Scandinavian Festival Entertainers
(Click on blue names to see entertainer's web site)
ABBA Girlz - It would not be the Scandinavian Festival without the fabulous ABBA Girlz who are returning for the third time. The ABBA Girlz Tribute band is one of the best ABBA Tributes since ABBA itself and have been entertaining crowds all over North America since 2009. The New York City based, ABBA Girlz Band with singing stars Halina and Agnes, features beautiful harmonies, elaborate costumes, and exciting choreography that have captivated the festival now for years and are always a great hit and a crowd pleaser.
The local "singing sisters," Aleta and Sonya Buckelew, will sing backup during their festival stage performances.
The local "singing sisters," Aleta and Sonya Buckelew, will sing backup during their festival stage performances.
Ann-Marita was born in Norway and appears at the festival the first time with her trio of artists. She will energize the festival with contemporary Scandinavian hits, traditional folk music, and some of her beautiful original songs. Singer/songwriter Ann-Marita's songs are a blend of country, traditional folk, and blues - all served up in a Norwegian style. Her humble upbringing in rural Norway and years spent in Sweden, Iowa, Australia, and finally California has helped formulate her music. She now performs her music world-wide and her recordings are played in all four of these countries.
The very talented classical pianist and humorist, Magnus Martensson, will do his "Victor Borge style" musical comedy routine on the festival stage and later perform a more serious classical piano recital in the chapel. Magnus began his professional music career in his home country of Sweden and is currently Conductor of the Scandinavian Chamber Orchestra of New York City. As a composer and a conductor, Mr. Martensson performs at concerts around the world. Magnus also enjoys combining his classical skills with musical humor.
The Katrilli Finnish Dancers of California have been performing annually at the Scandinavian Festival and will be back again in 2014. The group first performed for the Opening Ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and has since been traveling across the country and to Finland with their talented dance routine. The dances are accompanied by the Gammaldans (OldtimeDans) Band of LA.
The Scandia Dancers of Southern California also performs annually and will return to the festival in 2014. They too are accompanied by the Gammaldans Band. This fabulous dance group can be seen at numerous festivals in California and the Southwest.. Please click on the blue title to see the group performing at the Laguna Folkdance Festival in 2012. Several dancers perform in both Scandia and Katrilli dance groups.
Ross Sutter comes for Minnesota each year to emcee the festival stage and events is a very versatile entertainer. Ross is best known as a singer of Scandinavian, Scottish, and Irish songs, and for his wide repertoire of American traditional and popular songs. Ross uses these entertainment talents to lead the Festival Parade and the Maypole Dancing. In the week before the festival, Ross and Saami Storyteller Stina Fagertun visit schools in Thousand Oaks with an outreach program to entertain students and tell them about the life of the Saami people North of the Arctic Circle.
Stina Fagertun has coastal Saami and Kven (Finnish descendant) ancestry and comes from the local fiords of Arctic Norway. She has written fairy tales, and collected ancient, unique fairy tales from the Saami, Kven and Arctic storyteller tradition. Fagertun is the winner of the Northern Norway Cultural Award 2003. She is noted as one of the best story tellers in Norway. Both children and adults are fascinated by her stories of the Arctic people. Stina joins Ross Sutter telling stories to school children as part of the outreach program.
He can be found at the festival near the Viking Village telling his "Old Norse Tales."
People always are enchanted by his tales and reenactment of the Norse Gods Thor, Odin, etc.
True Thomas' stories always keep people on the edge of their chairs.
Elizabeth Luce specializes in puppet shows for children and will perform her wonders on the Children's Stage both Saturday and Sunday of the festival. Her puppet shows will have a Scandinavian flavor telling Han Christian Anderson fairy tales like "Tumbelina," "The Little Mermaid," and "The Ugly Duckling."
The Children's Stage will feature acts by local children's groups thus giving children from the area an opportunity to perform their favorite Scandinavian songs or skits at the festival.. Children's groups are encouraged to contact the committee and reserve a place on the program.
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Dr. Fred Tonsing, retired CLU professor of Greek and religion, will offer some of his lectures on Scandinavian history and culture. A former Navy officer and Lutheran pastor with a doctorate in Christian literature and art, Dr. Tonsing lectures widely on
subjects such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Synoptic Gospels, early Christian art
and Martin Luther and conducts research and Interim Study Tours. Dr. Tonsing has
edited several books and published a number of articles. He was recently honored as "Outstanding Scandinavian of 2010" by SACHF.
The "Singing Sisters," Aleta and Sonya Buckelew. who have been singing backup for the ABBA Girlz at the festival for the last years, will have their own show Sunday morning on the festival stage. Aleta and Sonya are retired professional singers who sang with George Jones, Tony Orlando, and other country music stars. The talented duo will perform a range of classical, Scandinavian, and popular hits. The girls are officers in the Norseman lodge and when not singing on stage you might see them making lefse in the Norseman food booth. Aleta is an attorney and Sonya is doing graduate work in psychology.
