Nordic Spirit Symposium to be held at CLU
Five speakers, musical performances to be featured at event
Dr. Leena Peltonen-Palotie, University of Helsinki and founding chair of the Department of Human Genetics at UCLA
(THOUSAND OAKS, CA–January 18, 2007) – California Lutheran University will host the 2007 Nordic Spirit Symposium on Friday, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10, in Samuelson Chapel.
This year’s symposium, titled “Nordic Spirit: Grieg, Genes and Global Reach,” will explore contemporary musical, political and scientific cultures of the Northern countries. The event brings experts and leaders from various fields together with performing artists to provide an in-depth and entertaining look at the Nordic culture.
Distinguished speakers will include Leena Peltonen-Palotie, M.D., Ph.D., University of Helsinki, Finland (founding chair of the Department of Human Genetics, UCLA); Christine Ingebritsen, Ph.D., University of Washington; William Halverson, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Ohio State University; Dr. Olav Orheim, former director, Norwegian Polar Institute; and Soren Jensen, Deputy Chief of Mission, Danish Embassy, Washington, D.C.
During a special tribute, retired pastor Larry Johnson and University of California at San Diego professor emeritus Dr. Robert Swanson will honor famed Swedish scientists Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), father of the modern classification of flora and fauna, and Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927), the first person to warn of the greenhouse effect.
Musical performances by internationally acclaimed artists Per Vollestad (baritone), Sigmund Hjelset and Dorothy Schechter (piano), and Loretta Kelley (Hardanger fiddle) will be dedicated to the living memory of Norway's most famous composer Edvard Grieg. The performance, including entertainment by the Scandia Dancers, will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Grieg’s death.
The symposium banquet will include a performance by vocalist Anne-Charlotte Harvey and accordionist Leroy Anderson. They will present a program of songs titled “Scandinavian in the New Land.”
The Nordic Spirit Symposium is sponsored by the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation and California Lutheran University, and is made possible by generous grants from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in San Francisco, the Norway House Foundation in San Francisco, and the Consulate General of Sweden of Los Angeles.
For more information or to make reservations, please call Allan Carlson at (818) 788-4552 or e-mail seeallan@sbcglobal.net.