volume cxxiii october, 2015 no. 8 how oregon attracts ......and, we sang happy birthday when we were...

www.auss.org

Volume CXXIII October, 2015 No. 8

Published by the American Union of Swedish Singers In its 123rd year of Performing Svenska Sånger in America

Beauty and the beast? This is our lovely alto, Sarah Fagerberg (Oregon's Lucia

Scholarship winner). The unique gentle-man next to her is her grandfather, Kirk Beiningen, bass. Chorus is a family af-

fair. Molly Beiningen, Sarah's grandmother sings in the second soprano section.

Rick Swee, center, just retuned from Norway, via Minnesota, where he picked up about nine different types of herring to share at soup supper. I had never tried "lingonberry" herring,

but have to admit it wasn't bad. Here are some of the adventuresome chorus members trying some tasty treats (left to right): Kurt Granat, Ann Grangaard, Rich Swee, Arlene

Pickard, and Christina Lombardi.

People ask how our choruses get new

"younger" singers. Our answer is that

they are on-line and connected.

This fall, Jody got an email from Katie

Davidsson who expressed a desire to

sing with us. She rode her bicycle, then

took it on the bus, and got off, and

brought it to practice. As we visited with

her, we discovered that she is from Swe-

den and knew she would be coming to

Portland. While still in Sweden, she

went on-line to look up Swedish organi-

zations in Portland. Our choir intrigued

her. Who would sing in all five Scandi-

navian languages? She said she was

excited, and had been waiting two

months for rehearsals to begin.

We are lucky to have chorus members

who are tech savvy.

Austin Buchholtz, our web master

(www.portlandscandinavianchorus.com),

keeps all events and performances up-

dated. Austin and Kelly Otto record our

native speakers going over the text of

each song so we can practice pronuncia-

tion at home. He is extremely valuable

to the chorus in many ways.

Susie Winn, a linguist, helps translate

our songs, assists Austin, and is our

Facebook go-to person.

Thanks to our website, and the people

who update it, our chorus can outreach

into the community and beyond.

- Alana Mapes, Scandia Ladies Chorus

Left to right: Austin Buchholtz, Katie Davidsson, and Susie Winn. Austin and Susie are instrumental in keeping up the

choruses’ online presence.

How Oregon Attracts Young Singers

October 2015 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 3 Rockland Road, Guilford, CT 06437

Phone: (203) 689-5630 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: Gene Sanderlin 2030 Ash Street

Waukegan, IL 60087 Phone: 847-623-7387


Secretary: Kelly Otto P.O. Box 20835, Portland, OR 97294


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


Asst. Director-in-chief: Vance Sele 2900 NE Jackson School Rd., Hillsboro,

OR 97124 Phone: (503) 866-9692


DIVISION PRESIDENTS (2014-2018) Eastern: Carl-Erik Westberg

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


Central: Philip Friedlund 118 Virginia Street, St. Paul, MN 55102


Western: Kelly Otto

P.O. Box 20835, Portland, OR 97294 Phone: (503) 318-7929


OTHER OFFICES Website Coordinator:

Ellen Svengalis 3 Rockland Road, Guilford, CT 06437


Chorus Recruitment Chairman:

Carl-Erik Westberg P. O. Box 178, Londonderry, VT 05148

Phone: (802) 824-6578 Fax: (802) 824-3358


Membership Directory Coordinator: Kelly Otto

P.O. Box 20835, Portland, OR 97294 Phone: (503) 318-7929


HONORARY PRESIDENTS, AUSS Donald Lamont

Carl-Erik Westberg Jody Jones

Joseph P. O’Leary

HON. DIRECTORS-IN-CHIEF Robert Read 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]

Fifty one singers attended the October soup & salad supper,

and practice. There were nine regular attendees not there. I

am always worried about new singers since we sing in 5 dif-

ferent languages, no English, and warm-up includes solfege.

Vance always reassures people that there is a learning curve,

and not to be alarmed. I decided to ask

some of the new singers what attracted

them. One singer, who is an accom-

plished musician, said she was looking

for a group that would challenge her.

Since she knows music, the language

gave her the challenge she was seeking.

Another said it was the friendliness of

the group that made her feel welcome.

Still another said he enjoyed getting in-

formation that made him a better singer.

Another came because a friend invited him. Two couples

joined after attending our Christmas concert last year.

I have come to the conclusion that if I asked all the singers,

each would have a different reason for joining and staying

with the chorus. Each one contributes to, and gets something

special from, being part of the group. Whatever the reason,

music brings us together and unites all these individuals into

an amazing chorus.

On the drive home, Jody and I couldn't help but think of all

the singers we knew as children. They have now passed, but

we know Dad, and all those wonderful men are smiling now

knowing that the chorus that was started over 100 years ago is

thriving. The legacy they started continues. So guys....Tack

så mycket.

- Alana Learn about solfege on page 7...

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came-

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.

~ George Cooper


For several years now, Nordic Harmoni has participated

in one of Vermont's top 10 tourist events, The Peru Fair.

The town is closed to traffic and several thousand tourists

and locals pay the $6 entry to enjoy a parade, over 100 ven-

dors, and food of every description.

This year, as we have done in the past, we invited other

Eastern Division and AUSS singers to join us.

Our fair participation on September 26 started at 9:45 a.m.

when we marched in the parade with our banner and

shields, singing Vi gå över daggstänkta berg and I somma-

rens soliga dagar. This year we were lucky in that there

were no large animals in the parade in front of us. There-

fore, the footing was not treacherous and everyone stayed

upright.

After the parade, we went to the Peru Church, in the mid-

dle of the town, where we had a quick rehearsal, a break for

wandering and nibbling, and then our concert at noon. It

went very well and the crowd responded to the free will

donation baskets by the doors so that we covered our costs

and then some. We included some songs from the upcom-

ing Chicago Convention.

Between the rehearsal and concert, the Eastern Division

Officers in attendance held a meeting. Besides the usual

reports, we elected Mike Yager of the Viking Chorus as

Vice President, and Michelle (Micky) Sandberg, also of the

Vikings, as the division Assistant Director-in-Chief. She

did a fine job as the accompanist for the weekend and also

helped Ken Olsson with the directing. That evening we had

a delicious dinner at the Blue Gentian Lodge. The weekend

concluded with the singers participating in the Second Con-

gregational Church Sunday service. We sang Soon and

Very Soon and Härlig är jorden. Most of the Nordic chorus

sings in the church choir so we had a very appreciative au-

dience.

It was a great weekend, weather wise, singing wise and

social wise!

- Carl-Erik, from the E.D. Presidential Square Office in Väst

Jämtland, Vermont

Nordic Harmoni Shines at the Fair

Clockwise from above: Noon concert in Peru Church, Astrid M. Drew and Astrid S. Drew of the Rhode Island chorus before the concert,

Singer Joel Kuhlberg, social member Suzie Wyman and singer Skip Raymond are manning the Rotary Club lobster bisque booth, Singer

Dale Malekoff


This has been an amazing autumn with

the ASI Male Chorus. On Saturday,

September 12th, the Chorus participated

in the day-long Nordic Fest west of the

Twin Cities. Perhaps 800 people en-

joyed Nordic food, singing, and fiddling.

The ASI Male Chorus sang a number

of songs, such as Let There Be Music,

Längtan till landet and Hälsa dem där-

hemma. The day was lovely in this rural

park setting, and the food and coffee

were very tasty.

Three weeks later, the ASI Male Cho-

rus and Auxiliary hosted the annual Oc-

tober Frukost. At least four hundred

tickets were sold. The Chorus rehearsed

with enthusiasm. Many Chorus and

Auxiliary members came to the Ameri-

can Swedish Institute’s esteemed Larson

Hall on Friday the 2nd to help set up for

the big event. Tables were set, potatoes

were peeled and cooked, Swedish sau-

sage, and many other Swedish delicacies,

were prepared. Directions were given

about the Big Day.

The next morning, everyone gathered

at 7:00 a.m. The Chorus warmed up.

The Auxiliary was so efficient in the

kitchen. God bless them. From 8:00

a.m. until 11:00 a.m., customers

streamed in and enjoyed Swedish

kringle, hard boiled eggs, Swedish pan-

cakes, coffee, juices, and much else.

The Chorus sang about every forty

minutes and selected from eight different

songs, such as Man skall leva, Danny

Boy, and the spiritual Soon and Very

Soon. And, we sang Happy Birthday

when we were informed of birthdays. It

was a great day.

On October sixth and seventh, the ASI

Chorus and Auxiliary helped the Ameri-

can Swedish Institute host the esteemed

chorus, "The Veterans of Orphei Drän-

gar." We joined them for a delicious

dinner in Larson Hall at 6:30 p.m. on

Tuesday evening. We had delightful

conversations with these talented singers

and their charming wives, making new

friendships. They sang for us, and we

sang with them. How fun this was. And

we even helped our splendid Auxiliary

clean tables as the evening ended.

On Wednesday evening, The Veterans

of Orphei Drängar put on an hour and a

half concert that was worthy of Carnegie

Hall. Indeed, fourteen of the Veterans

were with the main Orphei Drängar choir

that toured America in 1970, performing

in thirty states in forty five days, ending

up at Carnegie Hall. The Veterans’ con-

ductor, Håkan Sund, said it was an over-

whelming experience singing in Carne-

gie Hall in 1970. And, for their perform-

ance at ASI, they sang a wonderful vari-

ety of songs from Swedish composers

like Bellman to the most delightful rendi-

tion of Peggy Lee's Fever.

We now look ahead to singing at the

Ft. Snelling Chapel the Sunday before

Thanksgiving and to our Christmas con-

certs.

How exciting it is to sing with the ASI

Male Chorus.

- Richard Sandeen, ASI Male Chorus

ASI Male Chorus Fall Events Includes the Veterans of Orphei Drängar

‘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 3 Rockland Road Guilford, CT 06437

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

Due date is December 1. Questions? Call (203) 689-5630

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


The Kick-off for our year started on

September 2, as early as can be. A light

supper let us catch up on each other’s

news and the rehearsal began. Director

Jeff Delay had us clear out some music

from our folders, librarian Pat Cosgrove

duly sorted it and got it filed back into

the library, and we sang our favorites

from last year -- a feel good way to start

a new year. With the next rehearsal, we

started new music and began preparing

for several upcoming fall performances.

On September 26 we held our Annual

Meeting. Most notable from the meeting

was that there are two changes on the

executive board. Jim Maurice, who has

been our treasurer for 18 years, wished to

be replaced. Tom Borkman has assumed

his role. Evert Schmidt, who was our

music committee chairman for some 20

years, also wanted to step down, and

Nancy Borkman takes his place. The

other board members remain the same:

Gene Sanderlin president, Donna Fort-

ney vice president, Mary Shepard secre-

tary, and Doug Shepard trustee.

In the evening of the Annual Meeting

day, we had a lavish dinner at the Mid-

lane Country Club in Wadsworth. It was

also the occasion to honor some of our

members: retiring board members Jim

Maurice and Evert Schmidt, 25-year

member Fred Jeffries, and our expert and

beloved retiring accompanist of 18 years,

Ruth Porikos. Also celebrated was the

10-year anniversary of the women’s cho-

rus. We have been blessed with loyal

singers and servants.

- Donna Fortney, Waukegan

Waukegan Swedish Glee Club Changes

Above, standing, left to right: Evert Schmidt –retiring Music Committee Chairman; Fred Jeffries – new 25 year member; Jim Maurice – retiring Treasurer/Financial Secretary (after

18 years); Seated Ruth Porikos – retiring Accompanist (after 17 years) Below: Newly elected Board of Directors: from left Mary and Doug Shepard; Secretary and Trustee; Gene Sanderlin, President; Nancy and Tom Borkman, Music Committee Chair and

Treasurer; Not pictured: Donna Fortney, VP.

Happy Autumn!

Glad Höst!


Actress Ingrid Bergman was born in

Stockholm on August 29, 1915 to a

Swedish father, Justus Bergman, and

German mother, Frieda (Adler) Berg-

man. Her mother died when she was two

years old. Her father, an artist and pho-

tographer, died when she was 13. It was

his dream that she become an opera

singer and provided her with voice les-

sons for three years. He also took home

movies of all her birthdays with a bor-

rowed movie camera, later compiled and

edited by the noted Swedish director,

Ingmar Bergman. After her father’s

death, she went to live with an aunt who

died of heart disease just six months

later, after which she moved in with her

Aunt Hulda and Uncle Otto, who had

five children.

She received a scholarship to the state-

sponsored Royal Dramatic Theatre

School, where Greta Garbo had studied,

but left after one year to take up film

acting.

Bergman made a total of 12 films in

Sweden before being cast in the Ameri-

can remake of Intermezzo in 1939, oppo-

site Leslie Howard, a film which made

her a major star. Three subsequent films:

Adam Had Four Sons (1941), Rage in

Heaven (1941), and Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde were moderately successful. Then,

in 1942, she was cast in the role of Ilsa

Lund in the now classic Casablanca,

opposite Humphrey Bogart and Paul

Henreid, a film which won Academy

Awards for Best Picture, Best Director,

and Best Screenplay. She made a total

of 15 American films during this period,

including an Academy Award-winning

performance in Gaslight (1944).

In 1950, she began a widely publicized

collaboration, and affair, with Italian

director, Roberto Rossellini, with whom

she made six films, including Stromboli

(1950). The scandal forced her to remain

in Europe for several years, however,

after which she made a triumphant return

in the film Anastasia (1956) for which

she received her second Academy

Award. Bergman made 15 more films,

mostly in America, concluding with A

Woman Called Golda, a biography of

Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, for

which she won a Golden Globe Award.

She died of breast cancer in London, on

her 67th birthday in 1982.

Ingrid Bergman was married three

times, first to Swedish neurosurgeon,

Petter Aron Lindstrom, with whom she

had a daughter, Friedel Pia Lindstrom

(1938); then to director Roberto

Rossellini, with whom she had a son,

Roberto Ingmar Rossellini (1950) and

twin daughters, Isotta Ingrid and Isabella

Rossellini (1952). The couple divorced

in 1957. In 1958, she married Lars

Schmidt, a theatrical entrepreneur from a

wealthy Swedish shipping family. The

marriage lasted nearly two decades, until

they divorced in 1975. After her death, it

was revealed that she had had a brief

affair with Gregory Peck, with whom she

had worked on Alfred Hitchcock’s Spell-

bound.

Following her death and cremation in

London, Bergman’s ashes were taken to

Sweden and most of them scattered in

the sea, around the islet of Dannholmen

off the fishing village of Fjällbacka in

the province of Bohuslan on Sweden’s

west coast. The remainder were placed

next to her parents in Norra Be-

gravningsplatsen (Northern Cemetery) in

Stockholm.

One of the most beautiful actresses in

the world, she brought a unique sensitiv-

ity and natural style to her film and stage

performances. Biographer Donald Spoto

wrote that she “was arguably the most

international star in the history of enter-

tainment.” Ingrid Bergman left a legacy

as one of the finest and most admired

actresses in film history.

- Kendall Svengalis, Connecticut

Ingrid Bergman’s 100th Birthday

Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca

Ingrid Bergman

The U.S. Post Office recently issued an Ingrid Bergman commemorative stamp.


Portland, Oregon choruses rehearsing

In an attempt to make the Portland cho-

ruses better sight readers, our director,

Vance Sele, introduced us to the "Tonic

Solfege Scale." We are not very

good. We mess up a lot, and some

whine... especially Vance's former stu-

dents who are now singing with

Portland Choruses Practice “Solfege” us. (Although having learned this, they

are fantastic sight readers.) Vance

brought in Mystery Tunes 1 and 2, and,

although we struggled with the Solfege,

we had fun identifying the melo-

dies. Give them a try (below). - Alana Mapes, Scandia Ladies Chorus


Alice E Myrberg (Swanson), age 95,

died peacefully at home in Bar-

rington, RI on July 25, 2015

surrounded by her family. She

was the wife of the late Sven J.

Myrberg, a member of the Ver-

dandi Male Chorus. Alice is

survived by two sons, five

grandchildren, and five great

grandchildren.

Alice was one of the founders of the

ALICE MYRBERG

As I write this article, we members of

the Swedish Women’s Chorus are still

enjoying the afterglow of an exciting and

joyful appearance on Thursday, October

8th at the “Seattle Sings” festival, organ-

ized by the Greater Seattle Choral Con-

sortium at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathe-

dral. This was a venture into unchartered

territory for us, in terms of both the

venue and the format (with several local

community and heritage choirs perform-

ing at one event), and some of us had

been a little nervous about how it would

be to perform in such a large church

space in front of so many talented musi-

cians. But once we had heard the audi-

ence response to our rendition of Mor-

gonsolen Redan Strålar as we came on

stage, we knew that we could all rise to

the occasion.

We gave the audience real variety

within the five songs that we performed

after ‘Morgonsolen’: from a cappella

songs to one accompanied by both our

wonderful piano accompanist, Aaron

Otheim, and a talented cellist, Gretchen

Yanover; from early 18th century music,

to one song written by a living com-

poser; from a drinking song (Bort allt

vad Oro Gör by C. M. Bellman) to sa-

cred music (Sanctus by Jan Sandström).

The acoustics of the cathedral – some-

times described in Seattle as The Holy

Box – probably leant themselves better

to Sanctus than to Bort allt! You can

experience our performance of Oskar

Lindberg’s Morgonen on our facebook

page: https://www.facebook.com/

SwedishSingersSeattle We received very many positive com-

ments from the audience after our per-

formance, and were approached by sev-

eral people who were astonished to dis-

cover that there was a Swedish choir in

Seattle, and expressed interest in joining

us, which was very satisfying.

It was also a joy to hear – and see – the

other groups at the festival. These were

the Redmond Chorale, Sound Singers

Japanese Choir, Seattle Bach Choir, Se-

attle Peace Chorus and Northwest Fire-

light Chorale. All gave beautiful and

entertaining performances. It wasn’t a

competition, of course, but our costumes

were undoubtedly the most distinctive

and memorable. Our blue dresses and

yellow aprons certainly added a splash of

color to the otherwise quite monochrome

building.

So, the Swedish Women’s Chorus of

Seattle took full advantage of this won-

derful opportunity to fulfill our mission

Seattle Women Perform at “Seattle Sings”

of promoting Swedish culture through

music. And we now look forward to

more opportunities to share our love of

Swedish music through upcoming per-

formances at the Swedish Club and Seat-

tle’s First Covenant Church, and even on

a Christmas cruise ship!

- Anne Warner

Scandinavian Women’s Chorus of Rhode

Island in 1984 and she was a faithful

member until she was unable to drive to

rehearsal. She enjoyed participat-

ing in all the concerts and func-

tions of the chorus. She also par-

ticipated in AUSS regional and

national conventions.

She was also a member of the

Vasa Order of America and St.

John's Episcopal Church and en-

joyed gardening.

- Astrid Drew

The Swedish Women’s Chorus of Seattle performs at “Seattle Sings”

volume cxxiii october, 2015 no. 8 how oregon attracts ......and, we sang happy birthday when we were...

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