MARQUETTE, Mich.--A program on Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in Reynolds Recital Hall at Northern Michigan University.

Glenda Dawn Goss, a prominent scholar of Sibelius and Finlandia Foundation 2012 Lecturer of the Year, will present "Sibelius and Finland's Awakening." She will discuss the life and times of the composer and his impact on Finnish nationality. Samples of Sibelius' music will be performed by members of the NMU music department. 

At the end of the 1800s, Finland experienced a Golden Age of music and art unprecedented in the country's history. Among the crowning achievements were the compositions of Sibelius. As the Finns enjoyed the flourishing of the arts, there were pressing social and political issues during a time when Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire.  A "political awakening" ensued.

Goss, a scholar from the American South and former professor of musicology at the University of Georgia, brings a unique perspective to Sibelius and Finland.  She began her research on the dual topic in 1989 in Finland and has lived in Finland since 1998, writing, editing and teaching at the Sibelius Academy.  Her most recent publication is a major biography titled "Sibelius:  A Composer's Life and the Awakening of Finland" (2009).

This lecture is being planned jointly by the League of Finnish-American Societies U.P. Chapter and Finlandia Foundation affiliate, and the NMU music department. It is free and open to the public. For more information, call 228-8035.