessons to classic movie nights. They are a great way to get to know the community.

Q. What’s your favorite restaurant in the city?

A: I can’t narrow it down, I have a few. Favorite pizza? Lombardi’s. Favorite Thai? Grom. Favorite Coffee? Roasting Plant Coffee. Favorite tavern for food and music? Greenwich Village Bistro. Favorite summer bar? The Frying Pan.

Q: Do you have a favorite store?

A: Yes! The Housing Works Bookstore downtown. I always leave with bags full of books. They carry volumes that I usually can’t find elsewhere, and the prices are affordable. The atmosphere is also welcoming, and there is even a cafe where you can sit and read. The icing on the cake is that all of the store’s profits go to helping people with AIDS. 

Q: What do you like to do on your free time?

A:  I like to explore new areas in the city. On the weekends I go see shows my friends are in, and during the week I thrive on finding new coffee shops off the beaten path. Coffee is definitely my vice!

Q: What do you think is the best thing about living in New York?

A:  The international, cosmopolitan vibe, the history, the energy and the inspirational people. I also  like the accessibility of the public transportation (I hate driving).

Q: What do you miss the most about Finland?

My family and friends. I also miss the blue skies and waters, and the lovely, rosy summer nights at our cottage.

Q: If you were to describe New York in three words, what words would you use?

A:  Eclectic, vibrant, inspiring.

Q: What words would you use to describe Finland?

A: Unique, Natural, and SISU!

Johanna performs regularly at various venues around town. She sings both covers and originals, and takes requests. Find out more at www.johannatelander.com.

Finns in New York: Sanna Posti-Sjöman

Interview by Katariina Forsberg

In today’s entry of our blog series we meet Sanna Posti Sjöman, a freelance journalist and editor-in-chief of the Swedish/Finnish arts magazine Sheriffi. She was born in Oulu in the Finnish Lapland, but has lived most of her life in Gothenburg, Sweden. She writes for Swedish and Finnish newspapers and magazines, and produces radio for SR in Sweden and occasionally YLE in Finland. She has lived in New York for about two years.

Q: Why did you move to New York?

A: Because I love this city dearly. I came here 1998 for the first time, and have been coming back ever since. I also got married here, in the Finnish church in Greenwich Village.

Q: What are your three favorite places in the City?

A: The bridges (Brooklyn and Williamsburg) by night, the Wollman skating rink in Central Park in the winters and the Green-Wood Cemetery in Sunset Park. It´s gorgeous!

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant?

A: For Mexican food, Tortilla Flats in the West Village. For Japanse food and sake I like Decibel Sake Bar in the East Village, and for pizza I go to Roberta´s in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Q: Do you have a favorite store?

A: Ilove thrift stores and flea markets. Chelsea Flea (112 West 25th Street) and Hell´s Kitchen Flea are great. I also like Housing Works Thrift Stores. When I want something really nice, I go to INA and Amarcord Vintage.

Q: What are your favorite things to do on your free time?

A: I see a lot of shows. Some of my favorite bands, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead and A Place to Bury Strangers, are from New York. I also like museums and exhibitions. I go to readings too, and I love the Lower East Side nightlife.

Q: What do you think is the best thing about living in New York?

A: The contrasts. It's a tough but a rewarding city. It demands a lot of you, but it gives back even more. When I'm not here I'm waiting for the next thrill, and when I'm here I live in it. 

Q: What about Finland do you miss?

A: Rye bread, Karelian pastries, and salmiakki (strong, Scandinavian liquorice). I also miss the tango dance venues and the darkness and silence of the Finnish Lapland.

Q: Describe New York in three words?

A: “A beautiful catastrophe” (Le Corbusier).

Q: Describe Finland in three words?

A: Has my heart.