Lögberg-Heimskringla - 05.02.1999, Blaðsíða 1

Inside this week:
Letters 2
A family visit to lceland 2
lcelandic News 4
Calendar of Events 5
lceland 2000 5
Jorunn Myrmann remembered 6
Memoirs of Guðmundur Jónsson
from Húsey 7
Children’s Corner 7
The career of Stephan G.
Stephansson 8
113. Árgangur “The oldest ethnic periodical still publishing in Canada” Föstudagur 5. febrúar 1999 Númer 4
113th year Publications Mail registration no. 08000 Friday 5 February 1999 Number 4
eimskringla
The lcelandic Weekly
Lögberg Stofnaö 14. januar 1888
Heimskringla Stofnaö 9. september 1886
New Vistas and “New Music” for
Anderson
ICELANDIC NEWS
Association protects old
Icelandic chicken stock
OWNERS OF ICELANDIC CHICKENS
have established. an association
with the purpose of protecting and
breeding the Icelandic chicken stock.
The Nordic gene bank is interested
in protecting this stock; the reason
being, according to the data bank, that
72% of the fibre-combination which
has been studied, is not found in chick-
ens elsewhere. This points to the fact
that the stock is somewhat different
from other chickens and thus of interest
to scientists, as well as the historic
value these birds have.
Photo: Atli Vigfússon
Obtaining Icelandic chickens for
study began in 1974 and lasted until
1980. The first chickens were from
Jökuldalur and Öræfasveit, but they
were also found at Borgarfjörður in the
east, Vopnafjörður, and other areas. The
chickens which were gathered were
kept at Þormóðsdalur until 1985 and
later moved to Hvanneyri. Most recent-
ly the stock has been kept at Steinar II
at Stafholtstungnahreppur. Hallgrímur
Sveinn Sveinsson with the Agricultural
Research Institute estimates that about
2,000 Icelandic chickens are to be
found in the country.
A hardy stock
These chickens come in various
colours and many of the birds have a
feather top behind the comb. They are
very hardy animals which can fend for
themselves outside, eating for example
grass and chickweed in summer, and
their diet is more varied than that of
other chickens.
Icelandic News continues on page 4
Harpa Isfeld
Ten years after our last feature
on the well known Winnipeg
bom soprano, L-H caught up
with Valdine Anderson to learn about
new developments in her life and
career. A hot tip from Valdine’s mother,
Helga Anderson, informed us that
Valdine was back in Winnipeg and
would be staying put—at least long
enough for us to interview her. Valdine
has much to tell, as the intervening
years have brought her national and
intemational acclaim, as well as four
children. With the characteristic ease of
a professional, yet the enthusiasm more
often found among unproven talent,
Valdine spoke of what has become a
fast paced and thriving musical career
for her.
For those unfamiliar with Valdine
Anderson, a few footnotes may be in
order. Valdine was bom in Winnipeg to
Helga and Barry Anderson. Helga is an
accomplished choral director, music
teacher, and adjudicator, and is current-
ly president of the Winnipeg Music
Festival; Barry is a leading Canadian
organist and recitalist, an accomplished
accompanist, and music teacher. Bom
into a musical family, Valdine undoubt-
edly inherited a generous share of musi-
cal interest and talent. However, many
years of study and training have made
her success very much her own. Valdine
received her Bachelor of Music in
Voice Performance from the University
of Manitoba. In 1987, she attended J.
Bookspan’s Masterclass in Brandon; J.
Taylor’s Masterclass in Winnipeg, and
in 1988, M. Isepp’s Masterclass at the
University of Toronto. She also
received musical degrees in piano and
flute from the Royal Conservatory of
Music in Toronto. Since completing her
training, Valdine has gained a great deal
of exposure and recognition in Canada,
having performed with all the leading
Canadian orchestras and with the
Edmonton, Manitoba, and Vancouver
operas. Her voice can often be heard on
CBC Radio. She has gained a reputa-
tion for having a versatile repertoire and
is respected for her fine interpretations
of Baroque music, though especially
noted for her brilliant interpretations of
contemporary works.
But to dwell on her past would be a
disservice to so forward looking an
artist as Valdine. Following her years
of study in Toronto, Valdine was award-
ed a Canada Council Grant which she
has used to help her pursue interests in
contemporary classical music (which
some of you may know by the popular
term, “new music”). This study has
taken her far in terms of intemational
exposure, but began with a year in
England where she attended a course
taught at a school founded by Benjamin
Britten called Aldeburgh. The course
brought singers and composers together
in a testing ground for new composi-
tions where singers would act as “sort
of guinea pigs for a composer.” “ I had
a great time,” said Valdine, who counts
this as a great experience. Valdine also
considers herself fortunate for the rela-
tive success she and her husband, Ian
Baragan, have met in coordinating their
career moves, as her studies in England
coincided with her husband’s tempo-
rary placement there by a company that
had hired him on in Germany, an excit-
ing career move for him as well. It was
thanks to the Aldeburgh course that
Valdine became acquainted with
Please see New Vistas on page 3