Pitt Finnish Room Committee to Host Soprano Maarit Vaga

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh Finnish Room Committee will host a performance and reception featuring Finnish soprano Maarit Vaga and the Folk Orchestra of the Shadyside First Unitarian Church at 3 p.m. April 27 in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, Oakland. Proceeds will benefit the financing of the proposed Finnish Nationality Room.

Vaga's performance, sponsored by the Finnish Room Committee and the Scandinavian Society of Western PA (SSWP), will feature a variety of musical offerings including Finnish tangos, art songs by Jean Sibelius and Eduard Tubin, and pieces by American composer George Gershwin.

The Folk Orchestra of the Shadyside First Unitarian Church will present a selection of Scandinavian and other folk songs, both modern and old.

The orchestra features a concertina, mandolin, bohran, bass, and fiddle.

Born in Tampere, Finland, Vaga studied at the Juilliard School of Music under the tutelage of Maestro Vincent La Selva, director of the New York Grand Opera at Carnegie Hall. Vaga has appeared in several operas, including Madame Butterfly, Sister Angelica, La Boheme, and Rigoletto. Vaga's performances and concerts earned her the 2002-2003 Finlandia Foundation's Performer of the Year award.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students with ID and children under 16. Checks should be made payable to SSWP or to the University of Pittsburgh, with Finnish Recital written in the memo. Tickets will be held on reserve at the door.

Requests for tickets can be sent to:

Lorraine Loiselle

400 F Abbeyville Road

Pittsburgh, PA 15228

For more information, contact Lorraine at 412-833-3663 or Seija at 412-372-6876.

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4/11/03/mgc