Vappu! A Spring Celebration Concert
$25
- Declan Hong, piano
- Tiina Ritalahti, soprano
- Sharyn Peterson, conductor
Toivo Kuula — Selected works (Tiina Ritalahti, soprano)
Yrjö Kilpinen — Selected works (Tiina Ritalahti, soprano)
Traditional — Selected works (Swedish walking tunes, AKA gånglåt)
Edvard Grieg — Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Op. 65, No. 6
Edvard Grieg — "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46
Jean Sibelius — Finlandia, Op. 26
Johann Strauss — Radetzky March, Op. 228
Jaromír Vejvoda — Beer Barrel Polka
Uplifting folk and classical music from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland are on the program, with piano soloist Declan Hong of Anacortes, as well as soprano soloist Tiina Ritalahti from Seattle. Declan plays the First Piano Concerto by Mendelssohn, and Tiina will perform Finnish songs by Kuula and Kilpinen.
Swedish walking tunes (gånglåt), Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg, and Finlandia by Sibelius round out the repertoire, with additional light fare including Radetzky March and Beer Barrel Polka!
Concert will take place in the Osberg Great Hall at the National Nordic Museum.
For additional information, please email sharynpeterson@hotmail.com.
About Tiina Ritalahti, soprano
Soprano, Tiina Ritalahti holds degrees in music and vocal performance from the University of Washington. She has performed throughout Washington with Northwest Opera in Schools Etcetera (NOISE), Puget Sound Opera, Ladies Musical Club, and Puget Sound Concert Opera as well as being a featured soloist for the Finlandia Foundation. She has sung such roles as the First Spirit and Pamina in Mozart’s 'The Magic Flute', Despina in 'Cosi fan tutte', Lisa in Bellini’s 'La sonnambula', Änchen in 'Der Freischütz' by Weber, Cis in Britten’s 'Albert Herring', and Olympia in Offenbach’s 'The Tales of Hoffman'. Further she has performed in multiple operas by Menotti: 'Lucy in The Telephone', Monica in 'The Medium', and Laetitia in 'The Old Maid and the Thief'. Her passion for singing also extends to art song repertoire, which she performs regularly in recitals around Western Washington. Tiina has created unique breathing classes for young singers that combine her knowledge and experience as a massage therapist, certified yoga teacher and singer.