LEIF Minnesota

05/01/2026

LEIF 2026 is sponsoring an essay project on the this
year's theme: Immigration/Assimilation: What We
Gain and What We Lose. There's no real prize or
payment involved--just the online publication and
possible public reading during LEIF 2026 of the
essays chosen.
We're not looking for professional writers; we're
looking for your personal experience as you would
tell it, or you family's experience if you're second or
third generation. There's a limit of 5,000 words. And
we're not just looking for Norwegian viewpoints, but
the viewpoints of people from many ethnic groups--
so tell your non-Norwegian friends who have
interesting stories about this.
For more information, and for an essay by Jim Reilly
on his own family's experience, which indirectly
spurred the creation of this project, visit
leifmn.org/essay And please consider submitting
your essay or other writing!

04/10/2026

Watch for an announcement soon about LEIF 2026's essay contest --you can submit your personal thoughts about your experience (or your family's) with immigration and assimilation.....

03/27/2026

The Strøget shopping street in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark 🇩🇰

03/18/2026

Very excited for this May 2nd!!

03/16/2026

Rose Hellat, the Estonian rep of the LEIF committee, put me on to this--you may be interested, too--here's another instrument from Northern Europe I did not know about, the talharpa.....https://www.hopkinsartscenter.com/m/newsflash/home/detail/343

02/16/2026

news flash: a "new" additions to the ethnic groups taking part in LEIF: Estonia! we're happy to announce that Rose Hellat has joined the LEIF committee and that the Festival will now include some Estonia content. You can read about the Nordic-Baltic 8 here:

Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) is a regional co-operation format that includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden.

02/14/2026

The Leif Eriksson committee announces the theme for this coming October's Festival: Immigration/Assimilation: what we keep and what we lose. What elements of a home country's culture are preserved in the new country? what elements are lost? how does that happen? and, even, what elements are retrieved? You know what retrieval is: that's when you go back and study the Norwegian language that your grandparents spoke but your parents didn't!

11/01/2025

in the cover photo, after the concert of Finnish and Latvian Music in 20205, are, from left to right, organist Kristina Ziema Rizzotto, bass-baritone David Fillman, pianist Craig Randall Johnson, and Ilze Larsen (Pastor of the Latvian Church in Minneapolis)

11/01/2025

The closing service went well, and the flag recessional came off without a hitch (thought the Swedish flag-bearer was not Swedish!). Here's to next year's LEIF -- stay tuned her for news.

10/26/2025

At the Danish American Center event today Ruth Jakobsen Patzloff made delicious cookies from the nineteenth century, during the time Grieg spent in Copenhagen -- what a treat!