8
www.auss.org Published by the American Union of Swedish Singers In its 121st year of Performing Svenska Sånger in America Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 The Nordic Harmoni chorus in Vermont decided to be part of the Londonderry Fourth of July Parade. It was so much fun to step lively and walk the half mile parade route. With our ban- ner leading, we formed an irregular marching line and sang Vi gå över daggstänka berg a couple of dozen times! The wind gusts made for a tough banner carry, and next year we will be sure not to follow the antique car participants. It was exhaust- ing! Vin and Carol Johnson celebrated their 65th wedding anni- versary at our annual picnic on September 6. It was held at the Kuhlberg's beautiful backyard here in Londonderry. Vin has been with the AUSS since the mid 1950s and his financial stewardship of Divisional and National conventions won him the AUSS Gold Medal award in 1994. Carol was in the Apollo Auxiliary until the creation of the Eastern Division Ladies Chorus in 1983. Her fine voice has been part of the AUSS ever since and helped start the Nordic Harmoni Chorus. We are so lucky to have such dedicated and talented singers and doers with us! Besides all our fun social events, we also put on excellent concerts. On Sunday afternoon, September 8, we performed at the Equinox Village Retirement Home. Their director is part Svensk and a social member of Nordic Harmoni, so it was an easy invite. The music committee selected the right mixture of English and Swedish songs, standards and spirituals. Director Ken Olsson is especially fond of spirituals and, on our fine keyboard, he really gets into the right spirit. After a couple more fall concerts, we will move to our Jul programs, concentrating on Sankta Lucia performances. Our schedule is to sing into the Jul season, take the winter off, and restart in May. It works for us here in Vermont. It is so much easier to get good attendance on a warm Tuesday when you come and go in daylight. - Carl-Erik Westberg, Nordic Harmoni Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events Top and bottom: Members of Nordic Harmoni march in the London- derry Fourth of July Parade. Center: Ken Olsson (front), directs the chorus at Equinox Village Retirement Home. Bottom left: Vin and Carol Johnson (seated) celebrate their 65th wed- ding anniversary at Nordic Harmoni’s annual picnic.

Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    0

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

www.auss.org

Published by the American Union of Swedish Singers In its 121st year of Performing Svenska Sånger in America

Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8

The Nordic Harmoni chorus in Vermont decided to be part of

the Londonderry Fourth of July Parade. It was so much fun to

step lively and walk the half mile parade route. With our ban-

ner leading, we formed an irregular marching line and sang Vi

gå över daggstänka berg a couple of dozen times! The wind

gusts made for a tough banner carry, and next year we will be

sure not to follow the antique car participants. It was exhaust-

ing!

Vin and Carol Johnson celebrated their 65th wedding anni-

versary at our annual picnic on September 6. It was held at the

Kuhlberg's beautiful backyard here in Londonderry.

Vin has been with the AUSS since the mid 1950s and his

financial stewardship of Divisional and National conventions

won him the AUSS Gold Medal award in 1994. Carol was in

the Apollo Auxiliary until the creation of the Eastern Division

Ladies Chorus in 1983. Her fine voice has been part of the

AUSS ever since and helped start the Nordic Harmoni Chorus.

We are so lucky to have such dedicated and talented singers

and doers with us!

Besides all our fun social events, we also put on excellent

concerts. On Sunday afternoon, September 8, we performed at

the Equinox Village Retirement Home. Their director is part

Svensk and a social member of Nordic Harmoni, so it was an

easy invite. The music committee selected the right mixture of

English and Swedish songs, standards and spirituals. Director

Ken Olsson is especially fond of spirituals and, on our fine

keyboard, he really gets into the right spirit.

After a couple more fall concerts, we will move to our Jul

programs, concentrating on Sankta Lucia performances. Our

schedule is to sing into the Jul season, take the winter off, and

restart in May. It works for us here in Vermont. It is so much

easier to get good attendance on a warm Tuesday when you

come and go in daylight.

- Carl-Erik Westberg, Nordic Harmoni

Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events

Top and bottom: Members of Nordic Harmoni march in the London-derry Fourth of July Parade.

Center: Ken Olsson (front), directs the chorus at Equinox Village Retirement Home.

Bottom left: Vin and Carol Johnson (seated) celebrate their 65th wed-ding anniversary at Nordic Harmoni’s annual picnic.

Page 2: Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

October 2013 MUSIKTIDNING page 2 of 8

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE

AMERICAN UNION OF SWEDISH SINGERS (Organized November 24, 1892)

A Musical Journal in English and Swedish

"To teach, cultivate and promote Chorus singing, principally Swedish."

ELLEN SVENGALIS, Editor 204 Wyassup Road

No. Stonington, CT 06359

Tel: (860) 535-0362 Fax: (860) 535-0378 E-mail: [email protected]

CHARLES UPCRAFT Business Manager

4525 Parkside Lane Edina MN 55436

Phone: (952) 928-8173 E-Mail: [email protected]

JAMES R. MAURICE Subscriptions

445 E. North Water St. E2203 Chicago, IL 60611-5542

Tel: (312) 670-9570 Winter (Jan-Apr) tel: (727) 729-6269

E-mail (all yr.): [email protected]

OFFICERS OF AUSS 2012-2016 President: Alana Mapes

25500 NW Svea Dr. Hillsboro, OR 97124

Phone: (503) 647-5486 E-mail: [email protected]

Vice President: Christine Johnson

700 S. Main Street Ste 119-133 Lapeer, MI 48446-3077 Phone: (313) 506-5458

E-mail: [email protected]

Secretary: Kelly Otto P.O. Box 20835

Portland, OR 97294 Phone: (503) 318-7929

E-mail: [email protected]

Financial Secretary: James R. Maurice 445 E. North Water St. E2203

Chicago, IL 60611-5542 Phone: (312) 670-9570

Winter (Jan-Apr): 670 Island Way #904 Clearwater, FL 33767

FL phone: (727) 729-6269 E-mail (all yr.): [email protected]

Treasurer: Charles Upcraft

4525 Parkside Lane Edina MN 55436

Phone: (952) 928-8173 E-Mail: [email protected]

Librarian: Robert Voedisch

722 N. Haddow St. Arlington, IL 60004

Phone: (842)255-7253 E-mail: [email protected]

Director-in-Chief: Sherry Dreyfuss

11665 Gleneagles Lane Belvidere, IL 61008

Phone: (815) 885-1424 Fax: 815-885-2250

E-mail: [email protected]

Asst. Director-in-chief: Ken Olsson P.O. Box 445

Jamaica, VT 05343 Phone: 802-874-4366

E-mail: [email protected]

Asst. Director-in-chief: Vance Sele 314 NW Treglown Ct. Hillsboro OR 97124

Phone: (503) 866-9692 E-mail: [email protected]

DIVISION PRESIDENTS (2010-2014)

Eastern: Ellen Svengalis 204 Wyassup Rd.

No. Stonington, CT 06359 Phone: (860) 535-0362

E-mail: [email protected]

Central: David Winter 3550 N. Lake Shore #1004

Chicago, IL 60657 Phone: (773) 549-1678

E-mail: [email protected]

Western: Karen Jones 2521 S. W. Bertha Boulevard

Portland, OR 97201 Phone: (503) 244-1469

E-mail: [email protected]

OTHER OFFICES Website Coordinator:

Ellen Svengalis 204 Wyassup Rd.

No. Stonington, CT 06359 Phone: (860) 535-0362

E-mail: [email protected]

Chorus Recruitment Chairman: Carl-Erik Westberg

P. O. Box 178 Londonderry, VT 05148 Phone: (802) 824-6578 Fax: (802) 824-3358

E-mail: [email protected]

Membership Directory Coordinator: Kelly Otto

P.O. Box 20835 Portland, OR 97294

Phone: (503) 318-7929 E-mail: [email protected]

HONORARY PRESIDENTS, AUSS

Donald Lamont Carl-Erik Westberg

Jody Jones Joseph P. O’Leary

HON. DIRECTORS-IN-CHIEF

Robert Read Arthur W. Elander

Ernest Gunn Jeffrey DeLay

MUSIKTIDNING SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Please send material to the Musiktidning Editor. If possible, please

send both stories and photos via E-mail ([email protected])

Material for the November issue is due Nov. 8.

President’s Message Alana Mapes, AUSS President, [email protected]

Continued on page 5

When I was elected AUSS President in 2008, our dear friend

from Sweden, Per-Olof Lund, told me that the Nordic Sånger-

förbund had voted to include the AUSS, and had approved me

as an official board member representing our organization. I

have not traveled to the meetings in Finland, Iceland, etc., but

I have sent an AUSS President’s Report to the board meet-

ings. This spring Per-Olof contacted me asking about the

possibility of forming a North American Branch of the Nordic

Sångerförbund in the US.

There was a Pacific Coast Norwegian Singers Association

Sangerfest in Tacoma, WA, June 27 through the 29. I did

have other plans for that weekend, but Tacoma is a short three

and a half hour drive up I-5, and I felt

it was important to be there, so my

weekend plans changed. Marshall

and I attended the 104th Sangerfest

concert held at Pacific Lutheran Uni-

versity’s Lagerquist Hall Saturday

evening. There were 135 singers on

stage. They sang eight English

songs, six Norwegian songs, and a

couple Swedish ones. A brass quintet

played a set, and accompanied some

of the mass numbers.

Just like our conventions, there was an afterglow with food

and lots of music around a piano to end Friday’s event.

Saturday, I met with the President of the Pacific Coast Nor-

wegian Singers Association (PCNSA) and the President and

Past President of the Norwegian Singers Association of Amer-

ica, (NSAA) and Per-Olof. We shared about each of our or-

ganizations so we could learn more about them. They were

impressed that there was a National AUSS, and three divi-

sions, and a Cultural Heritage Foundation. The PCNSA and

NSAA are two totally separate organizations. They cover

membership choruses in the Pacific Coast, and the Central

states respectively. There is no Norwegian Association for

the eastern states. They also took note that we had an online

National Newspaper, a web site, and a Facebook account.

All representatives at the meeting agreed that forming a

North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a

good idea. We all voiced that joining would need to be

brought before our executive boards, and discussed and voted

on at a Delegates’ Meeting. Several questions were

raised. My number one question was that the AUSS has

women, whereas the Sångerförbund by-laws say that the

Grand Concerts are for male singers. Per-Olof said they had

addressed this issue in Europe, and that many choruses are

mixed…but only the men sing in the Sångerfests. I told him I

Page 3: Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

October 2013 MUSIKTIDNING page 3 of 8

Nine of Portland’s fourteen newest members are: Seated: Naomi and Phillip Beymer, and Karli Anderson. Back Row: Anna Svensson, H`ele’n Mock, Christina Lombardi, Anio Bakos, Katariina Lehtonen, and Eli Schwarz. Not pictured: Edda Sigurdar, Kaleb Bacchetti, Jennie

kjei, Eva Feldman, Annica Widlund. Photos: Jerry Jones

Above: Eli Schwarz patiently assists the chorus as they attempt to sing his native

Danish. At right: Aino Bakos and

Katariina Lehtonen work on Finnish pronunciation.

Here in Portland, Oregon, we have

many new members. Three of them

came to help with language, and

stayed because they had fun and love

to sing. We are so lucky to have

them all.

The plan for our Christmas pro-

gram at Scanfair is to have the songs

from the different countries intro-

duced by a native speaker in that

language. We would like members

of the audience of that heritage to

stand and be recognized. The song’s

text will then be explained in Eng-

lish. We are also learning the na-

tional anthems of the countries. Our

director, Vance Sele, is arranging the

songs into SATB for us.

We have found this challenging,

but fun. We don’t put language to

the song until the melodies are fairly familiar. We are read two words at a time by the native speak-

ers, and make many notes in our music. We laugh a lot. For instance, if we do not get the correct

pronunciation in Danish, we say the word “gold” for “God”…not interchangeable in a Christmas

song.

We are members of the American Union of Swedish Singers, and Swedish is 50% of our concert,

but now we are truly the “Scandinavian” Choruses of Portland.

- Alana Mapes, Scandia Ladies Chorus

Portland’s Newest Members

Page 4: Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

October 2013 MUSIKTIDNING page 4 of 8

On September 4th, singers of the

Swedish Glee Club—Waukegan and

spouses began the new season with a

Welcome Back Pizza Night dinner be-

fore rehearsal. A variety of pizzas were

catered by a local pizza restaurant. After

rehearsal, dessert of coffee cake and

kringle was provided by the singers’

wives group.

The Glee Club's Annual Meeting was

held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September

21st, at the American Legion Hall in

Lake Forest. We had 21 members in

attendance and, for the first time, it in-

cluded women. Officers and committee

chairs were elected or re-elected for the

upcoming year. One new singer, Allen

Layburn, was received into the member-

ship. The new officers are:

President - Gene Sanderlin

Vice President - Donna Fortney

Treasurer - Jim Maurice

Secretary - Mary Shepard

Trustee - Doug Shepard

Music Committee Chairman - Evert

Schmidt

Music Committee Chairwoman -

Nancy Borkman

The new board was introduced to the

membership and guests that Saturday

evening at the Annual Banquet held at

the Midlane Country Club. We were

seated in an upper level dining room

with a full view of the golf course.

Our upcoming main event is our annual

Julmiddag celebration, to be held at the

Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling,

Illinois on December 8 at 3:00 p.m. The

Waukegan mixed chorus will be joined

by the Chicago Swedish Male Chorus for

an evening of music and lots of food.

- Pat Minkler and Jim Maurice,

Swedish Glee Club—Waukegan

Waukegan’s Season Kick-Off

The annual election of officers for Waukegan produced the following (from left to right): Doug Shepard – Trustee, Jim Maurice – Treasurer, Nancy Borkman – Music Committee Chairwoman, Evert Schmidt – Music Committee Chairman, Gene Sanderlin – President,

Donna Fortney – Vice President, and Mary Shepard – Secretary.

The Swedish Women’s Chorus has

successfully hired a new director, Allan

Andrews. Mr. Andrews hails recently

from Dallas, Texas and has a broad range

of choral directing experience. He has

directed award winning college and

church choirs and taught at several

schools. Mr. Andrews is picking up

Swedish very quickly. We feel very

fortunate to have him as our new direc-

tor.

Mr. Andrews will also direct the SVEA

Male Chorus. With a little adjustment to

schedules, both choirs will have joint

singing time at each rehearsal. SVEA

will begin the evening with Mr. Andrews

and they will eventually be joined by the

SWC for a half hour rehearsal and then

the SWC will rehearse alone with Mr.

Andrews. Both choruses are looking

forward to a strong, choral singing sea-

son, both as separate choirs and jointly.

Our first performance of the season

will be at the Columbia Lutheran Home

on October 22. We have performed at

this retirement home for over 15 years.

The residents look forward to our visit

and invite friends and family to the per-

formance.

- Mary Hillman, Swedish Women’s Chorus

Seattle Choruses Have a New Director

Happy

Autumn! Allan Andrews

Page 5: Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

October 2013 MUSIKTIDNING page 5 of 8

President’s... Continued from page 2

didn’t think that would “fly” in the

AUSS. The Pacific Coast Norwegian

President, Jeff Highland was very inter-

ested in how we did our Grand Concerts,

with men’s numbers, women’s numbers

and mixed pieces. The President from

Minneapolis thought his men would not

like to have women in a Grand Con-

cert. Per-Olof agreed to be the General

On Saturday, October 5th, the ASI Male Chorus

held its annual October Frukost (breakfast). We

had the wonderful opportunity to hold the Frukost

in Larson Hall, the amazing space modeled after

the Stockholm City Hall's gallery where the No-

bel Prize Dinner is held. Larson Hall is the sec-

ond floor of the Nelson Cultural Center, the

Swedish Modern addition connected to the his-

toric mansion at the American Swedish Institute.

We worked in a new kitchen with equipment we

had not used before. And we made it work. We

made it work because the ASI Chorus Auxiliary

came really prepared to cook and bake wonderful

Swedish breakfast food. It worked because cho-

rus leaders planned well and were really well

organized. Hard working, caring young people

helped bus dishes during the event. Chorus sing-

ers helped ensure that our guests always had their

coffee cups full.

At the smorgasbord table was Swedish sausage,

Swedish kringle, lingonberries, Swedish pan-

cakes, hardboiled eggs, and many other Swedish

breakfast dishes.

Our efforts were really supported by the ASI

staff.

We had a wonderful accordionist play Swedish

music from 8-11 in the morning, the length of the

breakfast.

The Chorus sang four sets of music. We sang

Vi gå över daggstänkta berg, En glad trall, Villa

vid denna källa, Climbin' Up the Mountain, and

Hälsa dem därhemma. We also sang Happy

Birthday in Swedish twice. We even had time to

visit with our guests, including friends and rela-

tives.

It was a pleasure holding our Frukost in this

beautiful new facility, the beginning of a new

chapter in the history of the ASI Male Chorus

Frukost.

- Richard Sandeen, ASI Male Chorus

October Frukost in Minneapolis

Above: Members of the ASI Male Chorus Auxiliary work in the new kitchen. Below: the ASI Male Chorus entertains the Frukost guests.

Bottom: Chorus members and helpers make sure guests always have coffee. Photos: Weldon Hultgren

Secretary (an office he holds in the Nor-

dic Sångerförbund) and work with the

North American committee so we would

have something to present at our next

conventions.

Saturday evening was a delicious ban-

quet, with awards, and dancing later

on. The Norwegians were very gracious

hosts, and we had a wonderful week-

end. I came away with a lot to think

about. Hopefully, the Portland Chorus

can travel to Washington and have a

joint concert, and show them that women

can be included in a Grand Concert, and

the male choruses can still maintain their

identity. I was very proud to represent

the AUSS and share about our out-

standing organization to this group of

Norwegians. We had a delightful week-

end, and made new friends. It was a

productive meeting, accompanied by

beautiful Scandinavian music. Thank

you PCNSA!

- Alana

Page 6: Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

October 2013 MUSIKTIDNING page 6 of 8

What Makes the AUSS Special?

The American Union of Swedish Sing-

ers is one of the oldest Swedish-

American organizations in North Amer-

ica, dating back to 1892 with ground-

work laid at the 1893 Columbian Exposi-

tion in Chicago. It is unique, in that

much of the AUSS history is preserved

and presently in safe keeping at the

Swenson Center, Augustana College,

Rock Island, Illinois.

We have a number of people to thank

for diligently collecting and preserving

this material, including Martin Ahlm,

Hans Bolling, Hubert Ramberg, Robert

Voedisch, Carl E. Carlson and Dan Carl-

son, among others. Donald Lamont and

Robert Voedisch were instrumental in

the design and construction of the pre-

sent Singers Gallery in the Rockford

Museum.

Minutes taken from organization meet-

ings in 1892 and years to follow came

into our hands through Otto Loven of

Bridgeport, Connecticut who served as

recording secretary in the 1930s. An-

other book of minutes was recovered, by

chance, in a wardrobe of the Svithiod

Singing Club, Chicago just before clos-

ing in 1980. This book contained min-

utes from conventions as recorded by

Joel Soderlund who devoted many years

of service to the organization as re-

cording secretary. Gustav Rickan, Gun-

nar Bloom and Martin Ahlm arranged for

the preserving and binding of all editions

of Musiktidning from 1906 through

1995. Gunnar Bloom accumulated pro-

gram books from most festivals and,

from this collection of material, it was

possible for Author Lilly Setterdahl, with

the cooperation of several AUSS mem-

bers, and financial support from John

Werner, to diligently research, translate,

and complete A Century of Song.

It may be of interest to review choruses

as recorded in A Century of Song begin-

ning with the earliest from each division.

We will start with the Eastern Division.

Note: Some choruses have changed

names and some have become Scandina-

vian when accepting singers from other

Nordic countries. Due to lack of minutes

or recorded documentation, the listings

may not be complete.

Bridgeport, Connecticut choruses -

past and present

We begin with Bridgeport, Connecticut

and the Swedish National Quartet that

joined the AUSS in 1896, but soon after

became inactive.

The Svea Sextette joined in 1899 and

sent four singers to the 1897 singing fes-

tival in New York. They disbanded

around 1901.

The Bridgeport Glee Club was organ-

ized in 1902 in the home of George

Svanberg with the first minutes written

on a paper bag. The group participated

in the New York singing festival in 1910

and apparently disbanded after that.

Norden joined the AUSS in 1905 and

participated in festivals through 1952.

Their home was the Norden Club at 4

Seabright Avenue, which still exists to-

day. Some members participated in the

A.U.S.S. History—Regions, Part 1

The North Star Singers in 1934.

The North Star Singers and Northern Lights Singers in 2012. Continued on page 7

Page 7: Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

October 2013 MUSIKTIDNING page 7 of 8

Funeral Homes

Peace of mind for you

and your family

Preplan your funeral. Complete selection of burial and cremation services.

Janet Nelson • Funeral director

5149 N. Ashland Avenue • Chicago • 773-561-5147

820 Talcott Road • Park Ridge • 847-823-5122

AUSS concert tour in 1967.

The Swedish Baptist Chorus existed

from 1932 through 1949 and was a mem-

ber of the AUSS from 1944 though 1949.

Still in existence is the North Star

Singers. They were organized in 1933

by members of the North Star Lodge of

the Independent Order of Good Tem-

plars, and another group of Good Tem-

plars transferred to Bridgeport from the

Underwood Corporation in Rockford,

Illinois, with Esther Erickson as pianist,

who also became their first director.

North Star joined the AUSS in 1938 and

held rehearsals in the Bridgeport Ma-

chines Company, Salem Lutheran

Church and, currently, at the Scandina-

vian Club in Fairfield, 1351 South Pine

Creek Road. The North Star Singers

have participated in all national and divi-

sional festivals.

Of special note, they recorded a record

album at the invitation of RCA Victor

and Scandinavian Music House in 1939.

These recordings were often played on

Scandinavian radio programs. North

Star performed in the General Assembly

Hall of the United Nations in September,

1973 before an audience of more than

3,000. Then Secretary General, Kurt

Waldheim, gave them special thanks.

North Star, along with their auxiliary,

hosted two Eastern Division Conventions

(1952 and 1972) and one AUSS National

Convention (1978).

Also, still in existence, is the Northern

Lights Singers. This chorus was formed

in 1990 with twelve ladies, six of them

having sung with the Scandinavian

Women’s Chorus of Connecticut. The

Northern Lights also rehearses at the

Scandinavian Club in Fairfield. To-

gether with the North Star Singers, they

have performed at least twice a year at

the Club: a post-Christmas program

(“Tjugondedag Knut Fest”) and a Spring

Concert. Also, together with North Star,

they hosted the 2002 Eastern Division

Convention in Trumbull.

To be continued…

- Condensed by Don Ahlm from A Cen-

tury of Song by Lilly Setterdahl. Additional

history supplied by Ellen Svengalis.

Continued from page 6

AUSS History... ‘tis nearly the season… to wish your AUSS friends all the best with

Christmas Greetings in MusiktidningChristmas Greetings in MusiktidningChristmas Greetings in MusiktidningChristmas Greetings in Musiktidning We will send out a renewal notice to those who supported the Jul issue last year.

For first time greeters, please send a copy of your greeting, preferably digital or camera ready to:

[email protected]

or via regular mail to: Ellen Svengalis 204 Wyassup Road N. Stonington, CT 06359

We can do the layout and add Jul decorations, if you prefer.

Rates are as follows: 2.5"w x 2"h $30 5.0"w x 2"h $45 7.5"w x 4"h $80 7.5"w x 6"h $140 Full page $200

Make checks payable to Musiktidning Musiktidning Musiktidning Musiktidning and mail to address above.

Due date is December 1. Questions? Call (860) 535-0362

Page 8: Volume CXXI October, 2013 No. 8 Nordic Harmoni’s Summer Events · 2013-10-21 · North American Branch of the Nordic Sångerförbund was a good idea. We all voiced that joining

October 2013 MUSIKTIDNING page 8 of 8

Sveas Söner of Rockford, Illinois be-

gan its new season by singing a concert

at the P.A. Peterson Center in Rockford

on Sunday afternoon, September 8th.

This facility for seniors was founded by

the industrialist P.A. Peterson, an immi-

grant from Sweden, who was involved in

the start-up of many businesses in Rock-

ford.

The occasion was a program for resi-

dents and their special caregivers. Care-

givers are called Barnabas ministers.

They visit residents as often as possible

and have been trained in how to relate to

aging residents. The chorus sang a vari-

ety of songs in English and Swedish.

They ended the program with an audi-

ence sing-a-long. Everyone enjoyed

joining in on Children of the Heavenly

Father, How Great Thou Art and God

Bless America. The last selection was

The Angel Blessing with director Sherry

Dreyfuss as soloist. Linda Smith accom-

panied the singing.

Following the program all chorus

members and spouses were invited to a

cook-out at the center. Then, everyone

went to the home of Don and Alice

Anderson for dessert and fellowship.

- Mary Lofquist, Sveas Söner

Sveas Söner Sing for Seniors

Roger Eric Lindberg 73, a resident of

Oak Park, Illinois passed

away on August 21, 2013

after a brief illness. He was

a graduate of Oak Park River

Forest High School and

Culver Stockton College

where he received a Bache-

lor of Science in Speech

Correction and Elementary

Education. At Northern Illi-

nois University he com-

pleted the coursework for a

Master of Arts in Speech

Pathology and Audiology.

Roger worked as a Speech-Language

Pathologist for Oak Park Schools for 37

years.

Like his father before him, Roger was a

47-year active member of the Chicago

Swedish Glee Club. He participated in

many AUSS conventions and singing

festivals as well as the club’s Scandina-

vian Singing Tour in 1977. His last con-

cert was at the Swedish Days Festival in

ROGER LINDBERG

Geneva, Illinois on June 22nd. His fa-

ther, Eric E. Lindberg, also a lifelong

member of the glee club, sang in a con-

cert honoring the bicentennial only a few

days before his untimely death in 1976.

Roger’s mother, Betty Lindberg, was an

active member of the ladies auxiliary and

was well-known throughout the AUSS

community for her dedicated support.

Roger’s grandfather, Gustav A.

Lindberg was born in Sweden

and became the first park com-

missioner of Oak Park. He held

this position for 30 years and a

park in northwest Oak Park was

named for him.

Roger was also a 20-year

member of Oak Park Musical

Theater and shared his many

musical, acting and dancing

talents with several Chicago

suburban theater organizations.

He was an avid and accomplished pho-

tographer, traveled extensively, and was

virtually unbeatable in Trivial Pursuit.

A dedicated family man and father,

Roger is survived by his lovely wife

Susan, two children, a grandson, a sister,

and nieces and nephews.

We will greatly miss our wonderful

friend and brother singer.

- David Winter, CSGC

Waukegan chorus members are sad-

dened by the death of Fred Fortney, a

singer in the Swedish Glee Club—

Waukegan for over 45 years, who passed

away on August 29th, one day before his

80th birthday.

Fred graduated from St. Olaf College

with a Bachelor of Arts in English and

Latin and from the University of Wis-

consin at Madison with an Master of

Arts in Latin. He taught high school in

Wisconsin Dells,

Wisconsin and

Lake Forest,

Illinois before

becoming a pro-

bation officer for

Lake County,

Illinois.

Fred was very

involved with

community af-

fairs. He was on

the board of several Family Service

Agencies of Lake County.

Fred served in many offices for the

Glee Club, including: editor of the news-

letter for 19 years, music committee

chairman for 27 years and as histo-

rian. Fred was the rock that our club

stood on for so many years. He loved

the chorus and put everything he could

into it.

He was also a long-time correspondent

for Musiktidning. In 2004, he was

awarded the AUSS’s highest honor, the

Gold Medal, for his service to the Union.

Fred is survived by his wife Donna,

also a singer in the Waukegan chorus,

two daughters, five grandchildren, three

siblings and numerous nieces, nephews,

and cousins.

The Waukegan Swedish Glee Club

sang Tryggare Kan Ingen Vara at the

memorial service on September 7 at St.

James Lutheran Church in Lake Forest.

If there is a chorus in heaven, then Fred

is joyfully singing, again.

- Pat Minkler and Gene Sanderlin,

Swedish Glee Club—Waukegan

FRED FORTNEY

1933 - 2013

Sveas Söner performing at a recent event