Events

Other Events

A gig by Eeppi Ursin

Finnish award-winning singer, songwriter and pianist Eeppi Ursin is performing at Rockwood music hall on March 3rd at Midnight. Her recordings and performances as a singer vary from pop, jazz, dance, a cappella and children’s music.

Read more here

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Finnish Heritage Night with FACC-NY and the NY Rangers on Monday, March 16, 7:00 - 11:45 PM

A game were New York Rangers take on the Calgary Flames with discounted tickets and a networking event. You will also receive a Limited Edition T-shirt and have a special chance to get a photo on the Rangers bench after the game!

Read more here

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The Scandinavia house presents a Maple & Spruce, Birch & Pine performance by the violin duo Miolina

Musicians Mioi Takeda and Lynn Bechtold will perform new works written for Miolina by Swedish composer and sound artist Ann Rosén, Finnish composer Tomi Räisänen, and other works by scandinavia composers. Following the performance, composers Ann Rosén and Tomi Räisänen will join Miolina for a Q&A about their works, with a post-concert reception closing out the evening.

March 31, 7:30 PM - 25$. Read more here

Past Events

February 13

Join us in our FREE event on FEBRUARY 13 to hear interesting thoughts from William Doyle, co-author of "Let the Children Play," and Dr. Michael Hynes, Superintendent of New York State's Port Washington School District.

You will also have an opportunity to ask questions and get your own signed copy of the book! 

 William Doyle is co-author with Finnish global education expert Pasi Sahlberg of "Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive", published by Oxford University Press. He is a New York Times bestselling author, a TV producer for networks including The History Channel and PBS, and a New York City public school father.

Dr. Michael Hynes works as a public school superintendent of schools for the Port Washington School District, Fulbright Specialist and an associate professor of education and leadership on Long Island, NY. His mission is to spread the message of the importance of a holistic approach to educating children. He emphasizes the importance of play, recess in schools, mental health and yoga and mindfulness in the classroom. Dr. Hynes is a former assistant superintendent, principal and teacher.

This event is in collaboration with the Consulate General of Finland.

A group trip to see MsTrial on January 16, 2020.

This exciting new play is produced by Finnish Maija Anttila (pictured), written by Dep Kirkland and directed by Rick Andosca is showing at New World Stages until Feb. 2! Very relevant today in the #MeToo era - you don't want to miss this!

Internationally renowned trial lawyer John Paris plays to win, both in and out of court. For Karen Lukoff, John's young associate, losing has never been an option either. Together, they are a litigation juggernaut. John's nephew Dan Burks isn’t sure where he fits, if at all.

After a major lawsuit victory, John's firm celebrates the win as hard as they fought for it. In the drunken morning hours, left alone, John and Karen collide in a high-octane moment that will cause everyone—including the audience—to question what they know about desire, consent, winning, and losing.

Finland Center and the Kota Alliance organized a group outing to view this highly relevant play, and discuss it afterwards in a talkback with the actors. A private VIP champagne reception gave us the chance to meet Maija Anttila. Thank you to our supporters and for in-kind support by Finlandia Cheese!

OUR THOUGHTS AFTER THE EVENT

Last night’s MsTrial play was a powerful and moving experience. Although tackling the subject of sexual violence on the stage is no easy feat, the strong writing and excellent performances kept us on the edge of our seats. At the after-show talk hosted by the Kota Alliance and Finland Center Foundation, the actors and producer Maija Anttila shared their thoughts on the play’s relevance in today’s society, as well as the experience of acting in a play which carries such a heavy emotional weight. During the audience q&a, writer and actor Dep Kirkland also discussed how the play’s spot-on depiction of the legal world stems from his own experiences in the field.

MsTrial is a great example of how art can – and should – deal with the difficult and controversial issues in society. So if you’re looking for a powerful theater experience, don’t miss the MsTrial play at New World Stages until February 2nd!

New season launch for Finnish fashion brand Andiata, available for the first time in the USA at Ekavi Boutique.

Wednesday November 13th 6 - 8pm

Enjoy wine and cheese, plus a one night only FLASH SALE on select merchandise.

Ignite Vulnerability — Empower Yourself and be the Change

October 19th 12pm at the Centre for social Innovation

A panel organized by FTDA, Kota-Alliance and Finland Center Foundation on October 19th at CSI in Chelsea @ noon

Followed by a sound healing session by FTDA artists and #breakthemold photoshoot

This one-day discussion & networking event contains a one-hour panel discussion, Voices From The North sound healing concert and empowering voluntary photoshoot. We invite you to join us to talk about the achievements and positive changes that non-profits and human rights organizations have achieved and will create in the future. Let's ignite our vulnerability together, make impact and cultivate concrete collaboration between our organizations.

As one of our highlights, we offer the possibility to take part and experience the well-known Finnish empowering photography movement "Break the Mold", and have your own picture taken.

Panelists

Anna Juusela - A founder of social impact startup We Encourage Education a Nordic Startup Awards 2019 Best Social Impact Startup Nominee, preventing child marriage.
Abdalaziz Alhamza - An award-winning Syrian journalist, human rights defender activist and IT trainer.
Tuulia Järvinen - A healthy food lover who believes in the power of empathy. She is the founder of Venner, a new kind of nutrition and education focused social enterprise aiming to reduce the polarization of well-being.
Yasmin Fodil - National Director of Community at 100Kin10 and Adjunct Professor of Public Administration and Digital Innovation at NYU Wagner.
Anni Huhtisaari (Moderator) - An artist-songwriter and Women, Peace and Security advocate.

Programme

12pm-1pm Panel Discussion: How can technology ignite change through vulnerability?
1:pm - 1:30pm Voices From The North – a sound healing empowerment session
1:30-6pm Networking Lounge & "Break The Mold" photography sessions

Sponsored by:

FINLANDIA CHEESE VEGAN ROB’S ARCTIC SWAN BAKERY

Heikki Sarmanto’s 80th Birthday Celebration

September 8th 2019 3-6pm

St. Marks Church-In-The-Bowery

131 East 10th Street 

New York, NY 10003

Join us to celebrate Heikki Sarmanto's 80th birthday in the company of this remarkable composer and performer and many of his musician and lay friends! Snacks and beverages included. Composer and pianist Heikki Sarmanto is a leading Finnish jazz scene figure who has been internationally praised for his symphonic, orchestral and jazz ensemble works.

Contributions will benefit the cultural and community work of St. Mark's Church and Finland Center Foundation. Thank you to our in-kind sponsors Long Drink and Finlandia Cheese.

New Yorkin ystävät - Friends of New York

August 7, 2019 @ 17- 19

8th floor of Stockmann in Cafe

Aleksanterinkatu 52, 00100 Helsinki, Finland

Casual gathering for happy hour MOVED from Restaurant Hernesaarenranta in Helsinki to the indoor cafe at Stockmann’s due to predicted rain.

If you lived in New York, or just visited many times, and want to meet old and new friends, or are planning a move there, come join us!

The collegiate Pedavoces Choir performed two concerts in New York: in Hudson River Park on July 27 and the following day at the St. John Nepomucene Church on the Upper East Side. This student Choir from Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa was founded in 1974 by Per-Håkan Jansson and it has 40 singers which come from Vaasa’s university and it’s many polytechnic schools. This year the choir is celebrating their 45th anniversary by participating at the Missoula International Choir Festival in Montana. Maria Timoshenko has been the conductor of Pedavoces since 2009. The Pedavoces performed a range of music from classical to folk to modern as well as pieces in Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian. Look for a blog post and videos coming soon of the performances.

Finland Center Midsummer 5K Run

June 16 @ 9 am

Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Our 8th Annual Midsummer 5K was held again in Prospect Park on the 16th of June! Part of the proceeds went to support The Kota Alliance’s work for gender equality and women’s empowerment. At the finish line, water and hearty rye sandwiches awaited the runners courtesy of Finlandia Cheese. This year, an 11- year old won the men’s prize!! Thank you to our participants , supporters and volunteers (above, Karoliina, Iida-Maija and Thomas).

Picnic and Mölkky game held on May 18

on the lawn of Pier 45 (end of Christopher St. in Greenwich Village, New York City)

Improv Theater : “Two Angry Finns” at the Annual Meeting

On Monday, March 4, we had Finland Center's Annual Meeting.

We had the pleasure to have the improv duo called Two Angry Finns to perform for us.

Upcoming Finnish Events Calendar

From fashion shows and musical performances to marathons and seasonal celebrations – check out our upcoming and on-going events and enjoy fun get-togethers in New York City and elsewhere! Is your Finnish or Swedish a little rusty? Join the Members’ Book Club or let’s get together for an informal discussion over drinks. You can keep track on what’s going on through the calendar below.

What We’ve Done Before

If you want to see what we have done in the past, you can read more about our past events from this archive.