Central Division Newsletter-for each club

Feb. 1, 2006

Andy Hennig, our new 1^st  Vice President, is 29 years old, 1^st VP of the St. Paul Male Chorus, and is probably the youngest person to ever have this job. He works as a customer service Representative for the 3M Company.  His musical career began at the age of 3 (singing), played trumpet in all his schools including college. He starting singing again at Don Torgersen’s church and was ‘persuaded” to join the St. Paul Swedish Male Chorus in 2000. One year later he met the new organist named Valorie.  Andy and Valorie were married in 2003. All of us saw this beautiful picture in the Musiktidning. Valorie has 55 private piano students per week. Andy and Valorie are always busy but only busy people have time for one more task. He is also emcee for his chorus during their performances. He will help choruses in the Central Division with their needs plus work with Gunnar Wikstrom, 2^nd VP,  and Ken Lundgren, Member-at –Large, when needed. Our main need and goal is recruitment, which should be everybody’s goal! Andy was selected for his youth also. The rest of us are in the “over the hill gang’. The “old boys“ have served well and the younger people must take our place if the Division is going to continue. It is time for youth to take its rightful place in our singing society.

Our recruitment results are somewhat a surprise, but the work did pay off.

1. The Cloudberries Chorus of Minneapolis was a lead from Carl-Erik Westberg, personally interviewed twice by Gunnar Wikstom and Ken Lundgren of ASI. All questions were answered and this chorus is now an operating group in our Central and National AUSS. We look forward to seeing them at our Convention.
2. The Waukegan Swedish Women’s Chorus was the result of endeavors by Donna Fortney and the Waukegan Swedish Glee Club. Together they provided ideas, hope and encouragement to work and sing together. Jeff Delay has volunteered to direct this group. Togetherness is strength! We hope this chorus will sing with us in June.
3. The Chicago Swedish Male Chorus organized another recruitment program about two weeks ago. I always attend and was pleasantly surprised to see 6 young women born in Sweden, (I believe), and 1 male. The females sang a Swedish song for the Male Chorus and the entire group sang two songs together. The young ladies were interested in forming a chorus and had about 10 or so other friends who are possibly interested. Jim Maurice has started and email program describing the benefits the Central Division can offer. 

If all these women join us we will have added about 53 singers. Each effort to recruit was different but the common point of each group is that they were ASKED!  Congratulations to all!

Our Convention is fast approaching. I know that chorus biographies and pictures are being requested and songs for Individual Chorus Nights are being polled.. I believe that everyone knows from past years that each chorus must sing a Swedish song and the second song is your song of choice. Each club wears its own uniform. Turn in names of those members to receive 25 and 50 year pins to Joe O’Leary. We hope that all of you are practicing your Convention music. If you have any questions, ask Jeff Delay, our Director-in-Chief, who is always willing to help.

GENERAL INFORMATION SHEET

CONCERNING:

THE JUNE 22-27, 2004 AMERICAN UNION of SWEDISH SINGERS NATIONAL CONVENTION AND ITS JUNE 25, 2004 PUBLIC GRAND CONCERT AT THE FORD COMMUNITY AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, DEARBORN MICHIGAN

The Apri Swedish Male Chorus and the Scandia Women’s Chorus of the Detroit Swedish Club will be hosting the 2004 National Convention of The American Union of Swedish Singers (A.U.S.S.) in Dearborn this June.

The convention will be held June 22 through June 27 at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency Hotel. They will hold a Grand Concert for the public at 7:30pm on June 25, 2004 at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn. A national convention is held every four years, the last convention being held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2000. District conventions are every two years and each chorus also gives numerous local individual concerts at various church, civic, club, and private locations as well as tours in the United States and Sweden.

The A.U.S.S. was organized in 1892 and now consists of 26 individual choruses from 12 States around the United States. Its national membership consists of approximately 600 male and female singers. It is expected that there will be 300 plus singers on stage for the June 25 Dearborn concert. Music selections will include professional choral arrangements with a selection from religious, traditional, and ethic sources. The music for the evening will include both Swedish and American selections.

Members of the A.U.S.S. are Americans who have a Scandinavian ancestry and who simply have a love of singing and a desire to honor their ancestral heritage.