Lögberg-Heimskringla - 12.09.1963, Blaðsíða 1

Rognvaldur Sigurjonsson's Concerts
This noted Icelandic pianist
leaves Iceland on the 12th of
Sept., arriving in Winnipeg on
Saturday the 13th, to begin
immediate preparation for his
piano recital at the Playhouse
Theatre (Market Ave. east of
Main) on Wednesday night,
Sept. 18, 8:30 p.m.
Rognvaldur Sigurjonsson
The Icelandic National
League in association with the
Celebrity Concerts is sponsor-
ing his recital in Winnipeg.
Guests of the League in-
vited to attend Rögnvaldur
Sigurjonsson’s concert are:
Premier and Mrs. Duff Rob-
lin; American Consul-General
and Mrs. John Morris; His
Worship Stephen Juba, Mayor
of Winnipeg and Mrs. Juba;
University of Manitoba Presi-
dent and Mrs. H. H. Saunder-
son; Danish Consul and Mrs.
J. B. Jorgensen; Norwegian
Consul and Mrs. J. H. Landro;
Swedish Consul and Mrs. Ed
Carlson; Finnish Vice-Consul
and Mrs. Nils Hammarstrand.
Radio Recital
Mr. Sigurjonsson will play
over the CBC network from
Winnipeg in the series, “Re-
cital in Miniature.” He will
be heard Sunday, September
22nd, at 11:30 a.m. to 12 noon
Central Standard Time.
Conceri in Vancouver
and Seattle
“Strondin,” the Chapter of
Icelandic National League in
Vancouver, is sponsoring Sig-
urjonsson’s Piano Recital in
the Queen Elizabeth Play-
house on Monday, Sept. 23,
1963. His Seattle recital is
tentatively scheduled for
Thursday, Sept. 26th. People
in Seattle are advised to check
on the date through the news-
pap>ers or contact Mr. Tani
Bjornsson.
Holmfridur Danielson
Fronk Thorolfson, Noted Musician
Of all our outstanding Ice-
landers in the field of music,
Frank Thorolfson has achiev-
ed the widest acclaim in Can-
ada a m o n g non-Icelandic
citizens. We have heard little
news of him since I last wrote
about him in the Icelandic
Canadian, and that was many
years ago now.
This is not because Frank
has been idle—far from it. His
star is rising ever higher in
the bright firmament of musi-
cal endeavor in Canada, and
his activities are so varied and
interesting that we know our
people of Icelandic descent
would like to hear about them
and rejoice in the knowledge
that his exceptional talents
are bearing fine fruit.
As we all know, Frank
Thorolfson was born in Win-
nipeg, his parents being Hall-
dor Thorolfson a well known
singer and choir director, ano
his wife, Fridrikka. Frank is a
brother of Mrs. Pearl Johnson,
our well known singer over
radio and TV, and soloist at
the First Lutheran Church for
many years.
Frank began his piano stud-
ies at an early age, and after
receiving diplomas from the
Toronto Conservatory of
Music (ATCM) and the Royal
Cöllege of Music in London,
England, (L.A.B.) he expand-
ed his concert work to include
conducting. In addition to con-
duoting church choirs, light
opera companies and the Uni-
versity of Manitoba Sym-
phony Orchestra, he founded
and conducted the Winnipeg
Chamber Orchestra and Choir,
a group which gave many
memorable performances.
Frank, who is now Profes-
sor Thorolfson, served in the
Armed Forces during the last
war and saw action with the
Field Artillery of the Can-
adian Army in the Italian
campaign and in North-west
Europe. After the war he went
to Chicago Musical College for
further study, and was twice a
Ditson Scholar in Musicology,
as wel'l as winning many other
awards while studying with
Hans Rosenwald and Paul
Netti, two distinguished musi-
cologists—and with Rudolph
Ganz, noted pianist and con-
ductor. His Master of Music
degree was awarded cum
laude.
Odd Events Lighten News Front
Snowey Tobin, the London
street sweeper who calls him-
self a “street orderly” has ar-
rived in New York by plane.
He has been saving for 17
years to visit the United States
and sweep Times Square. He
is also coming to Boston where
a nice new broom will be
ready for him.
* * *
In Belgium, the Flemings
and the Walloons are squabb-
ling again, as they have done
through the centuries. Ten
thousand Walloons thronged
the tiny village of Fouron-le-
Comte to protest its transfer
from the French-speaking pro-
vince of Liege to the Dutch-
speaking province of Limburg.
Six coachloads of Flemings
also invaded the town, singing
their rallying song: “The
Flemish Lion.” How deep and
how long these passionate at-
tachments prevail.
* * *
The known world popula-
tion of wild whooping cranes
was increased by three Sun-
During this period he was
appointed Dean of the Metro-
politan School of Music, and
upon its merger with the Chi-
cago Musical College, he be-
came Director of Adult Edu-
cation at the College, in ad-
dition to lecturer on History,
Aesthetics and Musical Critic-
ism in both Graduate and
Undergraduate Schools there.
While in Chicago he was ac-
tive as an accompanist and
vocal coach, as well as con-
ducting opera-workshops, the
Chicago Bach Chorus, and
founding and conducting the
Chicago Collegium Musicum
(brass, woodwind and vocal
ensembles, with the repertoire
drawn from the sixteenth to
the twentieth centuries inclu-
sively). He was also critic and
editorial assistant for the na-
tional magazine, Music News.
Professor Thorolfson has
done intensive research 'into
18th-century opera, and is pre-
paring a new edition of Le
Devin du Village—an opera
by Jean Jacques Rousseau;
and the S-ymphonia Sacre by
Heinrich Schutz.
Upon his return to Canada,
Professor Thorolfson was ap-
pointed conductor of the Re-
gina Ladies’ Choir and was for
five years, organist and choir
master at the Knox-Metropoli-
tan United Church. In 1955 he
was commissioned by the
Framhald á bls. 2.
day, to 31. Three fledglings
have been sighted up in Can-
ada’s Northwest Territories.
Later this rnonth they will
migrate to Texas. More power
to them and their whoops.
* * *
A North American Indian
named Chief Spotted Back
walked through London’s fash-
ionable West End, resplendent
in buckskin and full eagle-
feather war bonnet. He made
one concession to his sur-
roundings and to the English
climate. He carried an open
umbrella. Spotted Back was a
member of a delegation from
Nebraska, promoting t r a d e
and tourism to that state.
Master Of Arts
Mr. George Hanson of Chi-
cago, Illinois received a de-
gree of Master of Arts in lib-
rary science from The Univer-
sity of Chicago at the Convo-
cation in Rockefeller Memor-
ial Chapel on August 30th.
His thesis was “The History
of The Nátional Library of
Iceland During the Twentieth
Century.” The research for
this history was done at The
National Library in Reykja-
vik. Mr. Hanson was in Ice-
land from August, 1961 to
September, 1962, and was a
teacher at the U.S. Naval
Station in Keflavik.
At present Mr. Hanson is
with the library of The Uni-
versity of Chicago. He will in
the near future become librar-
ian of a Junior College in Chi-
cago. He plans to pursue
studies toward a Ph.D. degree;
he also hopes that he can re-
turn again—at least for a
visit—to that land where he
spent one of the most enjoy-
able years of his life.
Chartered Accountant
Gerald Bjornson, C.A.
After graduating with hon-
ours from the West St. Paul
High School, Gerald Bjornson
enrolled in the Institute of
Chartered Accountants and
articled to the firm, Touche,
Ross, Bailey and Smart in
Winnipeg. He has recently
graduated after completing
his course in five years. He
took an active part in the
various sports. of thp students
and was for two years a mem-
ber of the Students’ Council.
This promising young man
is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Rurik Bjornson of Old Kil-
donan and grandson of Mr.
Jonas Bjornson who served
on the staff of the Betel Home
for many years as superin-
tendent.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON
IN ICELAND
The Vice-President of the
United States, Lyndon B.
Johnson has been on good-
will tour in the Scandinavian
countries and will arrive in
Iceland next Monday. Am-
bassador Thor Thors, accom-
panied by Mrs. Thors flew to
Iceland on Wednesday to be
present during the Vice-
President’s visit in Iceland.
Arctic Rock To Mark
Stefansson's Grave
OTTAWA (CP) —A dark
grey-green r o c k weighing
more than a ton has been
flown out of the Canadian
Arctic for use as the head-
stone on the grave of explorer
Vilhjalmur Stefansson.
The huge rock was found on
Ellef Ringnes Island, some
1,000 miles from the North
Pöle, by members of the fed-
eral polar continental shelf
project.
It was placed aboard a four-
motored transport aircraft and
flown 2,000 miles to Calgary.
The rock now is aboard a train
headed for Hanover, N.H.,
where the famed Arctic ex-
plorer is buried.
Members of the polar shelf
project found the rock at Rein-
deer Cape on Ellef Ringnes Is-
land, near a point where Stef-
ansson camped in 1917 during
one of his Arctic expeditions.
It had been hoped that a
suitable rock would be found
on one of the six Arctic is-
lands discovered by the Mani-
toba-bom explorer in 1915-16
and claimed by him in the
name of Canada.