Lögberg-Heimskringla - 11.09.1992, Side 7

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur. 11. september -1992 • 7
The Gift
of Music
Two young lads who have a gift
for playing music are Grant and
Ryan Sigurdson from Edmon-
ton, Alberta.
They are by no means strangers to
Manitoba where they have visited in
the Interlake most every summer with
their parents, Shireley (Thorsteinson)
and Solli Sigurdson. One could say
that they come by their talent honestly
from both parents who themselves
have played instruments and sang
songs. Solli’s record of songs he wrote
and sang mostly about Lake Winnipeg
fishermen, is still played by many in
this area and elsewhere.
The brothers Grant, seventeen, and
Ryan fourteen, are best known for
playing the violin. Both began taking
lessons on that instrument at age
three. But their musical abilities also
extend to the piano, wind instruments
and singing.
Grant is at the Grade 8 level for
piano, taking examinations for this
and violin from the Western Board of
Music main office location at the
University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Attending a music school in Courteuay
B.C. summer of 1990, also assisted
Grant with his musical studies. He has
played the Oboe for 4 years in his
school band and has taken part in a
musical put on by a community group
where he played the fiddler in “Fiddler
on the Roof’. Grant is a member of the
Pagliacci String Quartet. This group is
often asked to play at receptions and
i
í
The lcelandic National League
of North America
Part Time Contract
for
Executive Secretary
Position
(October through May)
— 15 hours per week
The Board of Directors of the lcelandic
National League will require the ser-
vices of an Executive Secretary on a
part-time basis to perform duties relat-
ing to the headquarters office in
Winnipeg.
The Executive Secretary will be
responsible for overall office and sec-
retarial functions in serving the Board
of Directors. Good typing skills; good
communication - both telephone and
written; knowledge of the lcelandic
communities an asset.
Applications should be postmarked no
laterthan September 18, 1992.
Please forward your application and
resumé to:
The Selection Committee
lcelandic National League
Headquarters
699 Carter Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
church functions.
Both Grant and Ryan play the vio-
lin in the Edmonton Youth Orchestra,
Grant now for 6 years and Ryan for 2
years. This is a full symphony orches-
tra of 80 members. Last year they
toured England and Wales with this
orchestra giving 10 performances in
17 days. Grant has also toured eastem
Canada with this same orchestra.
Besides the violin, Ryan is also
working on Grade 8 piano and plays
the trombone in his school band. This
year he attained the highest award for
trombone in Grade 9 at his school,
Riverbend Junior High. He also took a
singing role in “Two Gentlemen of
Verona”, a musical at the Teen
Festival with the Citadel Theatre in
Edmonton. He also pians on joining
the choir of students from Edmonton
Public Schools for Senior High this
fall.
Music does not take up the total
focus for either Grant or Ryan. They
devote as much energy into their aca-
demic studies and have maintained a
high standard in their grades. Ryan
attained highest marks for Grade 9
this year and is going into the
Intemational Baccalaureate program
for Senior High this fall. Grant has
just graduated from this same pro-
gram, coming out of Grade XII in the
top 2% of 850 graduates. This high
school has the largest enrollment for a
Senior High in Western Canada.
Grant will be going to the University
Vancouver’s Swedish
Press is a survivor
by Alyn Edwards, Western Correspondent,
Canadian Scene
At one time, there were more than
2,000 Swedish language magazines
and newspapers published in North
America. Now, there are five and
only one of them has survived in
Canada.
It is called the Swedish Press —
Nya Svenska Pressen — and it has
been published in Vancouver since
1930. The current owner, Anders
Neumueller, is among those who are
surprised his magazine has endured
when better-known Swedish publi-
cations in North America have fold-
ed.
Neumueller bought Swedish Press
six years ago when circulation was
down to a mere 700 copies. He
changed the format from a broad-
sheet to a magazine which publishes
monthly. Circulation has now grown
to 7,000 with more than half the
copies going to the United States.
Several hundred copies are shipped
to Sweden for distribution every
month.
Neumueller believes his ethnic
magazine survives because every-
thing in it is read completely, from
Ryan and Grant Sigurdson
Alberta taking Science but has also
signed up to study violin for his arts
option, with the academy strings
orchestra.
At this time neither Grant or Ryan
see themselves pursuing a lifelong
career in music none-the-less, they
maintain a keen interest in classical
music, as well as, the songs from the
Broadway Musicals. But as we who
have heard them play, know that they
can also come up with some fine Old
Time music. Over the years they have
most graciously played for functions
for Icelandic National League, the
Gimli Icelandic Festival, The R.M. of
Gimli Centennial function, Riverton
Reunion Days and family gatherings
at Hnausa where they also play for
dances. It has also become a tradition
that they play for the residents at Betel
in Gimli while here on their summer
the news stories to the advertise-
ments. Four out of five subscribers
save every copy and often reread
them.
Neumueller produces the maga-
zine in his Vancouver townhouse
with his wife as co-publisher.
summer holidays.
They see it as part of summer to
come and visit their Amma Veiga
Thorsteinson of Husavick and their
Afi Stefan Sigurdson of Riverton, as
well as many other relatives in the
area. They are both keenly aware of
their heritage. Four years ago they
travelled to Iceland with their parents
and Amma Veiga. Grant has studied
Icelandic offered at evening classes in
Edmonton. On July 12, 1992, they
participated in the ceremony marking
their forefather’s farm “Holmi” as
belonging to the family for 100 years.
There they played classical music
found in a box that was their great
grandfather Oli Thorsteinson’s music.
They will be taking this music home
and playing the selections known and
taught to many a student at the
Thorsteinson home.
But on arrival home in Edmonton,
they will firstly join their colleagues in
the Edmonton Youth Orchestra to
play for the Opening Ceremony of the
new Edmonton City Hall where it is
expected that 50,000 people will
attend. For us in the Interlake, we will
look forward to their retum next sum-
lcelandic Courses at
University Of Manitoba:
12.090. Introductory Icelandic. General. Fall and spring semesters.
Classes: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:30-10:30.
12.121. Intemediate Icelandic. General. Fall and spring semesters.
Classes: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:30-11:30.
12.333. Icelandic Sagas in Dranslation. General. Fall semester. Classes:
Tuesday evening 7:00-10:00.
12.231. Introduction to Old Icelandic. Honours. Fall and spring semes-
ters. Classes; Tuesday 10:00-12:00 and Thursday 10:00-11:00.
12.443. Icelandic Children’s Literature. Honours. Spring semester.
Classes: To be announced.
12.704 Advanced Icelandic. Graduate. Fall and spring semesters.
Classes: To be announced.
12.705. Individual Modem Authors. Graduate. Fall and spring semes-
ters. Classes: To be announced.
For more information, please contact:
Department of Icelandic, University of Manitoba
University College 372, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
Phone: 474-9551