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Cultural Grant Recipients 2009

Andy Roda
Field of art: Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Nationality: Danish (Born to Philippine Parents)
Web: www.andyroda.com

Educational Highlights:
Graduated from Skt. Annæ Gymnasium in Copenhagen where he passed the
pre-conservatory course.

Affiliation with Scandinavia and the US:
Andy Roda has several CD’s to his credit, and two of his songs “Slave” and “Samson’s Hair” have made it to the big screen. “Samson’s Hair” is part of a Hollywood remake of the Danish box office hit “Kærlighed ved første hik” which will be launched in the U.S later in 2009 as “Love At First Hiccup”. He also produced and arranged a song for the Danish Red Cross, called “Song For The Forgotten”.

Past and present works:
Performed on National TV and opened for the Backstreet Boys and Emma Bunton of the Spice Girls. Andy has since re-located to New York City with frequent visits to Denmark to perform and stay in touch with his roots. His performances in the US are too numerous to mention: He was runner-up on Ed McMahon’s “Next Big Star” show, he was a special guest performer at an Alicia Keys’ event, and through booking his own shows, has performed at Joe’s Pub, the Manhattan Center, Birdland, a.o. Launched his own label POGI Entertainment in 2008 with his first ep single release entitled “AIYAHH”. In the fall of 2008 he was cast to play the leading role “Randy” in the musical production called “Filipinos In America”. The production is scheduled to show in Manhattan in the Fall of 2009, with Andy in the leading role.

Honors, reviews, special mention:
Performed at the Danish Consulate, where he sang for the Danes and to the Danish Queen at her birthday celebration on April 16th 2009.

Kalle Toivio
Field of art: Organist/Pianist
Nationality: Finnish
Web: www.myspace.com/kalletoivio
www.youtube.com/kalletoivio

This year’s Finnish Grant recipient is Kalle Toivio, a pianist and organist, a native of Lahti Finland.

Kalle has studied music since he was six years old at the Lahti conservatory. Kalle studied first at the preparatory school of the Sibelius Academy and at age seventeen he started piano studies at the Academy with Professor Matti Raekallio. He has also studied at the Liszt Academy in Budapest Hungary with Professor Laszlo Baranyay. He completed his piano degree in 2002 with the highest possible grades and graduated Sibelius Academy with the master of music degree in 2004.
Kalle then continued with his organ studies at the Sibelius Academy Church music department. He received his bachelor of music degree in organ music with excellent grades in spring 2008. Since then he has been studying with McNeil Robinson at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. He will finish his master of music studies in 2010 and wants to continue to the doctoral program. Kalle also continues with his piano studies with the world famous pianist Nina Svetlanova.

Kalle has performed in Europe on several occasions: for BBC in the UK, European Broadcasting Union in Valencia and Vienna, for KLARA in Belgium and also for the Finnish Broadcasting Company. Kalle has made some recordings. He performs regularly with his sister cellist Seeli Toivio with whom they made a large concert tour to Japan.

Kalle has won numerous awards and competitions just to mention Sally Westerdahl and Fazer piano competitions and the Espoo Chamber Music competition twice.

Kalle is very active in the New York Finnish community. He is the musical director and the organist at the Finnish Lutheran church.

Valdís G. Gregory
Field of art: Violinist
Nationality: Icelandic

Valdís Gregory was born and raised in Iceland and she is currently studying music education at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford in CT. After her graduation, Valdís plans on going to graduate school for opera performance, hopefully in NYC.

After studying violin and cello for several years, Valdís started voice lessons at the age of 15, both in classical voice training and musical theatre. Her accomplishments include various solo performances as well as performances in several operas and theater productions.

In 2006, she was invited to perform as a soloist with the Icelandic Symphony where she gave a beautiful and assured performance that belied her young age. As per the principal conductor of the Icelandic Symphony, Rumon Gamba, Valdís not only enchanted the entire audience with her vocal and communication skills, but listened and reacted with great care to what was happening around her musically in order to achieve a perfect collaboration with the orchestra.

On behalf of the ASS, I am pleased to present the award to Valdis Gregory and wish her much success in the future…..

Lisa Pettersson
Field of art: Actress / Singer
Nationality: Swedish/American
Web: www.lisapettersson.net

Educational Highlights:
B.A. Columbia University.
As an actress, Lisa has trained in acting, movement, improvisation as well as voice and speech with teachers from Yale, Julliard and NYU and studied singing with teachers both in Sweden and in New York. 

Affiliation with Scandinavia and the US:
Lisa is a Swedish-American actress and singer who grew up in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. She is a founding member of Scandinavian American Theater Company.

Past and present works:
Lisa is a founding member of SATC and will play Miss Julie in their opening performance in spring 2010. She also a member of the BAT theater company at the Flea Theater.  On stage, Lisa has worked at the Midtown International Theater Festival as well as at many off and off-off Broadway theaters including the Daryl Roth Theater, the Flea Theater, the Sage Theater and Theater Row. Regionally, she recently pioneered the role of Terri in “Touching a Goddess” in Princeton, NJ, which opened to rave reviews in August 2009 and she acted in “Voices from Zimbabwe” at the Bricolage Theater in Pittsburgh, PA.  Internationally, she has worked with Amakhosi Theater in Zimbabwe and Panthéatre at the the Roy Hart center in France.  Lisa has also acted in several independent features, shorts and national commercials. As a singer, she performs at official and private events. Her audiences include Queen Sonja of Norway, the Norwegian parliament, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, and representatives at the UN.

Honors, reviews, special mention:
“Lisa is extremely professional, always well-prepared, and has an enthusiastic and upbeat attitude which made it easy to work with her. The role wasn’t an easy one: Lisa played a young woman whose lightning changes of mood took her from almost manic elation to suicidal depression, but she made the character believable and sympathetic. I particularly appreciated her willingness to sublimate her looks and natural elegance for the part. She did what the role required, without trying to “mold” it to herself, and the result was that her performance was powerful and moving.”
–Dan Berkowitz, Director, Touching a Goddess

Christianne Ebel
Field of art: Photography
Nationality: American
Web: www.hippiechickphoto.com

Educational Highlights:
Graduated from Raritan Valley College, NJ majoring in Fine Arts with an emphasis on Studio Arts Photography. She also graduated from the School of Visual Arts, NY majoring in Photojournalism.

Affiliation with Scandinavia and the US:
Currently Christianne Ebel is affiliated with Sweden through her work entitled: Sverige: A photographic monologue”. The work will be exhibited at the Rydal Museum outside of Gothenburg in October 2009. During the past 9 years she also exhibited her work in the New York area with publications in various newspapers.

Past and Present Works:
“A photographic monologue” is already published and being exhibited in Sweden (ref. description above and attached DVD). Christianne is currently pursuing another project in Sweden dealing with the cycle of the Swedish sun and the influence on moods, rhythms and habits of the Swedish people (Detailed description of the project is attached).

Honors, Reviews, Special Mention:
2007 International Photography Awards:
Honorable Mention in Deeper Perspective category “Opa’s Funeral”
2008 International Photography Awards:
Honorable Mention – Nature/Landscapes, Fine Art/Landscapes,
People/Self Portrait, People/Portrait, Fine Art/Nudes

Morgan Davidsen
Field of art: Short Film (Actor, Writer, Director)
Nationality: Norway
Web: www.finfilm.no

Educational Highlights:
Augsburg College (Bachelor) 2000
Norwegian – American College Østfold 1996
Ski High School 1994

Affiliation with Scandinavia and the US:
From Norway, lives in Oslo.
College Degree from Augsburg College, Minneapolis
Lived in LA from 2000 – 2002
Presently working on a short film based on Hamsuns “Sult” in NYC

Past and present works:
“Hunger” Short film, Director-writer-producer
“Bringebær” Short film, Director-writer-actor-producer
“Den som tar Griper til Sverd” Feature, Writer Director
“Hotel Cæsar” Soap, Actor cast the part of Sveinung Stang
“Børre” Feature, Actor as the part of Børre
“Lilletrollet”, Theatre, Director
“Narnia”, Theatre, Director
“Bringsværds Fabelaktige Verden, Theatre-Film, Director

Honors, reviews, special mention:
Winner NRK Filmpolitiets Kortfilmpris during Norway’s International Shortfilm Festival, Special Prize -Honorary Mention for “Bringebær” during the Bahamas International Film Festival, Award for Best Young Filmmaker during Miami International Film Festival 2008.

Cultural Grant Recipients 2008

Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance
(LaRue Allen, Executive Director)
Field of art: Dance
Nationality: American

After I’ve just said that we try to favor less established artists over the more established, you may ask why we’ve chosen to honor this well-established institution. Honor is exactly what we want to do here, and that’s why this is an Honorary Grant which fall a bit outside of our normal guidelines. Rules are after all made to be broken! Besides, the School cannot cover the cost of their work through tuition alone, so it’s still a worthy cause.

Martha Graham during her lifetime had very close ties to Scandinavia, and her school has continued to help educate excellent dancers. As we go through the Grant applications every year, we often find dancers with a Martha Graham background.

I’d like to quote Martha Graham herself, for she’s expressed what it means to learn to dance:

“Dancing appears glamorous, easy and delightful. But the path to the paradise of that achievement is not easier than any other. There is fatigue so great that the body cries, even in its sleep. There are times of complete frustration, and there are daily small deaths.”

Helena Liljeblad
Field of art: Singer/actress
Nationality: Swedish

Helena Liljeblad was born in Sandviken, Sweden and moved to the US with her family in 1993. After receiving a BA in music from the University of North Texas, she moved to New York in 1999. She has performed extensively all over the city in various musical and theatrical venues. Her credits include regional musical theater, off-off Broadway plays, staged readings, solo concerts, self-produced cabarets, choral concerts, and musical collaborations with several local, as well as Swedish artists. She is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. She sings with the Swedish Church Choir and frequently performs at different Swedish cultural events around the city.

Kukkamari Gröndahl
Field of art: Violinist
Nationality: Finnish

John Lidal
Field of art: Music; piano
Nationality: Norwegian
Web: www.lidalnorth.com

As a pianist, chamber musician and vocal coach, John Lidal is a much sought after artist, and has worked throughout the United States and Europe with such artists as Sherrill Milnes, Catherine Malfitano, Mignon Dunn, Tom Krause, Martina Arroyo, Fedora Barbieri, Licia Albanese, Anna Moffo, Ingrid Bjoner, Sarah Walker, Gabriella Tucci and Marilyn Horne.
Mr. Lidal currently serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music (MSM), New York, the International Institute of Vocal Arts (IIVA) in Chiari, Italy, the Intermezzo Opera Festival in Brugge, Belgium, and the Israel Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI), Tel Aviv, Israel, as well as maintaining private coaching studios in New York, Berlin, London, and Oslo.
With an extensive experience as audition pianist (NYIOP), vocal competition accompanist (The Queen Sonja International Music Competition), and coach throughout the US and Europe, Mr. Lidal works regularly with highly established artists, both from the Metropolitan Opera, and from other renowned companies. He is also affiliated with several leading voice teachers.
Mr. Lidal attended his hometown conservatory in Trondheim, Norway, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway, and the Manhattan School of Music in New York.
He was 1st prize winner in 2000 of two International Piano Competitions in London, UK. For his work, Lidal has received numerous awards, scholarships and grants, both at home and abroad.

Lidal collaborates regularly with the new generation of the many outstanding singers in Scandinavia, and in the US both in recital, recording, coaching, and broadcast.
He coaches in the French, Italian, German, English, Swedish, Danish repertory as well as in his native Norwegian.

Recent projects include a US song recital series called “A Scandinavian Songbook”, a series of public master classes presented with world-renowned American soprano, Catherine Malfitano, in Manhattan, as well as song recitals in New York City in conjunction with the Edvard Grieg 2007 celebration. In spring 2008, Mr. Lidal will embark on a European song recital tour with mezzo soprano Alenka Ponjavic, and subsequently be coaching in three international opera summer programs throughout Europe.
Additionally, Mr. Lidal created and currently serves as the Artistic Director for the newly formed organization LidalNorth, which presented its first International Opera Workshop for advanced singers in June 2006, in Oslo, Norway, and which will have its third season this year.
Oslo, 1/2008
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Education

2001-2002: Professional Studies Certificate, Vocal Piano Accompanying and Vocal coaching
Manhattan School of Music (MSM), New York.

2000-2001: Master Degree in both Piano Accompanying and in Chamber Music
Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH), Oslo.

1998-2000: Post Graduate Diploma, licentiateship, and Master Degree in Piano Performance, and Vocal Accompanying, Advanced Studies
Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD), London.

1994-1998: Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance
Trondheim Music Conservatory (NTNU), Norway.

Teachers/coaches include: Nico Castell (Juilliard School, Met), Fiora Contino, Robert Cowart (Met, MSM), Joan Dornemann (Met), Thomas Muraco (MSM), Bruno Rigacci, Tina Ruta (ROH Covent Garden),
Gaït Sirguey (MSM), Jørgen Larsen (NTNU), Einar Henning Smebye (NMH), Sigmund Hjelset (NMH),
Andrew Ball (GSMD), Joan Havill (GSMD), Graham Johnson

Master Classes played: Martina Arroyo, Ingrid Bjoner, Mignon Dunn, Håkan Hagegård, Marilyn Horne, Tom Krause, Catherine Malfitano, Sherrill Milnes, Anna Moffo, Joan Dornemann, Gabriella Tucci, Sarah Walker

Israel Vocal Arts Institute, IVAI, Tel Aviv, Israel
Artistic director: Joan Dornemann (Met)
Faculty Member since 2004: John Lidal (pianist, vocal coach)

Operas, coached and performed, IVAI, include:
Offenbach: Les Contes d’ Hoffmann (Mark Ensley, John Norris, John Lidal)
Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore (Lucy Arner (Met), Edi Chama, John Lidal)
Donizetti: Don Pasquale (Lucy Arner (Met), Giovanna Maresta, John Lidal)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (Laurent Wagner, Thaddeus Strassberger, John Lidal)

International Institute of Vocal Arts, IIVA, Chiari, Italy
Artistic director: William Woodruff
Faculty member since 2002: John Lidal (pianist, vocal coach)

Operas, coached and performed, IIVA, include:
Puccini: Il Trittico (Lucy Arner, Thaddeus Strassberger, John Lidal), Puccini: La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly (Robert Perata, Fabrizio Melano, John Lidal), Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (Bruno Rigacci/Mignon Dunn/John Lidal), Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice (Perata, Dunn, John Lidal),
Offenbach: Orphée aux Enfers (Perata/Dunn/Lidal), Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, Così fan’ tutte, Don Giovanni (Marco Boemi, Franco di Bosio, John Lidal), Verdi: La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Aida, Un Ballo in Maschera, Don Carlo (Howard Watkins, Lucca Ricci, John Lidal), Massenet: Manon, Werther, Don Quichotte, Gounod: Faust, Roméo et Juliette (Perata/Dunn/Lidal).

Other
Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Jan. 2005; Verdi: Falstaff (cond.: Daniel Kleinknecht, repetiteur Lidal)
Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, 2004; Verdi: La Traviata (cond.: Kleinknecht, repetiteur Lidal)
Manhattan School of Music, 2002; Bizet: Carmen (cond.: Thomas Muraco, repetiteur Lidal)
St.Olav Festival, Trondheim, 2002; Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (cond.: Gregor Bühl, repetiteur Lidal)
Ringve Museum, Trondheim, 1998; Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (cond.: Andersen, repetiteur Lidal)

Operas in preparation: Ariadne auf Naxos, Salome, Elektra, Arabella, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Walküre,
Les Troyens.

Kristina Skovby
Field of art: Dance
Nationality: Danish

Kristina Skovby came to New York to study at The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Upon graduation she stayed in the city thriving on its multicultural foundation as well as strongly nudging on the energy being among so many different artists sharing her passion for creation. Here she found the strength to grow both by working independently and collaboratively.

Her work often consists of portraying every day people caught in conflicts inflicted by outer circumstances such as war and politics, or in struggle with their own mighty self. She rarely knows her piece beforehand – her stories and characters are shaped in the process of creating movement material and from what she is exposed to through out that process, what she reads, sees or encounters. She also highly enjoys to step into other choreographers other artist’s shoes, sometimes to be part of their creation process, other times “just” to perform their vision. Every one is of major inspiration to her.

Isold Uggadottir
Field of art: Filmmaking
Nationality: Icelandic



Isold was born and raised in Reykjavik, Iceland and came to New York City in 2001 to pursue a master's degree in Interactive Telecommunications at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

From NYU her fascination with visual mediums led her to the Emmy Award winning Partisan Pictures, where she was involved in editing documentary films for 3 years. Her most memorable project was a 13-part docu-drama series about the American Revolution, which aired on the History Channel, attracting over one million viewers.

After her experience in the editing room, Isold turned to directing. Her directorial debut, FAMILY REUNION, premiered at the Reykjavik International Film Festival in 2006, to much acclaim from critics.

It went on to receive an Icelandic Edda Award nomination for Best Short Film 2006, as well as being an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival 2007.

Subsequently FAMILY REUNION has been invited to over 70 film festivals, garnering 9 international festival awards.

The British film publication, Screen International, named Isold one of the "rising stars of Icelandic film" in its Nordic Edition last February.

Currently, Isold is editing her latest short film which she plans to premiere later this year and submit to festivals in New York and around the world.

Additionally, Isold is in the early stages of developing a feature film, which she intends to work on at Columbia University's MFA Film Directing Program where she has been offered a fellowship beginning in the fall of 2008.

cultural grant recipients 2007

Anna Gutto
Field of art: Acting
Nationality: Norwegian

Anna Gutto (aka Anna Guttormsgaard) is a Norwegian actor based in New York. Her work has attracted critical acclaim from The New York Times, Variety and The Village Voice, among others. She is a recipient of the prestigious 2-Year Emerging Artist Grant from the Norwegian Arts Council and the 2007 Cultural Grant from American Scandinavian Society.

Adding to her wide and varied body of work as a stage actress (see resumé), Anna has been cast in a growing number of films, including recently in Gone with the Woman by Academy Award-nominated director Peter Næss, where she plays opposite Peter Stormare (Fargo, Minority Report). In the past year, she also played the lead in two feature films (The Contenders and Tom and Valkyrie).

Anna started acting at the age of eight, finding ravenous joy in playing villainous characters, from the mischievous Loke in Norse mythology, to the Evil Witch in Snow White and The Beast in Teenage Little Red Riding Hood. She grew up in the forest outside Oslo, but her pursuit of acting soon brought her to the city where her professional debut came soon after high school when award-winning director Stein Winge cast her as Solveig (the classic ingénue character in Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt). While working as an actor and increasing her range (earning roles in major productions such as Shakespeare’s Richard III, The Taming of the Shrew and Harold Pinter’s The Lover), Gutto also studied philosophy at the University of Oslo before enrolling in Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York.

Gutto is also co-artistic director of Unbound Collective (www.unboundcollective.org) and Oslo Elsewhere (known for introducing Jon Fosse to American audiences) and has written, adapted and produced several plays as well as written essays for theater publications.

Anna will perform poems or prose at weddings or other events upon request.

Please see more information at www.annagutto.com.

Maia Elisabeth Sorensen - Contemporary Dance and Dance film

Maia graduated from the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York in January 2007 with a third year post certificate program focused on choreography.
Her mission is to create short dance films of imaginary universes that will trigger not only her own creativity but the audiences as well. I.e. make an audience understand with their senses and not with their mind.
Dance film is a completely new art genre, neither dance or film. It is a contemporary art form that deserves more attention and time for exploration for both the creators and audience. It is very cutting edge, experimental and an area full of opportunities that haven't been met yet. In dance film we can explore new limits of the body and how it is perceived through the camera lense. How to make dance alive when it is not live, how to show details that are not visible to a theater audience, how to make the camera and dance meet as one and not be two separate medias.

Marcus Forss

Pauliina graduated from Turku Art's Academy in Turku, Finland, May 2005. She is currently sharing her time between New York City and Finland.

Pauliina performs with different choreographers in New York and Finland and creates her own work with other freelance dancers and musicians. In New York she also organizes art events which combine American and Finnish art and culture. The latest event "This Single Night of Summer" started a series of art events, which will gather together Finnish and American artists to share their work in the fields of dance, music, poetry and multimedia.

Pauliina has performed in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and USA. As an organizer she has been active to produce dance events around Finland and Sweden with Scandinavian production group DaArt.

She has taught dance for various levels in contemporary, modern jazz and ballet. In New York Pauliina does volunteer work for New York Finnish Lutheran Church. Pauliina is very active in New York's Scandinavian field.

Pauliina is grateful for American-Scandinavian Society for the grant! This will help her to continue her work in New York area.

For more information about her you can go to www.myspace.com/pauliinasilvennoinen

cultural grant recipients 2006

The chairperson's speech 2006

Yael Acher - Musician/Composer
Award Recipient 2006

Yael Acher from Tel Aviv and Copenhagen graduated with a BA in Music, Classical Flute Performing Arts from the Rubin Academy for Music & Dance, Jerusalem. She is currently sharing her time between Copenhagen and New York City where she is taking an MA in Contemporary Composition while performing as an instrumentalist/composer.

Her art stretches from the classical through modern, free-improvisation, contemporary and progressive, jazz and beat, Latin and electronics. She has performed in as a soloist, in multi performance productions and in concerts in Scandinavia, Israel, Romania, France, and New York.

Yael also co-operates with choreographers and dancers as an electro acoustic composer/performer and as such has traveled extensively with modern dance productions.

Her latest CD, “La Belle Ombre” with music composed in Copenhagen, was created with the help of a grant from the Danish Art Council

The Danish daily, Berlingske Tidende calls her music, “Colorful, flying flute tones…”, and “Spell-binding, action packed and deeply original.”

For more information, go to her website: www.modianomusic.com

Kirsi-Marja Alanen - Musician
Award Recipient 2006

Kirsi-Marja Alanen is a native of Hämeenlinna, Finland.

She has been studying violin at the Juilliard School since 2003 under Professor Lewis Kaplan.  Prior to that she studied at the Sibelius Academy in Finland.  Kirsi-Marja has participated in various master classes taught by great violin virtuosos.  She has competed in many national and international violin contests.

To quote Professor Kaplan “Kirsi-Marja plays with intelligence, passion and great imagination.  She is truly dedicated to her art and has great potential.”    

Kirsi-Marja is grateful for American Scandinavian Society for the grant. 
This will enable her to continue her studies. After graduation in 2007  she plans to continue with her Masters perhaps at Juilliard or other conservatories in the New York area.

Margret Arnadottir - Musician
Award Recipient 2006

Cellist Margret Arnadottir of Reykjavik, Iceland, received her Masters from The Juilliard School in New York in May of 2006.

Professor David Soyer of The Juilliard School recommended her highly and said: "She is a very gifted young cellist posessed with ample technique, lovely tone and musical sensitivity and intelligence."

Tavros records released a CD recording in 2004 - Rachmaninoff's Eligiaque for trios, performed by Margret Arnadottir, Julia Sakharova and Yung Wook Yoo, reviewed by Nathan A Abbookire who said: "This is the performance that Rachmaninoff could only have dreamed of."

Margret Arnadottir will be performing in the New York area this coming season.

Anne Katrine Senstad - Photographer
Award Recipient 2006

Anne Katrine Senstad is a Norwegian photographer who lives in New York. She spent her formative years in South East Asia, while the developing years were spent in her
native Norway. In 1990 she came to New York to study at Parsons School of Design
where she graduated with a BFA/Fine art of Photography  -w/Honors.

She has exhibited internationally, including at the Architectural Museum in Sao Paulo, Stichting Noorderlicht, The Netherlands, and Gary Snyder Fine Art in New York. Her first major solo show was held at Galleri JMS in Oslo, Norway, 2002 where she showed the Light and Color series, a photographic investigation of color, sound and light fields. She has been honored by Her Majesty the Queen of Norway on several occasions, and the Queen also opened Senstad's exhibition at the Trygve Lie Gallery in NY, Febuary 2005.

Her first artist book " The Norwegians" was released in December 2005, with essays by Gerhard Sander, founder of The Sander archives in Cologne, and Thure Erik Lund, prizewinning Norwegian author. The book contains 50 portraits of Norwegian men ranging from explorers to artists to everyday people.

In 2000 the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. made a portrait documentary on Anne Katrine Senstad as a Norwegian artist and photographer living in New York. The film aired in 8 European countries, and was viewed as an important informative document for young aspiring Scandinavian artists and photographers.

Anne Katrine Senstad has received grants from the Norwegian Council for Cultural Affairs and The Norwegian Photography Foundation for the Arts.
Her work appears in private, corporate and gallery collections internationally.

For more information, go to her website: www.annesenstad.com

Anders Cato - Director
Award Recipient 2006

Anders Cato was born in Sweden and moved to New York in 1987.

He has directed a long list of plays in New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, besides Europe, among them several Scandinavian production: Ibsen, Strindberg and Noren.  In 2005 he directed two critically acclaimed productions at the Berkshire Theatre Festival: David Mamet’s American Buffalo and his own adaptation of Strindberg’s The Father.

In 2002, Cato directed the world premiere of an adaptation by Craig Lucas of Strindberg’s Miss Julie, based on Cato’s own translation, also at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, and in 2005 presented at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in New York.

Cato has collaborated in various capacities, director, producer, stage manager, with many of America’s finest playwrights, including Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, and Sam Shepard. He has written and recorded over 100 programs about American culture for Swedish National Radio. He recently produced a documentary film about Joseph Chaikin and his work with actors with disabilities.

This summer Anders Cato has been busy directing Garret Dillahunt, Robin Weigert and Linda Hamilton in The Night of the Iguana at the Berkshire Theatre Festival.

Arthur Shen - Singer
Award Recipient 2006

Arthur Shen is an American singer with a great love for Scandinavia in general and Finland in particular.  His repertoire includes Sibelius, Kuula, Merikanto and Grieg, and among his ambitions is a plan to learn the new opera, “Adriana Mater” by Finnish composer, Kaija Saariaho.

With a formal training in opera from the Mannes College of Music, and ongoing voice lessons with Mignon Dunn, he has sung in several operas and choirs.  His career highlights include Rodolfo in La Bohème, Ruggero in La Rondine, Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, besides performances in Handel’s Messiah and Coronation Anthem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater.

Arthur is the winner of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant for 1999, and a scholarship recipient of both the Tanglewood Institute and the Mannes College of Music.

Along with his Finnish wife, he has traveled extensively in Finland and sung at music festivals and in recitals there, thus developing a special bond with the Finnish spirit as reflected in its music.

For more information, go to his website: www.arthur-shen.net

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cultural grant recipients 2005

Jane C. Pejtersen - Actress
Award Recipient 2005

Jane Pejtersen came to NYC in 2002 from Copenhagen, Denmark on a scholarship to further her studies at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute as a singer and actress. She keeps her in touch with her Danish roots and through the Danish Consulate she has taken part in several cultural events. Jane is actively involved in the arts in New York and she's excited to live in a diverse city which offers inspiration and growth. Visit website: http://www.pejtersen.biz.

cultural grant recipient 1996

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