Scandinavian Women's Chorus of Rhode Island

Our Spring Concert is Coming Up! Tell Your Friends! Hope to See you There!

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:05:00 -0400

Scandinavians tend to celebrate the arrival of warm weather and sunshine with festivals and events that are driven by music. You can find songs about flowers, dancing, birds and the sun in festivals like Walpurgis and Midsommar. And can you blame us? Here in New England, where we are based, winters are similarly dark and bitter, and so the bloom of spring is a welcome relief!

Though we can’t light bonfires as they do in Sweden, or construct a maypole, we can certainly contribute with music! Join us in celebration of life and warmth this June 9th!

Where: Bethany Lutheran Church
116 Rolfe Square
Cranston, RI 02920

When: Sunday June 9th, 2013

Time: 2:00 PM

Admission: $5

Questions? Contact Astrid Drew at astrid.s.drew [at] gmail [dot] com.

Be sure to RSVP our Facebook event, and Like our Facebook page.

Scandinavian Women's Chorus of RI is Holding a Fundraising Dinner

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:51:50 -0500

Join the Scandinavian Women’s Choir for dinner and a show!

The Scandinavian Women’s Chorus of RI is holding a fundraising dinner on Sunday March 10 at 2pm at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cranston, RI. You can help the choir continue our mission of celebrating and sharing Scandinavian heritage through song, and eat some great food too!

The menu includes: Swedish meatballs, roasted potatoes, ratatouille (not Swedish but a crowd favorite), green beans, lingonberry jam (of course). Dessert includes coffee and/or tea with apple crisp, and songs by the SWC.

Adults: $14.00
Children 5-12 years: $6.00
Children under 5: Free

Hope you can join us! You can find the facebook event page here for more information.

Tjugondag Knut

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:53:02 -0500

This past month, in January, SWC held a small holiday concert called “Swedish Holiday Traditions in Song and Tale.” It was a great program that everyone enjoyed! SWC president, Astrid Drew, took the audience from Advent traditions to St. Knut’s day on January 13th—the last day of the Swedish holiday.

Stay tuned for more events in 2013! Next up is our annual fundraiser, the Swedish Meatball dinner. For $14.00 ($6.00 for children 5-12 years, under 5 is free) you and your friends and family can eat great food and hear wonderful music as well!

More details to follow, thanks for keeping up with us!

Close out the Holiday Season with The Scandinavian Women's Choir!

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 11:58:00 -0500

We hope your December was filled with warmth and light!

SWC performed with the Bethany Lutheran Choir on December 16th as part of their beautiful annual Christmas program. In January, we’ll be holding our own holiday program, and hope you will join us.

Join us for Swedish Christmas Traditions through Song and Tale, Advent through Knut’s day. The program will be narrated as the chorus takes the audience through the Swedish holiday calendar.

Where: Bethany Lutheran Church, 116 Rolfe Street, Cranston, RI, 02920

When: January 13, 2013

Time: 2:00pm

Admission: $5.00

Refreshments to follow!

In Sweden, the Christmas season doesn’t end until January 13th, Saint Knut’s Day. Canute IV of Denmark, who is partially associated with the holiday, was a Danish king who was largely responsible for establishing Christianity in Denmark. However, the holiday is more closely linked to the story and legends around Canute Lavard, a Danish nobleman, who was likely murdered for his ambitions toward the crown. His canonization was requested for the miraculous events that occurred (allegedly) around the tombs of both men.

As to why Sweden, a protestant country, celebrates a Catholic (and Danish!) saint, well, that’s up to debate. It could simply be a holdover from when the country was Catholic, before Gustav Vasa made Sweden a Lutheran country. January 13th is also the name day for Knut—which came first is a mystery. Some also say that the Swedes thought the season was simply too short, and therefore extended it to St. Knut’s day rather arbitrarily. Much like Saint Lucia’s day, the celebration of these saints may be rooted less in religious observation, and more in celebration of life and living.

We hope you can come celebrate with us!

Some Much Needed Updates

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 14:31:04 -0400

Hey all!

We had our Spring Concert last month and had an awesome turn-out. The reception was equally lovely with lots of sweet pastries, some of which were basked or hand-made by chorus members, as well as the ever present coffee and tea. The chorus had a bake sale as well, and we did very well with it! We’re thinking of continuing that as one of our fundraising options.

A total of four SWC ladies attended the AUSS (American Union of Swedish Singers) convention in New Haven, CT. The hotel was nice, and we had a great time singing with so many enthusiastic singers. Every convention has an individual chorus night, where each attending choir has a chance to perform a few songs from their repertoire. Even though we were the smallest choir there by far, we still filled that ballroom with our voices. Many came up to us afterward and complimented us on our energy, song choice, and style. Kudos to us!

One last thing, we’re experimenting with different Tumblr lay-outs. Be patient as we find the one that suits us best!

We’re taking a break now for the summer, but we’ll be starting up again in the Fall. Come sing with us!

Swedish meatball dinner success!

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:07:21 -0400

A wonderful time was had by all at this year’s SWC fundraising dinner. A big thank you to all who made this possible! Stay tuned for pictures!

How to donate money to SWC/ pay for event tickets online:

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:10:00 -0400

1.) Go to www.paypal.com

2.) Click “send money”. This is currently located in the middle of their homepage.

3.) Select “United States”

4.) Enter amount in US dollars

5.) Payment is for: Buying something

6.) Click “continue”

7.) Enter your email in the “From” box and swcofri@gmail.com in the “To” box. You will be given multiple ways to pay. You can even open your own paypal account and enjoy the benefit of having no fees for the transaction!

8.) You will be given the option to write a message to be emailed to the recipient with the money. Please indicate the purpose of the transaction such as:

a.) Donation $5.00

b.) Meatball dinner adult ticket $13 and Child ticket $6 (for children 5-10yrs. For more information on the meatball dinner see post from a few days ago.)

9.) If you are purchasing a ticket for the event, your name will be added to our door list. We will not be sending out tickets in the mail. When you arrive, simply provide us with the name used to order the tickets.

Our goal is to make this process more convenient for you so please let us know if you have any question/comments/concerns.

Additionally, any donation amount is appreciated whether its $1 or $100. Every little bit helps!

Paypal coming soon!

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:07:00 -0400

Soon you will be able to order tickets to our events online! Have plans the day of one of our events but still want to donate money to SWC? Well, you can do that too! In addition to keeping scandinavian music alive in RI, we also award a yearly scholarship to a young woman pursuing higher education. Want more info on how to donate and/or how to apply to the scholarship? Drop us an email at swcofri@gmail.com!

1st rehearsal of the season - a song in english!

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:14:39 -0400

1st rehearsal of the season - a song in english!

The 1st rehearsal after a summer off. Not sounding too shabby!

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:05:24 -0400

The 1st rehearsal after a summer off. Not sounding too shabby!

Tickets are officially on sale for our annual fundraising...

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:09:00 -0400

Tickets are officially on sale for our annual fundraising dinner. SWC is a non-profit organization- this event is our bread and butter for maintaining the choir. All donations are put right back into creating an annual scholarship, paying our pianist/conductor, purchasing sheet music, paying rent to our venues, etc.

We do not expect to get something for nothing which is why we plan to feed you a delicious meal AND entertain you!

This year’s fundraising dinner will be held on October 16th, 2011 at 2:00PM. As in years past, dinner will be served at Bethany Lutheran Church (116 Rolfe st, Cranston, RI)

Whats for dinner?
Swedish meatballs complete with red potatoes, ratatouille, green beans, and lingonberry preserves. Be sure to save some room for dessert! Every year every member of the choir puts together their own apple crisp to serve after dinner.

Adult tickets $13; Children 5-12yrs $6; and Children under 5yrs are FREE!

State of RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:29:26 -0400

State of RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission:

The 34th Annual Heritage Day Festival takes place September 24th at Roger Williams National Memorial Park, 282 North Main Street, Providence, RI. The festival will be from 12:00PM to 6:00PM. Representatives from SWC will be manning a both for the duration of the festival and be giving a special performance. Time of performance and other specifics TBA.

Rehearsal is starting up again!

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:22:06 -0400

First rehearsal of the season is this tuesday, September 13th, at 7:00PM (Bethany Lutheran church, Cranston). We are freshening up for our two fall performances: heritage day and our annual fundraising dinner. Rehearsal for the winter concert will be starting shortly there after. It is never too late to join our ranks!

Our new logo! Image credit goes to Dan Sergeant.

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:17:42 -0400

Our new logo! Image credit goes to Dan Sergeant.

SWC meatball dinner (their main fundraiser). Held annually in...

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 11:16:15 -0500

SWC meatball dinner (their main fundraiser). Held annually in October. We serve and sing for you!

Astrid & Astrid singing “Om sommaren den sköna”...

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 11:08:38 -0500

Astrid & Astrid singing “Om sommaren den sköna” in 2004.

Representatives of SWC at the 2010 AUSS eastern division...

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 10:36:37 -0500

Representatives of SWC at the 2010 AUSS eastern division conference.

Grand concert of the 2010 AUSS eastern division conference...

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:16:43 -0500

Grand concert of the 2010 AUSS eastern division conference featuring a phenomenal guest a cappella group from Sweden.

American Union of Swedish Singers (AUSS)

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:18:00 -0500

American Union of Swedish Singers (AUSS)

Proof that wonderful music continues to come out of Sweden long...

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:59:28 -0500

Proof that wonderful music continues to come out of Sweden long after the rein of ABBA.