Lögberg-Heimskringla - 09.04.2004, Blaðsíða 14

14 • Lögberg-Heimskringla * Friday 9 April 2004
PHOTO: JOE LAXDAL
Stella Stephanson honoured
Founding member of the Vatnabyggð Club and former Sec-
retary, Stella Stephanson, was recognized at the club þorrablót
on March 27 for her years of service to the organization. She was
paid tribute by Joan Eyolfson Cadham, Club President. Stephan-
son has retired as Secretary but will continue as Director.
Metropolitan Opera
hires an Icelander
An Icelandic flautist, Ste-
fán Höskuldsson, has been
hired by the Metropolitan
Opera in New York. He was
selected from over 400 appli-
cants.
This marks the first time
that an Icelander has received a
firm position at the famous
opera house. Höskuldsson has
lived in New York for four
years, and heralds from
Neskaupstaður, east Iceland.
—Daily News
' ^
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Composers in Canada
spark interest in Iceland
PHOTQ STEINÞÓR GUÐBJARTSSON
Tammy Axelsson, Executive Director of the New Iceland Her-
itage Museum in Gimli; Davíð Gíslason, farmer in Arborg,
MB; Bjarki Sveinbjörnsson; and Birna Bjarnadóttir, Chair
of the Icelandic Department at the University of Manitoba
look at some songs by Canadian composers of Icelandic
descent in the Museum in Gimli.
Among the emigrants
from Iceland to the New
World in the late 19th century
and the beginning of the 20th
century were some children
who later became composers.
Some of their descendants fol-
lowed suit but little has been
written about their songs and
therefore they are of great
interest to researchers, accord-
ing to Dr. Bjarki Sveinbjörns-
son.
In the end of March, Bjar-
ki Sveinbjörnsson gave a pres-
entation on the Role of Histo-
ry in 19th-Century Icelandic
Music. His lecture took place
at the Icelandic Collection at
the University of Manitoba. It
was sponsored by the Collec-
tion and the Department of
Icelandic Language and Liter-
ature’s Pall Gudmundsson
Memorial Scholarship.
Sveinbjörnsson pointed
out that Gunnsteinn Eyjólfs-
son and Jón Friðfinnsson were
the first Icelandic composers
in New Iceland. The song
“Mig hryggir svo margt” by
Gunnsteinn Eyjólfsson, with
lyrics by Þorsteinn Erlingsson
was published in Sunnanfari
1893 and was the first Ice-
landic song to be published in
the New World. He named 15
composers in North America
and said that many of their
ancestors had been singers and
musicians. However, little had
been written about their
works, probably because they
were not put forward.
“I am convinced that there
are many songs in boxes in
garages and other storage
rooms,” he said, and urged
peoþle to look around and if
found, take the songs to the
Icelandic Collection at the
University of Manitoba.
On behalf of the Tón-
verkamiðstöðin and
Smekkleysa in Iceland Bjarki
Sveinbjörnsson gave the Ice-
landic Collection 50 CDs of
Icelandic music and said that
he hoped that the gift would
lead to a good music collec-
tion.

Betel Home Foundation
Gimli
Selkirk
/7 V'haAitum
m
Ga/imfy
Celelvudivuj, 89 ifecuuí
o^ CanÍituuuO- Gcuie
lihUún Uie. Gamnunittf
Opportunities
in Iceland
The University of Akureyri
is open for exchange students in
computer sciénce. The BA in
computer science at the Univer-
sity of Akureyri is taught in
English. Any current university
student in computing may apply
for an exchange visit for one or
two semesters.
The deadline is May 15 for
the Fall semester. Brief course
descriptions can be found at:
http://www.unak.is/templateLa
sp?PageID=474
Greetings from
Gordon J. Reykdal
Honorary Consul oftbe
Republic of lceland
17703 - 103 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
T5S 1N8
Tel: (780) 408-5118
Fax: (780) 408-5122
E-mail: gord@rentcash.ca
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