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He has given 5 exhibitions of his collection of Gigli-related
material (e.g. Tornio and Kouvola 1988, Forssa 1993, Lahti 1994, Helsinki 2003). He
has also lectured on Gigli about 30 times in this country, and also
at the Jussi Björling Museum in Borlänge, Sweden.
Nivenber 21. 2003 he gave a lecture at Forli in Italy to 250 people.
He has participated
in live radio and TV programmes about Gigli in Finland and Italy
A commemorative plaque was fastened to the wall of Töölö Sports
Hall (formerly Exhibition Hall of Helsinki) on Brander's iniative on
February 26th 1990, in the memory of the two concerts Gigli gave
there in 1954. Brander has arranged the opportunity to perform in
Recanati and other places in Italy for 8 Finnish singers (e.g. Sirkiä in 1990
,Lindroos in 1995
and Tommi Hakala in 1997)
and
pianist Riitta-Liisa Kyykkä and 24 Italian singers has visited Helsinki to sing (for
instance Pietro Ballo in 1996, Fabio Armiliato in 2000 and Salvatore Fisichella in 2003).
He is in continuing correspondence
with friends and fans of Gigli around the world. Brander has
contributed greatly in the Finnish-Italian Society of Espoo as board
member in 1985-1991 and as chairman in 1987-1991.
Alongside Gigli, writing became an enthusiasm of his. The master's
thesis (112p.) in 1974 was called "The Mäntsälä Uprising - the great
crisis of the Finnish Civil Guard Organization". He wrote numerous
magazine and newspaper articles about Gigli in 1980s and 1990s, and
completed the biography "Beniamino Gigli,
the tenor of Recanati"
(500p.) (Italian version in 2001, 248p.) in 1989, and a booklet (24p.) of Gigli Year 1990 in 1991.
Two years later he finished the biography of Professor Torild Brander
(80p.). In 1996 Torsten Brander published his athlete's memoirs,
"My Life Was Sports. In the Ranks of Tornion Pyry 1959-1967"
(189p.). In 1996 he wrote the history of The Nature
Conservation Society of South-West Häme 1956-1996 (47p.).
He wrote the bibliography of the society in 2005 (218 pages).
Of the many distinctions: Silver medal of the merit from Tornion
Pyry Athletic Club 1963, Tornio Town silver medal no. 10/1964. Honorary
member of Tornion Pyry 1995. The Gigli Society of Monfalcone
Award 5/1987, the Gigli Awards of the Pentagramma Music Society
(Rome) in 1991 and 1992. In 1992 he received Recanati's first ever and
so far only gold medal with certificate of honour for work done for
Gigli. At the same time he was called the first honorary member of
the Club Suomi Finlandia (now Suomi Club of Ancona)
delle Marche (Marche being Gigli's home
province). Also The Nature Conservation Society of South-West Häme
called him an honorary member in 1993. The Associazione Civica
Scuola di Musica Beniamino Gigli of Recanati called him an honorary
member in 1997.
The president of the Republic of Finland gave him on 6th of december
1997 the Badge of merit from Finland's White Rose's Order.
As a result of his activity, in September 1998 in Stockholm was
published a CD of Gigli's Stockholm concert 25. November 1952 by
the recording company Bluebell.
On 26th of July 1999 he was nominated as honorary member with silver
medal and diplome of Associzione Beniamino Gigli di Recanati in occasion
of opera concert organized in the local church San Vito.
He was awarded with the Commander (Commendatore) Medal of the Italian
Star Knight Solidarity given to him by
the President of the Republic of Italy Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
28th of May 2003. The proposal was made by the Italian foreign
Minister Franco Frattini.
The Medal was distributed to Torsten Brander by the Italian Ambassador
Pietro Lonardo in connection with the Concert held in Malmisali, in Helsinki,
7th of October 2003.
He was nominated as the Honorary Citizen of Recanati in connection
with the opera concert held in Teatro Persiani 26th of May 2004.
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