The planning committee for the Finnish Nationality Room held a charity concert last Sunday… The planning committee for the Finnish Nationality Room held a charity concert last Sunday to benefit construction of the room – one of many nationality rooms Pitt will add to the Cathedral of Learning. The planning committee for the room received an award of approximately $250,000 to start the project.

Sisters Linnea and Sylvia Hurttia performed at the event to raise money for the classroom. Both have studied violin at the Music Conservatory of Turku (?bo) in Finland, Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and Turku Music Academy. The sisters performed a number of classical Finnish and Scandinavian songs.

“It’s a great choice of music. It was a selection of good Scandinavian and Finnish music,” said Pitt history professor Van Hall, who attended the performance.

The concert featured music from 10 composers, including Jean Sibelus, Einar Englund, Toivo Kuula and Oskar Merikano. The sisters performed solos and duets, while accompanied by Pittsburgh pianist Donna Amato.

According to Nationality Room Director Maxine Bruhns, it will take more than two years to complete the room. Bruhns said the small Finnish community living in Pennsylvania will probably need to raise additional revenue with events like the concert.

The room will be designed to imitate the outside of a Finnish cottage that sits next to the Baltic Sea.