“Northern Lights” – a concert of 19th century Norwegian and Finnish piano music and song.

We are excited to invite you to our home for “Northern Lights,” a house concert of 19th century Norwegian and Finnish piano music featuring Twin Cities keyboardist Gail Olszewski. The concert will include works by Edvard Grieg, Ilmari Hannikainen, Erkki Melartin, and Jean Sibelius, among others. Making a “guest” appearance, Janna will also be joining Gail for a set of Grieg songs.

Take a look at the program!

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About Gail Olszewski

Gail Olszewski has been heard in solo and chamber recitals on piano, fortepiano, harpsichord, organ, harmonium, celesta and synthesizer in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America and Australia. She lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area where she has a varied free-lance career as a collaborative keyboardist, concertizing with members of the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others.

She has played harpsichord and organ continuo for such groups as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Phipps Oratorio Society, Minnesota Sinfonia and Minnetonka Chorale, and has appeared as a synthesizer player with organizations including the Plymouth Music Series, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo Gal Productions. Gail is often sought out as a vocal coach and has performed in concert with many singers in the US and Canada. She has served as music director, rehearsal and show pianist for Ordway Productions, Nautilus Music Theater, Illusion Theater, Minnesota Opera, Northstar Opera, Opera Twin Cities, Duluth Festival Opera and Garden of Song Opera. Since 2014 she has coached singers and played newly-composed art songs as part of Source Song Festival.

Read more about Gail at her web site.

Gail will be recording many of these works for a CD of music by Finnish composers. She’s currently fundraising to help support the recording costs – check out her Go Fund Me site!

About Janna Kysilko

Janna Kysilko is a versatile soprano with a performance history that ranges from baroque opera to contemporary art song. Notable concert appearances include performances on the Schubert Club’s Courtroom Concert Series, a performance of songs by Lili Boulanger on the Thursday Musical Artist Series, a guest performance with the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra in Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, and solos with the Festival Chorale of her alma mater, Macalester College. With a particular love of German Lieder inspired by her life abroad in Vienna, she has collaborated with many fine pianists in art song recitals that have included German songs and also introduced her to some new languages, including Russian, Chinese, and Armenian!

On the operatic stage, Janna has recently appeared as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and as Jenny in Sondheim’s Company at Century Theatre. While a graduate student at The Eastman School of Music, she also appeared as Euridice in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, and Sophie from Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, under the direction of Steven Daigle and opera coach Benton Hess. Janna also can be regularly seen singing with Opera on Tap Minneapolis, performing arias and scenes in a fun, casual setting.

Program

Songs, Op. 48 – Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)

  • with Janna Kysilko, soprano

Folk Songs – Oskar Merikanto (1868-1924)

  • 1. Starling
  • 2. Why do I sing?
  • 3. Lament
  • 4. Alone

Lyric Pieces, Op. 54 – Grieg

  • 1. Shepherd Boy
  • 2. Norwegian March
  • 3. March of the Dwarfs
  • 4. Notturno
  • 5. Scherzo
  • 6. Bells ringing

INTERMISSION

Lastuja II (Splinters), Op. 9 – Erkki Melartin (1875-1937)

  • 1. Evening Song
  • 2. Lullaby
  • 3. Melody
  • 4. The Blue Hour
  • 5. Spring Song
  • 6. Funeral Song

Lyric Pieces, Op. 68 – Grieg

  • 1. Sailor’s Song
  • 2. Grandmother’s Minuet
  • 3. At Your Feet
  • 4. Evening in the Mountains
  • 5. At the Cradle

Columbine, Op. 85 #4 – Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Valse, Op. 17 #1 – Ilmari Hannikainen (1892-1955)
One Night in Summer….. – Selim Palmgren (1878-1951)
Scène romantique, Op. 101 #5 – Sibelius
Evening tranquility, Op. 11b #1 – Hannikainen
Elegiaco, Op. 76 #10 – Sibelius
Finnish Rhythms, Op. 31 – Palmgren

  • 1. Karelian Dance
  • 2. Menuett
  • 3. The Guilty Conscience
  • 5. West Finnish Dance<

Summer Evening Waltz, Op. 1 – Merikanto