An evening of jazz & literature
- we invite you to an evening with the Norwegian author Halfdan Freihow and the Norwegian saxophone player Frøy Aagre performing with Eivind Opsvik (bass) and Kris Davis (piano)

Monday October 15 at 7 pm. Admission free!
at the Norwegian Seamen's Church, 317 East 52nd Street

Monday October 15 at 7 pm we have the privilege in collaboratin with the Royal Norwegian Consulate in New York to invite you to a special evening of jazz & literature at the Norwegian Church in New York. You have the opportunity to meet two renowned Norwegian artists – the author Halfdan Freihow and the saxophone player Frøy Aagre. The program will include jazz, readings and a conversation with the author.

About the artists:

Frøy Aagre is the most critically acclaimed female jazz saxophonist in Norway. Despite her young age she has developed a highly individual expression and her compositions are both imaginative and original. Aagre plays her music with a sense of serenity and a pure tone that move the listener deeply. Reviewers have compared Aagre with saxophone legends such as Jan Garbarek, David Liebman and Wayne Shorter. She has studied saxophone and composition in Oslo, Birmingham, London, New York and Buenos Aires. In New York she studied with the world famous saxophonist David Liebman. Frøy Aagre has toured Norway, England, Africa and New York with different bands. At the age of 22 she played at the prestigious jazz club “Ronnie Scott’s. She has received numerous prizes and scholarships. In 2005 she received the prestigous 1-year Composition Scholarship from the Norwegian Government.

Halfdan W. Freihow was born in Mexico and grew up in Madrid, Brussels, and Oslo. A former newspaper, radio, and television journalist and a veteran of the publishing industry, he founded his own publishing house, Font Forlag, in 2005. He lives with his family on an island off the west coast of Norway. Dear Gabriel is his first book and was nominated for the Brage Prize, the most prestigious literary award in Norway.

About the book:

Halfdan W. Freihow's book Dear Gabriel (August 2007) is an honest and heartfelt memoir about the bond between a loving father and his son with autism. In print for the first time in the U.S., Dear Gabriel is a touching narrative that truly captures the adventures, struggles, and achievements of an autistic child. With great love and profound wonder, Halfdan W. Freihow describes his complex relationship with his youngest son, Gabriel, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Though their relationship is sometimes fraught with frustration and misunderstanding, it endures and flourishes with parental pride, and ultimately, unconditional love.

Taking the form of a personal letter, and set against the haunting yet beautiful coastal landscape in which the family lives, Freihow’s intimate tale evokes a rich sense of childhood magic. A tender and brutally honest testament to love and the power of family, Dear Gabriel reaches out to all parents as they try to understand and nurture their children, regardless of any obstacles that may stand in their way.

“A sad, sweet, and beautiful meditation on raising an exceptional child,
Dear Gabriel speaks directly from the heart in a language every parent
understands. This is a bright and valuable gem of a book.”
– Debra Ginsberg, author of Raising Blaze: Bringing Up and
Extraordinary Son in an Ordinary World

Monday, October 15, at 7 pm. Admission free!
at the Norwegian Seamen's Church, 317 East 52nd Street

Everyone is welcome!