Musiktidning Feb. 2000

              Published by the American Union of Swedish Singers
In its 107th year of Performing Svenska Sanger in America
VOL. LXXXXIV February 2000 No. 12
The Northern Lights Singers
The Tjugondadag Fesl
THE TJUGONDADAG FEST WAS HELD
on January 15 at the Scandinavian
Club in Fairfield.
The North Star Singers with their
director, Kitty Hubbard, and the
Apollo Singing Society of Ham-den
sang some wonderful musical
selections. They were "Winter
Song," "Jul, jul stralande jul," En
glad trail," Kentucky Babe," "San-garmarsch,"
and "Minskol din
skol." A beautiful solo was per-formed
by Mary Ellen Pardee,
"Vilia," from the Merry Widow.
Mary Ellen will be a soloist at our
A.U.S.S. Minnesota Convention in
June of this year.
Our Eastern Division president,
Richard Norell, told some Olie Ol-son
jokes to the delight of the audi-ence.
It was quite enjoyable for
everyone.
The Northern Lights Singers pre-sented
their musical selections with
their new director, Mary Nelson
(Minnesota background). Mary is
very talented, having accompa-nied
and directed various choral
and symphonic groups throughout
New England. The women are so
pleased to have her as their direc-tor.
The Northern Lights Singers'
repertoire included "A Wonderful
Day Like Today," "Mr. Santa,"
"Fiolen min," "Jingle All the
Way," "Stamning," and "Music of
the Night." Ellen Haffling and
Continued on page 9
Convention
2000 Update
PREPARATIONS FOR THE A.U.S.S. 2000 CONVENTION in Minneap-olis
are now in full swing. All the committees are striving to com-plete
their plans so that everything will come off without any hitch-es.
Their aim is to make this convention the most enjoyable you
will have ever attended.
Rudy Solomonson, Chairman of the Music Committee, has al-ready
put into your hands the grand concert booklet. In the No-vember
issue of Musiktidning, Director-in-chief Ed Eklof suggest-ed
notations that you should pencil in on your copy. Additional
suggestions that may be forthcoming will be timely enough so
you can make the proper notations in your booklet before the con-vention.
During the past year, there have been two articles in Musiktidn-ing
(which you have probably read) by Gene Pellegrini of the Swed-ish
Glee Club of Chicago. He has exhorted us to make the effort to
memorize much of our music. In these articles he said that we
owe it to ourselves because anything we do that is good is worth
doing well. Surely our directors will agree with that. If a Swedish
singer named Pellegrini can make this exhortation, how difficult
would it be for the Andersons, Carlsons, Johnsons and Olsons to
give it a good try?
The committees for Convention 2000 are hoping that all the cho-ruses
will include some of the numbers from the convention grand
concert booklet in upcoming performances they may have before
June 20. It could shorten the rehearsal time in Minneapolis so that
more time can be enjoyed "conventionairing."
Flash!!
THE 2000 CONVENTION COMMITTEE sends a brief reminder to those
of you who desire to send a greeting to the convention in the Grand
Concert booklet: March is the month they must be received. A
quarter-, a half-, and full-page (8 1/2 by 11) spaces are available.
Prices are as follows: 1/4 page, $75.00; 1/2 page, $125.00; and
full page, $200.00. Please submit without delay so that your greet-ing
to all singers of the A.U.S.S. will not be left out.
Another important reminder: Those who have not sent in their
chorus photo as of yet are strongly encouraged to do so immedi-ately.
There is no charge for the photo.
• Ray Honstroni
See page 8 for button winners and Committee Listing
Illinois
THE STATE OF THE UNION
From left
around table:
Jim Edfors,
John
Sunderlin,
Wayne Nixon,
Lorraine
Nixon's
mother, Betty
Nelson,
Lorraine
Nixon, Lois
Edfors, and
Pat Minkler.
Waukegan social events
DURING THE MONTHS OF November and December, the
Waukegan Glee Club Singers and their wives enjoyed
a variety of social events, in addition to their concerts.
The first of these was a trip on Nov. 14 to Wood-stock,
III. — about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. We
had brunch at the Tavern on the Square Restaurant lo-cated
in the old McHenry County courthouse. The
courthouse and jail has been converted into a museum
and restaurant. In prohibition times, it is said that mob-sters
from Chicago spent many nights housed there.
The jail cells have been modified and turned into din-ing
rooms. The museum, in the upper levels of the build-ing,
has an enormous display and artifacts of cartoon
Continued on page 9
I'm getting very excited about the upcoming
June Convention. At our last chorus rehears
al we received the daily schedule and it looks
great. Convention goers will love the Radisson and
the concert hall is outstanding. It will be a busy
five days. I sure hope that I will have time for a
fruit juice and a triscuit with seven hundred of my
close friends.
Men, it is time to locate your singer's cap. Yes,
the white one. If it isn't white, think about wear-ing
it on your next cruise and buy a new one. Check
the notice on Barney's hat store in this issue.
A.U.S.S. pins are available for five dollars here in
the Square Office of the Gray House.
As I write this very interesting State of the Union
Address the snow pack measures two feet and the
winter drags on like the Primary season. I do sense
the first faint stirring of the annual South Carolina
fever on the part of theforstafru. I catch her sneak-ing
a look at the Weather Channel for southern
coastal conditions and I know that the bathing suit
"shake out" is just around the corner.
When we moved from Connecticut to the Green
Mountain state we joined a class of people called
flatlanders. The locals, stumpjumpers or wood-chucks,
tolerate but never really accept us. I work
at fitting and make sure that when I do go down
street (downtown) I wear checkered woolens. Sor-rel
boots, my Husquavarna chain saw hat, and
sprinkle myself with saw dust. It must
be working, as tourists and
flatlanders ask me for di-rections
and local info.
This completes the Feb-ruary
issue and I must
dash off to work on to-night's
Moonlight Ski
Fest, sponsored by our
Herring Society. Make
the glogg, punsch, set
up the bonfire, ar-range
for sleigh
rides, and stay out
of the way, as In
ger Johansson and
Marijke make the
pea soup and the
pancakes! - Carl-Erik Westberg
AUSS
President