Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.02.2012, Qupperneq 7

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 1. febrúar 2012 • 7
News
Phone: 204-642-4977 or Toll Free: 1-866-253-0255
Fax: 204-642-8991 E-mail: gimlimla@mts.net
Peter Bjornson, MLA for Gimli
Representing Gimli,
Winnipeg Beach,
Dunnottar, St. Andrews
and West St. Paul
Constituency Office
Rm. 105, 94-1st Avenue
Gimli, Manitoba R0C 1B1
Editor’s note: When
Catherine McConnell agreed
to move to the position of
Production Manager and
Layout and Design Editor,
Jodi Dunlop joined the staff
of L-H as the Advertising
Representative/Production
Assistant. L-H has asked Jodi
to introduce herself, which she
agreed to do.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in Gimli, a town that flourishes in Icelandic
culture and creativity. My
afi Albert has always been a
tremendous inspiration to me.
He’s got the strongest work ethic
and the biggest heart. He is also
an amazing violin player which
is why I’m not surprised that
my love for the arts came first
with music. I have this strange
obsession with the drums. In
high school I was involved in
anything and everything music
related. Percussion ensemble,
jazz & concert band and also
had my own personal band
called The Paps. We played at
the núna (now) festival, had
the opportunity to open for
Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg,
and even made an appearance
in Lögberg-Heimskringla with
an interview/album review by
Mykael Sopher. That being the
first introduction to the L-H, I
was immediately hooked.
Starting at the age of 16 my
summer job had been working
at The New Iceland Heritage
Museum in Gimli, where I
discovered my love for graphic
design. Tammy was an amazing
lady to work for and gave me
full creative control designing
ads and media tools for the
NIHM. When it was time for
me to leave and go to university,
the choice was easy. I knew that
I had to pursue design!
After I had gained enough
experience at the University of
Manitoba majoring in graphic
design and photography, it was
time to get out into the real
world. I’ve always loved the
mountains and needed to get
away from the city, so I applied
for a residency placement at
the Banff Centre for the Arts.
Stefanie Blondal Johnson
and I spent three weeks out
there making music on full
scholarship with our band Mise
en Scene. When I came back
Tammy had recommended
that I apply at Lögberg-
Heimskringla, which was an
obvious fit for me. It has been
such a wonderful experience
working here so far. I get to
leave work every day with
a sense of accomplishment.
I’m looking forward to the
future and very much excited
to be on board with Lögberg-
Heimskringla.
Jodi Dunlop joins the
L-H team
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival was launched
Monday January 23, from the
Lögberg-Heimskringla office.
Television camera people
fidgeted with their equipment
focusing on a microphone,
placed at one end of the room.
Guests of the Symphony and
guests of L-H mingled, making
small talk.
I greeted Alexander
Mickelthwate, Conductor, and
Co-Curator of the New Music
Festival by handing him a copy
of a CD, a sampler of the music
of the Icelandic Composers.
“Wow, this is terrific” he raved,
“who did this?”
“Matthew Patton put it
together and Jodi Dunlop did
the graphic design right here at
L-H.” I replied.
Trudy Schroeder, Executive
Director of the WSO and
Dorothy Dobbie, President and
Chair of the WSO Board joined
us. “We have never received
the kind of support from any
community that we have
received from the Icelandic
community for this year’s
Festival,” Trudy said.
“We are very proud of
these composers, their music is
beautiful. I think we will have
a very good turn out from our
community” I answered.
“I am half Finnish and
Swedish on my mother’s side”
Dorothy said, “so I am really
looking forward to this year’s
festival.”
Vincent Ho, Composer in
Residence and Co-Curator of
the New Music Festival, came
by. Dorothy smiled broadly.
“Congratulations Vince, we
just got word this morning, the
orchestra is going to Carnegie
Hall, and we will be playing
your composition, Shaman.”
I extended my hand,
“Congratulations, Vince. It is a
beautiful piece.” Vince smiled
and shook my hand.
The event was a huge
success. Jodi recorded the whole
thing and put together a video
you can watch simply by going
to our website at lh-inc.ca.

Gimli will fete
Icelanders
L-H will be joined by the
New Iceland Heritage Museum,
the Icelandic National League,
Gimli chapter, the Icelandic
Festival Committee, Consul
General Atli Ásmundsson and
his wife, Þrúður, to put on a
special event for composers
Jóhann Jóhannsson and
Atli Heimir Sveinsson, as
well as author Guðbergur
Bergsson and photographer
Guðni Þorbjörnsson who will
be in Gimli working on a
documentary film. Þrúður’s
sister, Friður, who is visiting
from Iceland, will also join us.
Birna Bjarnadóttir, head
of the Department of Icelandic
studies, Vi Bjarnason Hilton
and I will pick up our guests in
a limousine in Winnipeg and
take them to Willow Point.
Icelanders visiting Manitoba
generally make a pilgrimage to
Willow Point, the place where,
during a terrible storm on
October 21, 1875, the captain of
the ship towing a barge with the
new immigrants aboard cut it
loose for fear it would capsize.
There is a marker where the
barge washed up. This is a very
special place for Icelanders.
After a brief stop we will
visit the New Iceland Heritage
Museum where Tammy Axelsson
has arranged a tour of the
museum including a showing of
a film about New Iceland, and the
viewing of a Guy Maddin Film.
From here we will proceed
to Amma’s for a feast of Lake
Winnipeg pickerel.
While this is going on, a
quartet from the Winnipeg
Symphony Orchestra will
meet in the foyer of the Gimli
Hospital where they will meet
Matthew Patton who composed
the score for Guy Maddin’s
Tales from the Gimli Hospital.
They will play a short concert
in the foyer.
After supper, our guests
will go to Johnson Hall to be
treated to a concert including
some outstanding talent from
the Interlake, followed by the
WSO string quartet and as a
grand finale Matthew will play
an excerpt from an original
composition by Kjartan
Sveinsson, keyboardist for
Sigur Rós. This will be a world
premiere.
Peter Johnson
Winnipeg, MB
WSO Conductor Alexander Mickelthwate, right, with WSO’s own composer-in-residence
Vincent Ho selling the upcoming New Music Festival (Joe Bryska / Winnipeg Free Press)
PHotos by Joe bryska / rePrinted courtesy oF WinniPeg Free Press
L-H launches this
year’s WSO New
Music Festival