Volume CXXI March, 2013 No. 3 Nordic Harmoni Opens Season ...€¦ · Volume CXXI March, 2013 No. 3...

Volume CXXI March, 2013 No. 3

Published by the American Union of Swedish Singers

In its 121st year of Performing Svenska Sånger in Americawww.auss.org

Nordic Harmoni will start the 2013 sea-

son on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the

Second Congregational Church in Lon-

donderry, Vt. As with all choruses, we will

be looking to add to our numbers. The se-

cret is not a secret. Pick the right music and

have an excellent director. Our music com-

mittee will meet soon to select the songs, and

we do have a better than excellent director

in Ken Olsson.

After a flurry of Jul and Sankta Lucia con-

certs, we ended our 2012 singing season in

mid-December. Kåre Andersen made his last

appearance with us on December 3 at our

Weston, Sankta Lucia concert. He sat in the

first row of pews and, at the conclusion of

the concert, stood up and sang Silent Night

in Norwegian. There was not a dry eye in

the house as we thought about all his contri-

butions and his sparkling personality. He

was with the Apollo Singing Society since

1958 and an original member of Nordic

Harmoni. There was a full house at the

church for his Memorial Service in January.

So many wanted to speak and tell stories that

Pastor Kroos had to call a halt to them. Af-

ter all, we had to go to the Bromley Base

Lodge for a big party and endless aquavit.

Nordic Harmoni OpensSeason on May 7

Kåre would have approved. Bromley has

named the Telemark area of the Lodge in

his honor. Bromley taped an interview with

Kåre last winter and he told interesting sto-

ries about his youth and fascinating life.

Google it under his name.

We hosted a Twilight Ski and Snowshoe

party at The Landgrove Inn in the beginning

of February. Clear skies, bright moon, 20

degrees and excellent snow: perfect condi-

tions. A nice bonfire and glögg at the start

of the trails made for a fun start. The great

apps, soup and desserts prepared by our fe-

male singers made for a very successful

event. We had 50 guests plus the chorus.

The guests pay and singers and spouses

don’t. They just work!

It’s appropriate that I put in a plug here for

Tom and Maureen at the Inn. They support

all our social events and give us the facili-

ties for no cost. The Inn is a great place for

a New England vacation so look it up on the

internet. They also have a full schedule of

workshops in anything from scrap booking

to portrait painting to tango dancing.

Your former president, still sitting in his

Square Office here in Väst Jämtland, Vermont

- Carl-Erik Westberg

Kåre Andersen displaying his Telemark style.

President’s MessageAlana Mapes, AUSS President,[email protected]

I am always looking for ways to improve

communication between the Board of Ex-

ecutive Officers and the AUSS members.

The Musiktidning is a time honored tool for

information to get out

to all members. Now

that we are on the inter-

net it has opened many

doors. We now get

Musiktidning in color

and the picture quality

is excellent. The con-

tact people for each

chorus are in charge of

its distribution, so ad-

dress changes can happen immediately.

AUSS members save approximately twen-

ty dollars each, and the AUSS saves over

continued on page 2 Nordic Harmoni preparing to sing at Individual Chorus Night in New Haven.

MUSIKTIDNING page 2 of 6March 2013

OFFICERS OF AUSS 2012-2016President: Alana Mapes

25500 NW Svea Dr.Hillsboro, OR 97124

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

Vice President: Christine Johnson39201 Polo Club Dr. #105

Farmington Hills, MI 48335-5626Phone: (313) 506-5458

E-mail: [email protected]

Secretary: Kelly OttoP.O. Box 20835

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


Financial Secretary: James R. Maurice445 E. North Water St. E2203

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

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

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

Treasurer: Charles Upcraft4525 Parkside LaneEdina MN 55436

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

Librarian: Robert Voedisch722 N. Haddow St.Arlington, IL 60004

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

Director-in-Chief: Sherry Dreyfuss11665 Gleneagles Lane

Belvidere, IL 61008Phone: (815) 885-1424

Fax: 815-885-2250E-mail: [email protected]

Asst. Director-in-chief: Ken OlssonP.O. Box 445

Jamaica, VT 05343Phone: 802-874-4366


Asst. Director-in-chief: Vance Sele314 NW Treglown Ct.Hillsboro OR 97124

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THEAMERICAN 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, Editor204 Wyassup Road

No. Stonington, CT 06359


DIVISION PRESIDENTS (2010-2014)Eastern: Ellen Svengalis

204 Wyassup Rd.No. Stonington, CT 06359


Central: David Winter3550 N. Lake Shore #1004

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


Western: Karen Jones2521 S. W. Bertha Boulevard

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


OTHER OFFICESWebsite Coordinator:

Ellen Svengalis204 Wyassup Rd.

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


Chorus Recruitment Chairman:Carl-Erik Westberg

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

Fax: (802) 824-3358E-mail: [email protected]

Membership Directory Coordinator:Kelly Otto

P.O. Box 20835Portland, OR 97294


HONORARY PRESIDENTS, AUSSDonald Lamont

Carl-Erik WestbergJody Jones

Joseph P. O’Leary

HON. DIRECTORS-IN-CHIEFRobert Read

Arthur W. ElanderErnest Gunn

Jeffrey DeLay

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

CHARLES UPCRAFTBusiness Manager

4525 Parkside LaneEdina MN 55436

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

JAMES R. MAURICESubscriptions

445 E. North Water St. E2203Chicago, IL 60611-5542

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

E-mail (all yr.): [email protected]

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 April issue is due April 8.

$3,000 a year that we had paid in the past because the cost of

production and postage was not covered in our dues.

This change, along with others, has allowed the AUSS treasury

to build. We are not “rolling” in money. However, we are reach-

ing a point that we have some funds available to assist the AUSS

in some way. I do not think the purpose of the treasury is to

amass a grand sum of money. I do believe in being a good stew-

ard of the AUSS funds. We are so fortunate that the Cultural

Heritage Foundation assists choruses and helps with travel ex-

penses to conventions. The AUSS does not have enough to do

anything on that scale. We can, however, find some way to help.

It is a well-known fact that hospitality rooms are a big part of

conventions. It is a place where we get together, get to know

each other (after all we shouldn’t “chat” during practice). It is a

place of spontaneous song, and sometimes dance. We come to

socialize, eat, drink, and be merry. Hospitality rooms have in the

past been sponsored by individual choruses. This often found

those at the convention going from room to room, one room had

good food, another drinks, and others lots of singing people. At

the New Haven convention, for the most part, they had a central

hospitality room. This seemed to solve the problem of “Where

should I go?”

I have given some thought to this matter, and would LOVE to

get feedback from the AUSS members at large. This is my think-

ing. Since the CHF pays for the practice rooms, those in charge

of the securing the hotel would request that besides the theater

set-up for practice, they leave 3 or 4 round tables in the back of

the room. This room is already paid for, it has a piano, plenty of

chairs, and could be used for a hospitality room. People negoti-

ating with the hotel would have to work out the specifics. We

might need to hire a bartender to be covered by hotel insurance.

We would need to be able to bring in our own food…usually

hotel fare is too expensive to have more than chips and pretzels…

and that is not the best for our health. Perhaps there could be a

token amount for food and drink added to each convention pack-

et, and tickets for drinks could be included in the packet. Those

who prefer soft drinks could specify that on their registration,

they would have more tickets because soda is usually less expen-

sive than alcohol. The AUSS could perhaps assist with the funds

for food, sodas, and some of the alcohol. This way all of the

people attending the convention would have needs met in the

hospitality room, and the expense would not fall on an individual

chorus, or the convention committee. Any chorus wishing to

“sponsor” a hospitality night would of course be allowed to do

that.

Please let me know what you think about this, or if you have

other ways we can use some of our funds to support the AUSS. I

always answer emails, or write me Alana Mapes, 25500 NW

Svea Drive, Hillsboro, OR 97124.

Respectfully,

Alana

President’s ...continued from page 1


On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the

Scandinavian Women’s Chorus of

Rhode Island served up plenty of

meatballs at their fundraiser dinner.

On March 10, at 2:00 p.m., guests en-

joyed a dinner of meatballs with gra-

vy, red potatoes, ratatouille, green

beans, and lingonberries, accompa-

nied by bread, glögg, punch and cof-

fee.

The chorus, on a full stomach, pre-

sented a mini-concert, singing Count

your blessings, Dans på logen, Vårv-

indar friska, Fryksdalsdans nr 2, The

Echoing Green, Sanna mina ord, Vår,

and The Song Inside Me. The group

of six did an excellent job tackling

some difficult numbers. And, the bal-

ance was outstanding. Their director,

Steven Moye, has done a great job

with them.

Apple crisp with whipped cream,

topped off the afternoon treats.

Then, a raffle concluded the events.

Kendall Svengalis (North Star Sing-

ers) won the 50-50, but generously do-

nated his winnings back to the cho-

rus. Merlene Mayette of the Rhode

Island Swedish Heritage Association

and Vasa Order of America won the

pretty hand-made quilt donated by

Nancy Nelson, a former chorus mem-

ber.

Above: Members of the Scandinavian Women’s Chorus of R.I. serve guests at their Meatball Dinner.Below: The chorus members, still wearing their aprons, entertain between meatballs and desert.Left to right: Jessica Stensrud, Astrid S Drew, Ann-Christine Zaikowski, Astrid M Drew, ShirleyNordquist and Lee-Ann Hurtubise. Their director, Steven Moye, directs from the piano at right.

SWCRI Holds Meatball Fundraiser

Funeral

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

Peace of mind for youand your family

Preplan your funeral. Complete selection ofburial and cremation services.

Janet Nelson • Funeral director

Music: Eric Jacob Arrhén von Kapfelmann

Text: Karl Fredrik Dahlgren

This spring song for male choir was first

performed in 1823 at the students’ cele-

brations in Uppsala.

Spring has come. The meadows

Bind their wreaths. The sky is blue.

The willow trees bear golden yellow fringe.

And the grass begins to sprout.

The brooks rush, the winds sigh,

The waves glisten, the birds twitter.

Frilly Anemones shyly bow.

High in the air the larks sing:

“Spring is here! Hurray, hurray!”

English Translation ofVåren är kommen


Since Vance Sele became our director, we

have been singing close to 99% of our songs

in either Swedish or Norwegian. I thought,

at first, I would miss the familiar songs that

I have sung and loved for many, many years.

Vance is committed to the beauty of Scandi-

navian music, and has taught us to appreci-

ate it as well. I found that the secret to ap-

preciating the beauty of the melodies lies

with singing it well, and understanding the

emotion of the song. We learn the notes first,

singing “ti,” or some other non-threatening

syllable. Once we know the notes fairly well,

we tackle the language. We are fortunate to

have many native Swedish speakers, and,

although we have several who have studied

Norwegian, we don’t have a “native speak-

er.”

Enter Tom Birnie, (yes, it is a Scottish

name), whose mother was Norwegian. Di-

anne Seymour has been taking Norwegian

classes at Portland State University for some

time now. One day she asked her Professor

(Tom) if he would come to our practice on

Monday night and help us with our pronun-

ciation of the Norwegian Christmas carols.

He came. We loved him and he was im-

pressed with our dedication to learning the

language correctly. He also appreciated

music, although he claimed he does not sing.

Last Monday night, Tom came back to help

us with the correct pronunciation of our

spring music. This time we took his picture

for all to see this man who is so generous

with his time, and dedicated to Scandinavian

languages. He brought with him a transla-

tion of Våren and explained the history and

reasoning behind the unusual dialect of this

Norwegian piece. Our other Norwegian song

is Paul’s Fugue by Sigvald Tveit. He had a

big smile, because it is unusual. We sing

“du” on the quarter notes, and “bee” on the

eight notes. So we didn’t need help with the

language. We already have the words to Ja,

vi elsker dette landet (the Norwegian nation-

al anthem) correct, because he has previously

helped us with them.

Tom stayed for our entire rehearsal and

requested to hear some of our Swedish songs.

He complimented Christopher Wilson’s sen-

sitive touch at the piano, and how it helped

carry the emotion of the poems written in

song. Our practice ended with an energetic

round of Körtrall, always an audience pleas-

er. We feel so fortunate to have someone

like Tom. He has not only helped us sing

correctly, and understand the text, but has

been instrumental in our attracting several

new singers after speaking highly of our

group to his students at Portland State Uni-

versity.

- Alana Mapes, Scandia Ladies Chorus

Portland Choruses Learn Correct Norwegian

Tom Birnie teaches Norwegianpronunciation to the Portland choruses.

It came to my attention recently that

Dee Carlson missed her 25 year pin. It

should have been awarded at the 2012

National Convention in New Haven, CT.

Dee has been singing soprano with the

Portland chorus since 1984. Dee has

been one of the reasons our spring silent

auction has been such a huge success.

Dee consistently brings in gift certificates

to restaurants, hotels and other business-

es worth over $1,000. She is a very val-

ued member of the Portland Ladies’ Cho-

rus.

- Alana Mapes, Scandia Ladies Chorus

Dee CarlsonReceives25-Year Pin

Alana Mapes (left) presents 25-year pinand certificate to Dee Carlson


Swedish Glee Club - Waukegan is sorry

to have lost one of their singers this past

January. Harvey Biddlecom, a sixteen year

veteran with our chorus, passed away on

January 10, 2013. Harvey and his late wife,

Marjorie, were dedicated members of our

Glee Club. As requested by the family, the

chorus sang at his memorial service on Jan-

uary 19th. Our condolences to Harvey’s son

and daughter and grandchildren. Rest in

peace, Harvey. You will be missed.

Swedish Glee Club - Waukegan has been

quite busy. Our Annual picnic was on a very

hot and dry August 4th. The Convention-

goers came with pictures and stories of the

convention and, for some, their extended

vacation to Upstate New York, New En-

gland and Long Island. We feasted on

steaks provided by our Grill Master, Gene

Sanderlin, had some delicious food, sang

Swedish songs and played a silly game

complete with prizes. A good time was had

by all.

Wednesday, September 5th was our First

Night Rehearsal and Pizza Night to kick-

start the 2012 - 2013 Season. Singers from

both the men’s and women’s choruses and

singers’ wives had a variety of pizzas, after

which the choruses rehearsed and the Sing-

ers’ Wives had their meeting to plan upcom-

ing events.

Starting off with Fall Fest on November

3rd, we catered German food, played Ger-

man music, sang Swedish songs and played

another silly game again with prizes. We

do like those games.

Come December we got really busy. First,

was our annual Christmas party, which was

December 1st. We had a Christmas tree dec-

orated with lights and straw ornaments, a

traditional smörgåsbord, which was partial-

ly homemade and some bought, delicious

smoked salmon, a grab bag, music, and lots

of singing.

December 9th was our Julmiddag concert

and dinner at the Chevy Chase Country

Club, which was shared with the Chicago

Swedish Male Chorus. We always enjoy

getting together as a group and having a

good time. We feel that the friendship of

the group is important. This takes us

through the end of 2012. More to come for

2013.

- Pat Minkler, Swedish Glee Club -

Waukegan

Summer Through Christmas in Waukegan

The Swedish Glee Club and Waukegan Swedish Women’s Chorus performing at two eventsthis past season.

Alphonse “Al” R. Von Rotz,

81, of Rockford has joined the

choir of angels. Born in Fond

du Lac, Wisconsin, Al lived in

Rockford since 1953. He mar-

ried Mary Virginia “Ginger”

Feuerstein on February 14,

1953, in Beloit, Wisconsin. Al

worked at Barnes Drill Compa-

ny for 25 years.

Al sang with Sveas Söner

since 1966, and served as pres-

ident for 14 years (1999-2012). He was 2nd

Vice President of the Central Division from

2006-2010 and chaired the 2010 Central

Division Convention in Rockford.

Al loved to sing, and, in addition to Sveas

ALPHONSE R. VON ROTZ

Oct. 10, 1931 – Feb. 9, 2013

Söner, he sang in the choirs at Bethesda

Covenant Church, St. Rita Catholic Church,

St. Edward Catholic Church, and with the

Classic Chorale.

Everyone was so glad he was able to make

it to the New Haven convention last year.

Al is survived by four chil-

dren, ten grandchildren and

eight great-grandchildren.

Grandson Ryan Morand sings

with Sveas Söner. Al is prede-

ceased by his wife of 58 years,

Ginger.

Sveas Söner sang Tryggare

kan ingen vara, How Great

Thou Art, and the Angel’s Bless-

ing at the funeral mass at St.

Rita Catholic Church.

Al will sorely be missed by all who new

him and sang with him over the past fifty

years. Sov i ro.

- from information submitted by Ginny Smith and

Susan Morand


ASI FrukostThe ASI Male Chorus and Auxiliary had a

wonderfully successful Frukost on Saturday,

February 9th at Calvary Church in Golden

Valley, Minnesota. The Frukost is a grand

tradition with the chorus because it provides

such a variety of Swedish cultural experi-

ences.

The main draw is all the delicious food

prepared by the chorus auxiliary. The auxil-

iary women are amazingly talented and hard

working. They are some of my heroes. The

chorus singers helped prepare the food, too,

frying a lot of Swedish pancakes, pealing a

lot of potatoes to be fried, and helping to set

the tables. It is always a real team effort.

Over five hundred people were served.

The line began to form before eight o’clock

and was still long at 11 o’clock. Swedish

sausage, hard boiled eggs, Swedish kringle,

flat bread, cheeses, cereal and yogurt, fried

potatoes, and more were a Swedish feast

served smörgåsbord style.

Chorus members kept the coffee cups full,

assisted by the ASI Cloudberries.

Chorus members cleaned off the tables and

bused the dishes. A pleasant efficiency was

maintained. As one baritone said, Swedes

and Norwegians can sure work hard. Indeed,

the chorus has Finns, too. And a great Irish-

man had to miss because of illness. He’s a

great worker, too, and we know that many

Norwegian Vikings settled in Ireland. The

chorus has fun working hard.

The chorus sang several songs beautiful-

ly, and led the audience in singing Hälsa dem

därhemma, to the joy of everyone.

For the first time, the Cloudberries sang at

the Frukost, and this is part of their building

their own great tradition.

Two of the three members of the Scandi-

navian Ensemble entertained while the two

choruses took breaks to pour coffee and

clean tables. They play accordion and fid-

dle music so well that they have been hon-

ored by the Library of Congress as an Amer-

ican cultural treasure.

The chorus was especially inspired by two

older members who have been ailing, who

came and sang with us. One of these gentle-

men is 97. The other was so attentive to the

needs of the customers. He made sure they

were served. Their example reminded us of

our great chorus tradition going back to our

founding in 1936. It was a grand day.

A few days after the Frukost, a great friend

of the chorus passed away at 102 years old.

His name is Pastor William Berg. Pastor

Berg was born in Rock Island, Illinois, to

Swedish immigrant parents. All his life he

wanted to be a minister and to spread the

word of God. And he did so in a kindly and

gentlemanly fashion. He wrote eight books

and much personal correspondence. He was

writing and ministering until the day he died.

He has now joined many dear friends from

his long life.

We remember William Berg as the pastor

Birgit A. Lindeberg, a member of the

Northern Lights Singers, passed away sud-

denly on January 31, 2013, at the age of 78.

Birgit was raised in Ridgefield,

Connecticut and was valedicto-

rian of her class at Ridgefield

High School. She graduated

from the University of Connect-

icut in 1956 and worked in the

educational field, mostly as a

high school English teacher,

ending her career in charge of

the tutoring center at Norwalk

Community College. She also

had a master’s degree in English as a Sec-

ond Language from Fairfield University.

Always interested in a new adventure, Bir-

git traveled around the United States, Mexi-

co, and Europe by train, plane and RV. She

BIRGIT A. LINDEBERG

1934-2013

loved people, was curious and joyous, and

brought laughter and smiles to everyone she

met. She had a special connection with chil-

dren and youth. Her other interests includ-

ed singing alto in her church choir, regular

breakfasts and card-playing with friends, and

activities with the Young at Heart senior

group. She was an active member of Jesse

Lee United Methodist Church

for over 40 years.

Birgit is survived by her hus-

band of 56 years, George, who

sings with the North Star Sing-

ers, four children and four

grandchildren.

A versatile singer, Birgit sang

alto or second soprano with the

Northern Lights, wherever she

was needed. Her final concert

was at Tjugondedag Knut on January 13.

Her positive attitude and friendliness will be

missed.

Sov i ro.

- Friends in Northern Lights

who presided over the many Christmas

morning Julotta services at which we joy-

fully sang. He would do the Swedish liturgy

from memory. He was an amazing and kind

man.

His funeral will be on Saturday, February

23, at the Normandale Lutheran Chuch in

Edina, Minnesota. I am sure Mark Hanson,

the Bishop of the ELCA, will attend, as he

did this year’s Julotta, for he too admired

the inspiring life of Pastor William Berg.

- Richard Sandeen, ASI Male Chorus

ASI Male Chorus members in red vests wait on customers as the ASI Cloudberries sing forthe guests. Photo: Weldon Hultgren.

Volume CXXI March, 2013 No. 3 Nordic Harmoni Opens Season ...€¦ · Volume CXXI March, 2013 No. 3...

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Transcript of Volume CXXI March, 2013 No. 3 Nordic Harmoni Opens Season ...€¦ · Volume CXXI March, 2013 No. 3...