Calendar briefs

Russian folk orchestra to perform on campus
The university’s Russian Folk Orchestra will present its first solo concert Saturday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. in Music Hall.

The 16-piece orchestra will present a program of Russian and other Slavic folk music, conducted by Victor Gorodinsky, who calls Russian folk music “distinctive, joyful and contagious.” Admission is free.

Gorodinsky, a Slavic languages cataloger in the university’s General Library System, founded the Russian Folk Orchestra in 1998. The group is sponsored by the Center for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Gorodinsky, a Russian immigrant, has had the formidable task of teaching orchestra members – most of them UW–Madison students – how to play traditional Russian stringed instruments such as the domra and balalaika. The ensemble also includes accordions and flute.

Joining the orchestra for the Dec. 4 concert will be eight guest musicians from Illinois, Georgia and Washington, D.C. All of them are members of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America. Vocal soloists will be UW–Madison student Maia Nystrum and Professor Lennart Backstrom of medical sciences.

Women meet on finance
A panel of six successful businesswomen will discuss their careers in finance at a “Women in Finance” seminar at the School of Business Friday, Nov. 19.

Presented by the Department of Finance, Investment and Banking, the seminar will be held from 9:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. in Grainger Hall. It will provide in-depth discussions, information sharing and networking opportunities relating to careers in finance. The program is designed to inform undergraduate and graduate students – especially those in business, economics, engineering, math, law and computer science – about educational and career opportunities for women in the field of finance. The seminar is free. Lunch will be provided. Register: Kay Henes, 262-6032.

Turkey in the Union
As it has for more than 40 years, Memorial Union hosts its annual Thanksgiving Buffet Thursday, Nov. 25, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Lakefront Café. Roast turkey, glazed ham and round of beef will be supplemented by varieties of vegetables, fruits and desserts. Adults, $13.50; children 6-12, $8.50; children under 6, $4; infants free. Information: Julie Vincent, 262-8733; Michael Hirsch, 262-7429.