KALEVALA The Musical In Concert Comes to NYC

Maija Anttila, Nicole Corris and Kristi Roosmaa, a powerful, all female driven team, are producing a concert performance featuring samples from an upcoming production of KALEVALA the musical, composed by Johanna Telander. The concert will take place March 5th, 2018 at 7pm at the SCANDINAVIA HOUSE. 58 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10016.

IN CELEBRATION OF KALEVALA DAY AND FINNISH CULTURE, THE SUBMISSION TO THIS EVENT IS FREE UPON RSVP.

The evening will be launched with keynote Speaker Cori Ellison, Juilliard Vocal Arts Faculty, speaking of the importance of music in Kalevala and her own personal journey of discovering the literary epic. Her presentation will be followed by a concert featuring selections from the score of Kalevala, the Musical. The musical, supported by an extraordinary cast, is currently in development for New York stages, with an official staged reading following in the Fall of 2018. The concert will be narrated by Heli Sirvio, Columbia University Faculty, and will feature performances from Johanna Telander, Raissa Katona Bennett, Conor Ryan, Kristi Roosmaa, and Finnish singer actress Reeta Vestman along with a fantastic ensemble of other professional singers John Koski, Joe Boover, Quentin Garzon, Amanda Yachechak, Kelly Delaveris, Catrina Teruel, Nicole Corris, Mary Baron, Jennifer Hiemstra, Petra Haapamäki, and Markus Kaitila, dancers Elina Miettinen, Natsuko Hirano, Tsubasa Ogawa, Marika Abe, and band David Fletcher, Christopher Telander, Carol Ma, Arei Sekiguchi, Ian Ross, and Sean Ferguson.

This evening is sponsored by the Scandinavia House, The Finnish Consulate of New York, Finlandia Foundation, and Amest Foods who we would like to heartily thank for their early support of this special project.

"KALEVALA The Musical" is a story of ancient legends told by the spirits of the haunted forest of Kalevala. The musical is adapted from materials of the national epic poem of Finland, Kalevala. The date of origin of the stories is unknown, as they have been passed down from generation to generation until finally collected in to a book of poems by Elias Lonnrot in 1835, and in its entirety in 1849. Widely cherished across the world, yet lesser known than the Iliad and its contemporaries, several translations of Kalevala have been a source of inspiration to many fantasy authors since it was originally published by Lonnrot. Among others, the author of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit, J.R.R.Tolkien has acknowledged the direct influence of Kalevala in his works. The story has been set to an ethereal yet powerful pop, folk and world music score written by Johanna Telander. If Once, Lord of the Rings and Waitress were juxtaposed in to one musical, Kalevala would be the product.

Complimentary Wine and Refreshments will be served during a mingle with the production team and cast directly following the performance.

More info is available at

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