Nordic Spirit Symposium

Nordic adventurers and explorers from the 18th to the 21st centuries will highlight this dynamic symposium featuring distinguished speakers and polished performers. The public is invited to share the time-honored spirit of a symposium, blending music, dining and the free exchange of ideas to enhance the pleasure of learning.

Saturday presentations begin at 9 a.m. in Preus-Brandt Forum. Admission is $40; free for students.

“Vitus Bering: Hero, Wimp, or Somewhere in Between” – Carol Urness, professor and curator emerita at the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, will tell some of what she has learned in her 35-year “journey with Vitus Bering.” Employed by Peter I of Russia, Danish-born Bering conducted two Kamchatka expeditions to determine the extent of Siberia and whether Asia and North America were connected.

“A. E. Nordenskiöld – Explorer and Gentleman” – Markku Löytönen, professor of human geography at the University of Helsinki, Finland, will talk about Finnish-born Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, a member of a prominent family of scientists who participated in a number of geological expeditions in the Arctic that led him to successfully attempt the long-sought Northeast Passage.

“Roald Amundsen – Pole to Pole Norwegian Explorer Extraordinaire” – Tommy Dickey of the Ocean Physics Laboratory in the Department of Geography and Interdepartmental Program in Marine Sciences at University of California, Santa Barbara, will discuss the man who led the first expeditions to cross the Canadian Northwest passage and to reach the South Pole. He and a teammate later became the first to reach both geographic poles during the remarkable Age of Exploration.

“In Headwind and Tailwind: Stories from Expeditions in Antarctica and the Arctic” – Liv Arnesen, an adventurer, explorer, educator and motivational speaker from Bekkestua, Norway, was the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole. After that 1994 expedition, Arnesen made history again in 2001 when she and Minnesota explorer Ann Bancroft became the first women to sail and ski across Antarctica’s landmass, a 94-day trek. This year, Arnesen and Bancroft will lead an international expedition of women traveling in Roald Amundsen’s footsteps to the South Pole in a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Amundsen’s famous trip.

“Nordic Sound, Latin Flavor” – Celia Linde, a guitarist from Malmö, Sweden, who is acclaimed for her personal style and range of musical interpretations, will perform her unique variations of music from Swedish folk tunes to contemporary Latin American and Spanish music as well as her own classical compositions. Linde tours frequently throughout Europe, the United States and other countries, and has been profiled on various international radio stations.

7 p.m. - Dinner and Entertainment in Lundring Events Center. Admission is $33. Reservations required by Jan. 28.

For more information and early registration fees, call (818) 788-4552 or e-mail seeallan@sbcglobal.net.

The Nordic Spirit Symposium is made possible by generous grants from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, the Norway House Foundation, the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in San Francisco and the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles.

Pictured: Liv Arnesen