The university professor, emeritus, was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He grew up with the swing and big bands of WWII. Widstrand was educated at the University of Stockholm, (Classics, Archaeology, Anthropology), and Freie Universitat, Berlin, and he has a PhD in Anthropology and Archaeology from Uppsala University. He spent a lot of time on archaeological sites in the Nile valley, Sweden, Africa and the Aegean.

He was Director of the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies at Uppsala 1962-1984, and on leave from the University, he was Professor of Anthropology in the University of East Africa, University College Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

His international work included serving as a Resident Representative of the United National Development Programme in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and as a consultant for WHO (World Health Organization), Geneva.

Widstrand also taught environmental science and a course on Egyptian culture. He is now an adjunct professor at Carleton University in the classics where he teaches "Classical Mythology." To Widstrand, teaching is fun.

He also enjoys playing with Divertimento Orchestra. "If you are a double bass player and not into solo work, the big orchestra is the place for you," he says. Widstrand finds Divertimento very relaxed, and he treasures the friendships he has made with them. His background also includes a stint as a trombonist in an army band and classical training on the bassoon.

Widstrand's other interests are ancient science and technology as well as " reading thick books and being bloody intellectual."

He has three kids (in Manila, Milano and Stockholm); two grandchildren; he's written 17 books, including Agnus Deli: The Widstrand-Wiles Lamb Cookbook (available for at the Ottawa Public Library, main branch, in library use only)m and he has some 120 published papers, among them what he calls "two unplayable string quartets."

New books in the planning stages are "Beef Encounters," "1000 Ways of Cooking Lemons," "Chicken Itza, a Peruvian Chicken Cookbook," "The Most Awful Recipes of the World," "Organ Transplant Cooking," and an autography "When Memory Fails."

At 75, Widstrand insists, 'Life, itself, has been a pretty interesting adventure."
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Divertimento Orchestra rehearses from the first Thursday after Labour Day to mid-April, 7:30-10 p.m. at St. Thomas d'Aquin Church, Kilborn Avenue. They present two concerts. This year a pops concert will be added February 12, 2004 at the All Saints Anglican Church in Sandy Hill.

The orchestra is looking for more string players, especially violas, double basses and a bass clarinet player. In January, a tuba player will be required. To join, please email personnel@divertimento.ca
Divertimento also has a web page:
www.divertimento.ca
To be added to the Divertimento Orchestra concert mailing list, please send your name and email address to divertimento_orchestra@bigfoot.com