Nearly 20 year old folk metal band Korpiklaani started their third North American tour from Montreal. Vapaa Sana met them in Toronto.

Base player Jarkko Aaltonen and singer Jonne Järvelä are sitting in the tour bus, drinking beer and getting ready for the gig that is about to begin in a couple of hours. Alcohol and beer especially are a crucial part of the imago…

Classical music specialist Rick Phillips presented a seminar on Sibelius focusing on his Violin concerto and the Tempest. Seminar was a third one Phillips has done for CFF.

Music writer, musical tour guide, concert host and former CBC classical radio host is accustomed lecturer on several composers. He tells that he has a specific interest and love for Sibelius…

“A three inch stack of photographs, think I should put ´em back, but I feel the old life creeping fast...”

Laura Repo´s new album is made of old photographs and ambient memories.

According to well known torontonian bluegrass and country singer Laura Repo that music genre is doing well in Toronto. She is thankful for the support for the scene and also for the…

Rough looking Osmo “Osku” Kanerva is one of the icons of the Finnish community in Florida. Despite not necessarily famous for the public, Kanerva is one of the biggest names in Finnish boxing. Olympic bronze from Tokio and a long international career without knock-out defeats tell their own story of the success.

Kanerva´s career as an athlete, after a brief…

Canadians Michael Child and André Noël Chaker have both recently published a book where they present Finland as they see it. The first through the eyes of a teacher and a family man, the other as a business man looking for success.



Michael Child is a Canadian who has lived in Finland since 1998 with his wife who has Finnish roots. They came to the…

A young woman is full of excitement and enthusiasm. Last weeks have been busy with meetings and organizing. Still she is full of positive energy. The hard work that started in the beginning of the year will culminate in the coming weekend at the launch party of a new comedy series named Millie&Midge.



– I´m very excited that we have come as far as this and…

The popularity of Canada´s floorball sport has been boosted by one man, Canadian Finn Juha Mikkola.

After his ten-year tenacity, today there are several adult and high school leagues for both men and women and also a big Canada Cup tournament.

Juha is a son of a well known world Rally champion Hannu Mikkola. He has even gained the Hockey Canada´s…

Initially, Vapaa Sana’s new editor Jonathan Riikonen studied forestry in Kotka, although his work experience includes rather wide selection of jobs. He has also worked as a reporter for some time during the last twenty years.



– I having been working with journalism actively altogether for 11 years during the last 23 years. In addition to that, I have had…

Only searchlights on the forehead light the terrain when photographer Miina Savolainen and her squad proceed in the snowdrifts at the Laplands arctic night. The women have strolled hundreds of kilometers first with a car and then on foot to a well chosen spot. They have to rush so that the lighting and costumes can be prepared before the northern morning sun will light…

Once upon a time there was a wealthy - unlike most of the fairytales - lady in Montreal, who inherited a fishing lodge, located deep in the wilderness, from her even-more-wealthier uncle. Except that the lodge was the size of a large mansion, but the fairytale-like aspect of the story is that the woman created the most wonderful garden there in the middle of nowhere and…

Exhausted by the heat wave, Toronto expects the Celsius degrees to rise exceptionally high, but Kiira Korpi is wearing mittens. The temperature on the rink of Toronton Cricket Skating and Curling Club is approximately 10 Celsius degrees. A variety of European and South American skaters are skating around the track stretching their limbs. The coaches are watching over…