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Grants
GRANTS AVAILABLE TO SCANDINAVIAN ARTISTS
THE DEADLINE FOR CULTURAL GRANT APPLICATIONS
IS MARCH 31ST 2009
The American Scandinavian Society of New York helps support the arts in general and Scandinavian artists in particular via Cultural Grants that are awarded at the annual meeting in September.
In order to be considered as a recipient of a grant from the American Scandinavian Society, applicants must:
- be an artist with ties to at least one of the Scandinavian countries
- be actively contributing to the enhancement of the Scandinavian image in the New York area
- show skills, talent, and promise in the chosen field of their art
Both performing and non-performing artists are awarded.
To apply, please fill out the Cultural Grant Application Form {click here}, and send it with your resume, portfolio, web-address, photos, and any other relevant information showing excerpts of your work, to the Vice President of your Scandinavian country or to Else Matthews at this address:
American Scandinavian Society of New York
317 East 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022
Or e-mail it to:
AmScandSociety08@aol.com
Cultural Grant Recipients 2008
Opening Speech by Else H. G. Matthews
Welcome to our 100th Anniversary party - and an even warmer welcome
to our special Cultural Grant Award ceremony.
A hundred years ago, our founders came together to form this
organization to “promote social and cultural interchange
among the five Scandinavian countries and the US”, and I
do feel that what we do when we give these Cultural Grants is
in perfect keeping with that spirit.
Still without the support of our members and our sponsors, we
would not be able to give these promising artists such a boost.
The money for the Grants comes directly from businesses and individuals
who advertise in the journal that is distributed at our annual
Holiday party - in fact the funds are earmarked for that purpose.
But we also need the day-to-day backing of our members to make
this possible.
When we present to you this year’s crop of artists, you
will see that the money is put to good use. Each spring when we
go through the harvest of applications, we are all quite amazed
at the talent that’s out there.
It is not easy to come to New York from afar and break through
as an artist, no matter what field; the bar is set high, and many
extremely talented and hard-working individuals struggle to make
it. It is especially artists like these, we want to help. Our
aim is to make a difference in an artist’s career, to give
a little “seed” money. Judging from the feedback we’ve
received from former Grant recipients, we often manage to do just
that.
But this is the reason that we have had to turn down some applicants
who were very suitable in every way, but whom we felt were already
so established that a Grant from us would serve a better purpose,
if given to a more struggling individual. When we receive such
an abundance of really great applications, we must follow certain
guidelines in order to try to make the selection process fair
and justified.
The Cultural Grant Committee is made up of the Vice President
for each country and a so-called Chair.
Bear in mind that we’re all volunteers, but every one of
the VPs has done a great job selecting this year’s recipients.
It is a daunting and time consuming task. I am extremely pleased
with the enthusiasm and the high level of consciousness that the
VP’s have shown.
In addition to that, the VP’s are responsible for soliciting
the ads that go into the Holiday Journal which pays for the Grants.
So in case you’re approached by one of them to take out
an ad, please remember what you’ll see here tonight and
the importance of keeping our culture alive. By supporting our
Scandinavian artists, we’re indeed promoting “social
and cultural interchange” between our countries.
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
------------
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.
former cultural grants recipients
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