Augustana College and Theological Seminary (Rock Island, Ill.). Oriole Chorus.

English

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Augustana College and Theological Seminary (Rock Island, Ill.). Oriole Chorus.
Choral societies--Illinois--Rock Island.
Music in universities and colleges--Illinois--Rock Island.

Emily Hughes Dominick, 2007

Augustana College Special Collections
Thomas Tredway Library
639 38th Street
Rock Island, Illinois 61201
309-794-7643
specialcollections@augustana.edu

Unknown

On November 8, 1915, eighteen women students of Augustana College met and formed the Oriole Club. A few days later, they drew up a constitution in which they stated their object as the "development and continuance of a ladies' chorus to promote instruction, sociability and entertainment of the members." Their constitution also stipulated one concert every year under the auspices of Augustana College and the possibility of a spring tour.

The Oriole Club was directed by Arvid Samuelson (1915-1919; 1921-1922); Georgia Nettles (1919-1920); E. Clifford Toren (1924-1925); Arthur E. Cassling (1927-1929); and Henry Veld (1930-1933).

In 1925, the group changed their name to the Oriole Chorus and later they were known as the Jenny Lind Chorus. The Oriole Chorus began to perform jointly with the Wennerberg Chorus under the direction of Henry Veld in 1931. When joining forces, the men and women became known as the Augustana Choir. Each entity maintained its identity for several years, but ostensibly became known solely as Augustana Choir in the late 1930s.

This collection contains meeting minutes, constitution and bylaws, treasurer's reports, and programs. Though this collection is small, it seems to a have a representative sample of most aspects of the group's history.

This collection has been organized into three series: Administration, Programs, and Photographs.

The Administration (1915-1932) series includes the business side of the group's activities. This series contains meeting minutes, financial records, and versions of the group's constitution and bylaws.

The Programs (1915-1933) series is a sampling of programs from public performances of the Oriole Chorus.

The Photographs (1916-1920) series contains a poster and a photograph to promote the group's tour and performance.

Box 1
      Series I. Administration, 1915-1932
            Secretary's minutes, 1915-1925
            Constitution, 1921-1922
            Financial records, 1929
            Treasurer's report, 1931-1932

      Series II. Programs 1915-1933
            1915-1933

Box 2 [oversize]
      Series III. Photographs, 1916-1920
            Group Photograph, 1916
            Poster of Oriole tour, 1920

Augustana Choir records, MSS234; Wennerberg Chorus records, MSS232; Collection on Henry Veld, MSS30; Student paper in MSS240: "The Song of the Oriole Club (1915-1934)" by David Steenson, 1978