Danish Originals

From his home in the Bay Area, Hellerup-born, two-time Grammy-winner Danish-American violinist and composer MADS TOLLING shares highlights of his career playing with bands and leading his own groups, the Mads Tolling Quartet, and Mads Tolling & The Mads Men. At his core a jazz violinist, Mads credits his training at Boston's Berklee College of Music, and talks about blurring musical boundaries, exploring different genres, and reaching new audiences, both as a musician and a composer. 
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For today's episode, Mads Tolling chose P.C. Skovgaard's Bøgeskov i maj. Motiv fra Iselingen, or A Beech Wood in May near Iselingen Manor, Zealand, from 1857 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.
https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS4580  
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Photographer: Karolina Zapolska
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This conversation with Christian D. Bruun occurred on April 14, 2026.
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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:
website: https://danishoriginals.com/                                
email: info@danishoriginals.com

From her home in the Santa Monica mountains, Aarhus-born, Los Angeles-based Danish-Swedish ceramicist, curator, and bookseller LENA TORSLOW HANSEN revisits her first passion with clay and her roles with some foundational exhibitions: "A Broad Spectrum" (1984), "Golden Age in Danish Painting" (1994) as well as the 28 for the cultural festival "Scandinavia Today" (1982–1983). Lena also recalls cross-country road trips running Nordic Art Books and the pre-Amazon art book landscape.
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For today's episode, Lena Torslow Hansen chose J.F. Willumsen's En bjergbestigerske, or A Mountain Climber, from 1912 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.
https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS3413 
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Photographer: Aya Muto
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This conversation with Finn-Olaf Jones occurred on May 8, 2026.
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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:
website: https://danishoriginals.com/                                
email: info@danishoriginals.com

From his home office in Gentofte, Sønderborg-born and Copenhagen- and New York-based Danish photographer JENS HONORÉ talks about his work with the Roger Federer Foundation and his books A Place to Dream (2018) with SOS Children's Village and The Right to Food (2021) with the nonprofit initiative JUNKFOOD. He discusses the importance of connecting to people, using his photography for social good, and his present focus on craftsmanship in his film The Crosses and his upcoming book. 
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For today's episode, Jens Honoré chose Jesper Rasmussen's Dumbo Brooklyn New York from 2005 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.
https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KKS2005-15 
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Photographer: Klaus Clemmens
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This conversation with Gregers Heering occurred on March 30, 2026.
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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:
website: https://danishoriginals.com/                                
email: info@danishoriginals.com

From his home in Israels Plads, Soviet Union-born, Copenhagen-based Danish American businessman and startup investor ILYA KATSNELSON recalls arriving in the US as a refugee at the age of ten, his formative years in Wisconsin, and moving to Denmark, later surviving a German maximum security jail when the Russian state issued a retaliatory Interpol red notice against him. Equally, he talks about his commitment to bringing the US and Denmark closer together through education, art, and culture.
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For today's episode, Ilya Katsnelson chose Carl Bloch's Fra et romersk osteria, or In a Roman Osteria, from 1866 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.
https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS4087  
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Photographer: Davy Denke
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This conversation with Christian D. Bruun occurred on April 6, 2026.
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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:
website: https://danishoriginals.com/                                
email: info@danishoriginals.com

From her home in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, Copenhagen-born, New York-based Danish-Scottish documentary film producer and director MAIKEN BAIRD talks about her latest film on Palestinian American scholar Edward Said that is entirely archive-based. She revisits her iconic works, such as Client 9 (2010), Venus and Serena (2012), Oscar winner Icarus (2017), and Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich (2022), and describes the challenges in telling real stories that help us understand our world. 
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For today's episode, Maiken Baird chose Lauritz Hartz's Landskab med bakker, or Rolling Landscape, from 1927 from the collection of the National Gallery of Denmark.
https://open.smk.dk/en/artwork/image/KMS7062
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Photographer: Terry Gruber
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This conversation with Asger Hussain occurred on March 26, 2026.
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We invite you to subscribe to Danish Originals for weekly episodes. You can also find us at:
website: https://danishoriginals.com/ 
email: info@danishoriginals.com