Rehearsals Start Again on Monday January 15, 2024
YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US January 15, 2024!
We welcome all with and without Nordic heritage who have a desire to be a part of a choral group that explores Nordic languages and choral music. No auditions necessary and we have native speakers help us with pronunciation.
COME JOIN IN THE FUN — Contact us and come to a rehearsal!
NOTE: Masks are optional
7-9 PM Monday Evenings — but first rehearsal on Jan 15 will include a soup supper starting at 6PM (details below).
Rehearsal Location: Finley-Sunset Hills, 6801 SW Sunset Hwy, Portland, OR 97225. Finley Sunset Hills has been very kind and generous in opening up their facility to our weekly rehearsals — free of charge.
Soup Suppers: on the first Mondays of each month begins with a delicious home-cooked soup, salad and bread supper at 6PM before rehearsal begins at 7PM, for $5.
For updates, please contact us if you are not already on our member email list and follow our Facebook page.
2023 Holiday Performances and Bake Sales — Save the Dates
- Sunday, November 12 — Nordic Baked Goods Sale (Swedish Limpa, Cardamom Braids, Tea Rings, etc) 11 am – 6 pm, Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave, Portland
- Saturday, December 2 — Holiday Concert 7-9 pm, House opens 6pm, Nordia House Great Hall, 8800 SW Oleson Rd, Portland
- Sunday, December 3 — Festival of Lights 9 pm, The Grotto Chapel of Mary, 8840 NE Skidmore Street, Portland
- Wednesday, December 6 — Itsenäisyyspäivä Finnish Independence Day Service 7-8:30 pm, Nordia House Great Hall, 8800 SW Oleson Rd, Portland
- Sunday, December 10 — ScanFair, 12:30 pm performance, bake sale (both Saturday and Sunday December 9-10), Oregon Convention Center, Portland
- Saturday, December 16 — New Sweden LuciaFest, 3-5 pm, Moreland Presbyterian Church, 1814 SE Bybee Blvd Portland
- Saturday, December 23 — Lillejulaften Danish Service, 6 pm, Nordia House Great Hall, 8800 SW Oleson Rd, Portland
- Monday, December 25 — Julotta Swedish Sunrise Service, 7 am, First Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1816 NW Irving St, Portland
2024 Spring Term
- Monday, January 15, 2024: Spring Term Begins with Soup Supper at 6 pm followed by Rehearsal 7-9 pm
Spring 2023 Concerts
Portland Nordic Chorus Spring Concert
Saturday May 13, 2023 | 7 – 9 PM | Doors open at 6 PM | Nordia House | NORDIC NORTHWEST, 8800 SW Oleson Rd. Portland, OR 97223
Celebrate the glorious spring season with a cheerful performance from the Portland Nordic Chorus. We are a mixed community chorus celebrating friendship and common interest in Nordic culture and music by rehearsing and performing music. We sing primarily in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, and English. We welcome all with and without Nordic heritage who have a desire to be a part of a choral group that explores Nordic languages and choral music.
Doors will open at 6 PM with a no host bar with beer and wine for purchase. Light refreshments to be served.
General Admission: $20
Nordic Northwest Members: $15
All Youth (12 and under): $5
Arts for All: $5
Buy tickets online for the 2023 Portland Nordic Chorus Spring Concert through Nordic Northwest.
READ MORE ABOUT ALL OUR UPCOMING SPRING 2023 CONCERTS AND EVENTS
2022 Holiday Performances and Bake Sales
Please share our flier and thank you for your support!
Click here to download a printable color pdf with two per page.
Click here to download a printable black and white pdf with two per page.
In-Person Rehearsals to Start Sept 12, 2022
We are resuming in-person rehearsals September 12, 2022 with optional soup supper (updated price $5) at 6pm followed by rehearsal at 7pm.
NOTE: Vaccination for covid is a must. Masks are optional. Be safe: if you are not feeling well, join us when you are feeling better, optional mask wearing.
Rehearsals: 7-9 PM Monday Evenings
Rehearsal Location: Finley-Sunset Hills, 6801 SW Sunset Hwy, Portland, OR 97225. Finley Sunset Hills has been very kind and generous in opening up their facility to our weekly rehearsals — free of charge.
Soup Suppers: on the first Mondays (Oct 3 and Nov 7, 2022) of each month begins with a delicious home-cooked soup, salad and bread supper at 6PM before rehearsal begins at 7PM, for $5.
COME JOIN US — Please contact us and come to a rehearsal!
For updates, please contact us if you are not already on our member email list and follow our Facebook page.
Our New Artistic Director
October 6, 2021
Our chorus has indeed been blessed with great talent in musical leadership. Special thanks to our outgoing Artistic Director Emeritus Vance Sele for taking time to orient and encourage two new Artistic Directors in the past two years since his retirement!
Evan Miles first stepped into Vance’s huge shoes in June of 2020 and led us through our first virtual project with the recording of Sankta Lucia released in December 2020. In late spring 2021 Evan had to leave his post as Artistic Director to take care of two ill family members. We applaud Evan’s dedication to caretaking and thank him for working with us through the first year of the new Pandemic Reality.
Bill Kuhn offered to step up as our next Artistic Director in June of 2021 and we are delighted to welcome his expertise and kindness into our fold. Although the increased danger of viral transmission with the Delta variant has quashed our hopes for in-person rehearsals and performances this fall, we look forward to Bill’s leadership through whatever projects we are able to participate in approaching this 2021 holiday season and next spring.
Dr. William F. Kuhn
Dr. William F. Kuhn has been involved with conducting choirs and bands from his sophomore year in high school. During his professional career, which spans nearly 45 years, he has taught and sung in a variety of groups in Chicago, Hong Kong, Nebraska and, most recently, the Pacific Northwest.
Kuhn received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Illinois in 1977; his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois in 1985; and his Doctor of Education degree in music education at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2000. He and his ensembles have given concerts in over twenty-five states and embarked on a three-week concert tour to China in 2007 at the request of the Chinese Government.
In 1985 he was inducted into the Alpha chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, a national, music honor society. He is included in Marquis Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. In addition to his work with the Portland Nordic Chorus, Kuhn is Parish Cantor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Portland, Past-Dean of the Portland Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and Past-President of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians’ Region 4. Bill and his wife, Kristine, have two children—Michael and Elizabeth.
Opportunities to Stay in Touch with Nordic Languages
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Hej alla,
Here are some opportunities to stay in touch with one of the Nordic languages while we wait for our Nordic Chorus rehearsals to resume. The first one is an app for studying on your own, and the others are classes offered through Zoom or in-person. (Zoom classes can actually work quite well, and you don’t need to drive anywhere.)
Duolingo Just pick your language, your own schedule, and get started. Furthermore, it’s free!
Northwest Danish Association Saturday morning classes begin Sept 25th through Zoom.
Portland Community College (offered fall term over Zoom, taught by native speaker, Gunilla M Rohdin-Bibby)
Portland State University (in-person classes)
- Norwegian 201 (I didn’t notice first year Norwegian.)
- Swedish 101
As you know, we also have our own pronunciation guides available on the Portland Nordic Chorus website.
Stay healthy, and I look forward to seeing you when we start up again!
Greg
Rehearsals Postponed Due to Delta Variant
Friday, September 3, 2021
Dear PNC Choristers and Friends,
It is with a decidedly heavy heart that I must inform you that in spite of our hopeful plan to resume rehearsals this month, we must once again postpone gathering to sing in person.
Let me use these words from our beloved baritone, Doug Webste:
With the Delta Variant being as virulent as it is, we are in the position of leadership in our community. Acting out of prudence and FORWARD thought, limiting the continued spread of the disease is the fastest way to get us back together.Sadly, there are enough opportunities for the disease to proliferate and, expectedly, evolve.The virus has limited (not nonexistent) spread with normal conversation. But singing is another level.
It is my hope that each of you who have had the opportunity to receive the strong (but not complete) protection of vaccination has done so. Everything we can do to prevent spread is a public service. For that reason I wear my mask with pride and compassion everywhere I may come in contact with others. Lately that mask has borne the message ‘Crush Delta’. While it does a great job at preventing transmission of virus, it also does a fine job of crushing the quality of whatever singing I may attempt. And singing in full voice with a good mask inevitably involves becoming a bit short of breath while expelling lots of air and particles and aerosols out around the sides.
Many thanks to all of you who have been so creative about reimagining in-person rehearsals. Hold those thoughts! And thanks to our new director, Bill Kuhn, for his flexibility and willingness to work through the continuing uncertainty.
Godt Helbred, Hyvä Terveys, Góða Heilsu, God Helse, God Hälsa, Good Health!
Karen Henellyour PNC Board Prez
Sankta Lucia Video Performance
Dear Friends of Portland Nordic Chorus,
We miss seeing and singing with you at our concerts and long for the time when we can be together again safely in the same space.
This holiday season we would like to share our first virtual choir performance with you as the celebration of Sankta Lucia is celebrated this coming Sunday, December 13. May Lucia remind us that the light will return, and may your homes be filled with light and warmth and love this winter and into the new year.
If you are able, your donations will help us keep our music safely stored, our website updated, and our wonderful new artistic director paid during this time when our usual fundraising via baked goods and tickets is not possible.
Please make your checks payable to Portland Scandinavian Chorus and mail them to:
Judy Solanki
20800 NW Wallula Ct.
Portland, OR 97229
Tak skal du have, Kiitoksia paljon, Þakka þér fyrir, Takk skal du ha, Tack så mycket, Thank you!