SWEDES: TheWayTheyWere
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    • The Bethany Artist & the Bethany Scientist: Lydia & Emil ------------------------- \\// >
      • Their 1869 Swedish Lutheran Galesburg Colony and Olsson Colony Smoky Valley Arrivals, ~ With a Galesburg account by Mr. Holmquist >
        • Their Värmland Swedes ~ The "First Swedish Agricultural Company" Lindsborg Founders, 1868, ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
          • Swedish Pastor Olof Olsson Emigrating to Lindsborg 1869, June 27th Arrival ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
            • Bethany Lutheran Church and Lindsborg Founder Pastor Olsson, 1869 - 1876 ~ An account by Dr..Lindquist
      • Their 1869 "Bethany Lutheran Church" ~ Accounts by Dr. Lindquist and Mr. Carlson >
        • ​Their 1860-1962 "Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Synod" ~ Gaining and losing its Swedish identity >
          • The 1860 Formation of the Augustana Synod ~ An Account by Mr. Holmquist
          • Their 1892 "Augustana Women's Missionary Society" ~ An account by Ms. Humphrey
          • The 2000 - 2016 "Augustana Heritage Association"
      • Their 1907 "Bethany Lutheran Home" ~ Accounts by Bethany Home Writers >
        • 1976 Lindsborg’s Bethany Home’s Swedish King's Visit ~ An account by Mr. Carlson's
      • Their 1909 and 1919 Swedish Smoky Valley Community Chronicles ~ Compiled and written by Bethany Lutheran Church Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin, members and others >
        • 1909 translated to "Pioneer Swedish-American Culture in Central Kansas," 1965 ~ By Mrs. Bergin Billdt
        • 1919 translated to "The Smoky Valley in The After Years," 1969 ~ By Mrs. Bergin Billdt & Mrs. Jaderborg
      • Their 1910 Messiah Lutheran Church conducting services in English ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
        • ~ An account on the Messiah Lutheran Church formation from Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin's 1909 ​"Pioneer Swedish-American Culture of Central Kansas"
      • Their 1919 Lindsborg Historical Society's "Coronado Heights" ~ Emil's 1907 thesis and Lydia's photographs >
        • The ​1919 formation of the "Lindsborg Historical Society" ~ The Smoky Hills' "Smoky Hill" christened "Coronado Heights" May 8, 1924 >
          • Lindsborg's Coronado Heights History ~ Three accounts by Mrs. Jaderborg >
            • Coronado and Bethany College Museum" History ~ An account from Dr. Lungstrom
      • Their 1916 Sohlberg House ​ ~ 322 North First [College] Street ~After their honeymoon
      • Their 1920 Old Main Apartments of Bethany College ~ Living on campus with the students for 20 years
      • Their 1940 Deere Home to 1943 ​~ 344 North First [College] Street ~ With new occupants after Lydia
      • Their 1936 1873 Swedish Homestead," "Our Peaceful Acres" >
        • Their 1873 Swede House ~ A close twin of Founder Rev. Olof Olsson's stone house >
          • Peaceful Acres Smoky Valley descendant friends and helpers ~ Honoring them and remembering them
      • 1943, after Lydia, Emil's part in the building of the Lindsborg Community Hospital ~ An account by Dr. Lungstrom
    • Their "1881" Bethany Academy 1882 "First Building" in 2022 ~ Its foundational importance to Bethany College ~ Its 1969 move to the Old Mill Museum Heritage Park
    • Their 1882-1966 Deere's Swensson's "Bethany College Museum" >
      • The 1966 Bethany College Museum Collections Move to the Old Mill Museum ~ Dr. Leon Lungstrom's Role >
        • Articles on the Bethany College Museum Collections Move of 1966
      • Deere's Swensson's Bethany College Museum Collections ~ to 1966
    • Their “1882 on . . .” Bethany College Handel’s “Messiah" Performances” >
      • "Messiah" Performers, Venues & Audiences, Press and Broadcasts >
        • Special 20th Century "Messiah" Performances
      • Handel's "Messiah" & Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" ~ Described for viewers unfamiliar with these oratorios
    • Their “1899 on . . .” Bethany College “Swedish Artists’ Midwest Art Exhibition” ​~ An account by the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery
    • Their “1902 on . . .” Bethany College ‘Terrible Swedes,’ Their “1903 on” ‘Rockar Stockar’ ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
    • Their “1904 on . . .” Bethany College St. Louis World's Fair “Swedish Pavilion”
    • Their "1895 to 1981" Bethany College Anniversary Celebrations ~ 15, 20, 25, 100 years >
      • Their Celebrating 15 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1896. The First Bethany Annual, 1895-96
      • Their Celebrating 20 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1901. The "Forget-Me-Not," 1902 >
        • The King of Sweden's Emissary, 1901
        • Yale University's Bethany Club
      • Their Celebrating 25 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1906, "Souvenir of Lindsborg and Bethany College"
      • Their Celebrating 100 Years of Bethany College, 1881-1981, "The Centennial of Bethany College"
    • Their "1937" Bethany College's Introduction to New Sweden ~ Founded in 1638 >
      • Deere's Introduction to New Sweden
  • Swedish Immigration Story, 1854
    • "The Story of the Old Spoon" by Ingrid Anderson Sohlberg & Daughter Lydia Sohlberg Deere, 1937
    • Who They Left Behind
    • From Sweden with Love Collections >
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Portraits, 1867 >
        • The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Glass
        • The Swedish Sohlberg Letters
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Royal Gold Thread Embroidery Sampler (c1890s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Post Cards (c1890s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Magazines, (c1940s)
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Books, 1819/1886 to 1899
      • The Swedish Sohlberg Albums, ~ Late 19th early 20th centuries
      • The Swedish Deere Coins -- 1801-1929
  • Artist Lydia Sohlberg Deere
    • Lydia's Lindsborg Photography, 1900-1925 >
      • The Hats
      • The Smoky River
      • The Smoky Hills >
        • Coronado Heights -- One Winter's Day
      • In and Around Lindsborg
      • Sohlberg House with Parents >
        • Our Sohlberg Home and Neighbor Alma Luise Olson
      • Sohlberg House with Emil 1916 to 1920 >
        • Lydia's Travels with Deere 1916 - 1930s >
          • Lydia's California Photographs for Painting
          • Lydia's Palm Springs Pictorial Magazine, 1938-1939
          • Lydia's California Pressed Wild Flowers, c1930
      • "LYDIA'S WORLD" Photography Exhibitions in Lindsborg, 2005 - 2011
    • Lydia as Bethany College Lane Hart Hall Dean of Women, 1906 - 1913 >
      • Lydia's Signatured Black Book of Her Handwritten Sewing Instructions >
        • Nina Sohlberg's Child's Sewing "Little Dots" PICTURE BOOK
      • Lydia Sohlberg Deere's 1927 "Lindsborg Swedish Club's" Handwork >
        • The Lindsborg Swedish Club's "Allers Monster-Tidnings" magazine, 1940
    • Lydia's Art, 1919-1938 >
      • Lydia's Art: The Kansas Collection >
        • The Sketches
      • Lydia's Art: The Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico Collection >
        • The Sketches
      • Lydia's Art: The California Collection >
        • The Sketches
        • Lydia's "Palm Springs Magazine " 1938-39
    • Lydia's Art Professor Sven Birger Sandzén, 1871-1954 >
      • Lydia's Assignments for Professor Sandzén >
        • Students of Sandzén 2019 Exhibition
        • Bethany Home ~ Celebrating Artist Birger Sandzén through his students' paintings
    • Lydia's Art Professor Birger Sandzén's "Art Exhibitions" and "Reviews" .. 1893-1940 >
      • Lydia's Art Professor Sandzén's Exhibition at the Babcock Gallery in New York, 1922
      • Lydia's Sandzén's Body of Work Reviewed by N.Y.C, 1984 "American Impressionism," author William H. Gerdts
    • Lydia's and Sandzén's Swedish Artist Friend Charles Edward Hallberg, 1855-1940
    • Lydia's and Sandzén's Swedish Artist Friend Oscar Brousse Jacobson, 1882-1966
    • Lydia’s Sohlberg Family Connection to Sandzén, 1880-1894-1993
  • Scientist Emil O. Deere
    • Deere & Lydia's Bethany -- Lydia's Photography, 1906-1925 >
      • Bethany College "Campus from Above"
      • Bethany College "The Gateway," 1917 and "Bethany Campus Association," 1912
      • Bethany College "College Street," today's "North First Street"
      • Bethany College "Campus Life"
      • Bethany College "Field Trips"
      • Bethany College's "Earliest Buildings" >
        • Bethany College "​Ladies Dormitory" / "Lane Hart Hall" 1883 - 1899 - 1983
        • Bethany College "Old Main" 1887-1968 >
          • Lydia's and Emil's Old Main Apartments, 1920 to 1940
          • Deere's Bethany College Classes in Old Main
        • Bethany College "Messiah Auditorium" / "Ling Auditorium" / "Ling Gymnasium" 1895 - 1946
        • Bethany College "Swedish Pavilion," 1904
        • Bethany College "​Carnegie Library" / "Bethany Library" 1908 - 1980
        • Bethany College "​Bethany Academy" 1882 -- Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings
    • Deere's 1959 Interview on Rev. Dr. Carl A. Swensson (On YouTube) >
      • Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson, 1857-1904 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
        • Swensson's "Bethany Lutheran Church" and the "Augustana Lutheran Synod"
        • Swensson's Bethany's Beginnings: "The Bethany Academy of 1882"
        • Olsson's Influence, the Swenssons,' the Musicians' and Singers,' "Messiah," 1882 on … >
          • Thure Olof Jaderborg ~ One Lindsborg "Messiah" Commitment from 1901-1954
        • Swensson's Swedish Artists of the 1890s
        • Swensson's "Bethany College Museum," 1882 - 1966
      • In Memorium**Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson, 1904 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist
    • Deere's Rev. Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad, 1873-1943 ~ An account by Dr. Lindquist >
      • In Memoriam**Dr. Ernst F. Pihlblad, 1943
      • Rev. Dr. Pihlblad on Bethany College, 1904 - 1941
    • Deere's Swensson's "Bethany College Museum" 1882-1966 >
      • Deere's Dr. Lungstrom's Bethany College "Museum" Chapter >
        • Deere's Swensson's Bethany College Museum Collections ~ to 1966 >
          • Cliff Dwellers' Pottery Collection ~ from Old Main to Sandzén Memorial Art Gallery, 1966
          • Fossils Collection ~ from Old Main to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, 1966, ~ “The Find”
          • Taxidermy Collection ~ from Old Main to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, 1966
          • 900 Item Emil O. Deere Pioneer Collection ~ from Old Main to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, 1966
    • Deere's Smithsonian Institution's Souvenir, 1904
    • Deere's 1940 Presidential Address to the Kansas Academy of Science
    • Deere's 1955 Letter to President Eisenhower re Tuttle Creek
    • Deere's Service, 1901-1966 >
      • Deere's Education & Degrees
    • The Deere's Library ~ What remains of 2,000 books -- pending project
  • "The Other Swedes"
    • Honoring Them and Remembering Them ~ The Smoky Valley Writers >
      • A suggestion to individuals and entities in charge of these books ~ ​Digitalize for posterity and perpetuity
      • Rev. Bror Carlsson and Mr. Alf Brorson from Sweden ~ Tracing Värmland's Rev. Olof Olsson's church life in Sweden and in Swedish America with the Augustana Lutheran Synod >
        • ​"He Gave God Glory" "The Story of Olof Olsson, ​" 1841 - 1900 ~ By Rev. Bror Carlsson
      • Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson ~ Author of countless Swedish & English publications, newspapers articles & books for local, national & European readers
      • Bethany Church, Bethany College, Augustana Synod Writers ​~ Remembering Rev. Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson and Rev. Dr. Ernst Frederick Pihlblad
      • Rev. Dr. Alfred Bergin ​~ Compiling foundational Swedish Smoky Valley Augustana Lutheran settlements' histories and more
      • Dr. Emory K. Lindquist ~ Chronicling Swedish Augustana Lutheran Lindsborg and Bethany College from their earliest years >
        • ​1953, "Smoky Valley People, A History of Lindsborg, Kansas" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist and Contents & Illustrations
        • 1975 "Bethany in Kansas, the history of a college" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist >
          • "Bethany in Kansas" PART I ~ Contents & Illustrations
          • "Bethany in Kansas" PART II ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1984 "Hagbard Brase, Beloved Music Master" ~ The Words of Dr. Lindquist >
          • "Hagbard Brase" ~ Contents and Illustrations
      • Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg [Selma Lind] ​ ~ Chronicling the Lindsborg of her day, its early histories, its early citizens >
        • 1965 "Lindsborg On Record" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1967 "Living in Lindsborg and Other Possibilities" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1973 "Talk About Lindsborg" ~ Contents & Illustrations
        • 1976 "Why Lindsborg?" ~ Contents & Illustrations >
          • 1975 Why Lindsborg ~ For the King of Sweden
        • ​1990 "Two Reprints" ~ Contents & Illustrations Lists
      • ​Dr. Leon Lungstrom ~ Chronicling Bethany College's earliest science and math professors, museum curators, collectors and collections, college curriculum, Old Main, and Nelson Science Hall >
        • The Bethany College Museum by Leon Lundstrom ~ The Words of Dr. Leon Lungstrom
        • ​1990 "History of Natural Science and Mathematics at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas" ~ The Compilations and the Words of Dr. Lungstrom >
          • "History of Natural Science and Mathematics . . ." The Table of Contents
          • Tabulation of Teachers and Assistants in Natural Sciences and Mathematics
          • References from: Lindsborg News-Record;" "Bethany Messenger;" "Bethany Daisy" &/OR "Bethanian;" "Bethany Magazine" -- pending project
      • Mr. Thomas N. Holmquist ~ Chronicling Lindsborg's neighbors, the Galesburg Swedes of Salemsborg and Freemount, with a personal connection, 1868
      • Mr. Bill Carlson ~ Chronicling Lindsborg's earliest and later histories, with a personal connection, 1867
      • Ms. Karen A. Humphrey ~ Chronicling highlights of Swedish Augustana Lutheran Lindsborg and Bethany College culture in the earliest years >
        • 2012 "Grace, Faith and the Power of Singing: The Alma Christina Lind Swensson Story" ~The Words of Ms. Humphrey
        • "Grace, Faith and the Power of Singing" ~ Contents & Illustrations
      • Mr. A. John Pearson ~ Chronicling the Bethany College Presidents from 1882 to 1983
      • Mr. Kenneth Sjogren ~ Chronicling the Bethany College Presidents from 1941 to 2016
      • Mr. Chris Abercrombie ~ Remembering him as "The Historian," the SVHA president and his body of work
      • Rev. Eugene K. Nelson and the Bethany Home Writers ~ Chronicling the "only known" Smoky Valley story on Bethany Home since 1907
      • Smoky Valley Historical Association Members ~ Chronicling 1993 " Where Did They Live? " "Early Residences of Lindsborg, Kansas"
    • Honoring Them and Remembering Them ---- \\// >
      • Mrs. Alma Christina Lind Swensson ~ Remembering her as Mrs. Rev. Dr. Swensson, the "First Lady" of Lindsborg, organizer of the "Messiah Chorus" and much more ~ From ​Ms. Humphrey's Book
      • ​Samuel Thorstenberg ~ Remembering him as the "earliest" internationally acclaimed Bethany College "Messiah Chorus" conductor
      • Dr. Hagbard Brase ~ Remembering him as the second "earliest" internationally acclaimed Bethany College "Messiah Chorus" conductor
      • B.G. Gröndal ~ Remembering him and his photography in the earliest years of Lindsborg and Bethany College >
        • B.G. Gröndal ~ Accounts by Mr. Abercrombie and Mrs. Jaderborg with LINK to Mrs. Eddy, B.G.'s granddaughter's book review
      • International "NY Times" Correspondent Miss Alma Luise Olson ~ Remembering her as "First Honored American Woman by Sweden" ~ An account by ​Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg* >
        • ​​Miss Alma Luise Olson ~ Remembering her and the extraordinary life she led at home and abroad ~ An account by Ms. Karen A. Humphrey
      • Artist Birger Sandzén ~ Remembering him for "sharing his art with the world," starting "first" at Lindsborg's Bethany College >
        • Dr. & Dr. Mrs. Charles Greenough III ~ Remembering them for their gift of the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery -- pending
      • William Holwerda, M.D. ~ Remembering him as "Doc Bill," a city father and loving citizen, by Dr. Leon Lungstrom and Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg >
        • "Svensk Hyllningsfest" ​ ~ Remembering Dr. William Holwerda as a founder and "the key" organizer in 1941
        • Dr. William Holwerda ~ Remembering their family doctor and Messiah Lutheran Church tributes to him by Dr. Leon Lungstrom
      • Artist Lester Raymer ~ Remembering him as the renowned virtuoso artist and "behind the scenes" community supporter
      • Dr. Arvin W. Hahn ​​~ Remembering him for saving Bethany College from going under!​ >
        • Dr. Arvin W. Hahn ~ Remembering him handing me my Bethany College Diploma on Sunday, May 26, 1968
      • Dr. ​& Mrs. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering them and their 29 years of dedication to that Bethany College "Messiah" tradition of excellence >
        • 1976 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the “Messiah” conductor for the Bethany College "Swedish King’s," Carl XVI Gustaf's, performance >
          • 1981 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the "Messiah" conductor for the Bethany College "Centennial Celebration" performance >
            • 1986 Dr. Elmer Copley ~ Remembering him as the televised "American Easter" conductor of the Bethany College Oratorio Society Holy Easter Week
      • Mrs. Elizabeth Jaderborg ~ Remembering her as the founder of the 1963 "Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers" ~ An account by Mr. Chris Abercrombie
      • Mr. & Mrs. Hilding Jaderborg ~ Remembering them and their “Swedish Crafts Shop” of 65 years and 50 trips to Sweden
      • The Swedish Lindsborg Builders ~ Remembering them for the lovely homes they built
      • Mr. Chris Abercrombie ~ Remembering him for "first" shining an international light on Lindsborg and Bethany College, via YouTube
      • Dr. Greta Swenson and Mr. & Mrs. Mark Esping ~ Remembering them for founding Lindsborg's “first” "Swedish-American Folklife Institute of Central Kansas," 1986 >
        • Remembering their Lindsborg's Folklife Institute's "Swedish-American Heritage Center," 1996
      • Mr. Claude Koehn ~ Remembering him as restorer and preservationist of Smoky Valley stone farmhouses and other stone structures
      • Ms. Rebecca Copley ~ Remembering her as Bethany College's “first” graduate to become an International Concert & Opera Soprano >
        • Ms. Copley's "International Concert and Opera Soprano" ​~ The REVIEWS
      • Mr. Bruce Karstadt ~ Honoring him as a Bethany College graduate for heading up a major national Swedish American institution
      • Dr. Mark Lucas ~ Messiah conductor bringing the Lindsborg “Oberammergau of the Plains" to a "new" world audience
    • 1882 - 1966 Bethany College Museum Science Professor Curators ​~ Their earliest collectors
    • 1894-1962 Bethany College Graduates in Augustana Lutheran Synod World Mission Work ~ An account by Dr. Emory K. Lindquist
    • 1901-2014 The ​Bethany College Swedish Knights and Ladies ~ Honored by the Kings of Sweden
    • ​​1919 "Lindsborg Historical Society's" Earliest Leaders and Members >
      • 1963 "Smoky Valley Historical Association" (SVHA) leaders and members ​~ Some historical and cultural promotion and preservation projects
    • 1961-2021 ​"McPherson County Old Mill Museum" leaders ~ Moving forward in August 2021 as "The Lindsborg Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Museum"
    • 1971 -2020 "American Scandinavian Association of the Great Plains" leaders ~ Providing cultural history and heritage programs with meaningful links to Sweden and Swedish America
    • 1976 His Majesty the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf's Visit to Lindsborg April 17th >
      • The Lindsborg & Bethany College "Swedes" ~ Honored by the King of Sweden, June 6, 1976
    • 1977​ Swedish Emigrant Institute Staff from Växjö, Småland Visits Lindsborg October 16-18
    • 1978 Swedish Documen- tary Film Crew Visits Lindsborg October 2-9 >
      • "Lindsborg News-Record" Clippings of 1978 Swedish Film Crew Visit
    • 1992 - 2020 ​Honoring Them and Remembering Them ~ Their ​Smoky Valley History Research Writers Website Designers
  • Contacts
    • For 1869 Lindsborg CONTACT Today >
      • "A Time to Remember" 1882 - 1988
    • ​For 1881 Bethany College CONTACT Today >
      • "Bethany Campus Walk” ~ Remembering the buildings and the "Bethany Family" of their era, 1882 - 2015
      • Their "I WAS THERE" Coin ~ Bethany College 21st Year Celebration, 1902
    • For 1957 Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery CONTACT Today >
      • Sandzén: "Ecstasy of Color" ~ PBS Doucmentary ~ Aired 6/11/21
    • Closing Remarks >
      • Traveling through SWEDES ​~ The Table of Contents ~ The "Outline" "Online"
      • SWEDES' Swedish American Legacy Photographs >
        • ​Lydia's Lindsborg Photography​, ​1900 - 1925 >
          • Lydia's Bethany College Photography, ​1906 - 1925
    • Kansas Smoky Valley Swedish People's Memorial, 2009 ~ The virtual one >
      • In real time, the real 1941 memorial, the "Pioneer Cross" ​~ Created by Messrs. Lindholm and Oberg
aaaa"The Other Swedes"
~ Honoring Them and Their Works ~

Reworking 7 1 21

Dr. ​& Mrs. Elmer Copley
(1925-1991) (1924-2010) 

~ Remembering them and their 29 years of dedication to that Bethany College "Messiah" tradition of excellence 


5 conductors from brase leaving in 1946 to copley's starting in 1960

​---The hightlights of two of his predessors who added great growht to the ongoing performances, like himself, were most notably that of Samuel Thorstenberg and Hagbard Brase.
​Of the most prominent and internationally known of the 28 Messiah conductors to date (2021), Elmer Copley was the third whose tenure lasted for 29 years from 1960 to 1988; ​​Samuel Thorstenberg (1871-1938) was first whose tenure lasted for 11 years from 1898 to 1909; and Hagbard Brase (1877-1953) was second whose tenure lasted for 31 years from 1915 to 1946.

was charaterized by the growth of the Messiah chorus from 183 to 487 with the first European opera singer appearing in 1899 with dozens to follow while audiance attendence grew in the thousands.as the Ladies Home Journal noted in 1900.  Then there was ​Hagbard Brase (1877-1953) the most famous Swedish born, conductor for 31 years who was noted at "one of the last of the finest type of European music masters in America,  scholled at College of Skara, Stockholm's Royal Conservatory of Music and in Germany was the conductor for 31 years, 1915-1946, under which the popularity and celeberty of the Messiah performances grew expotentionally


  born in Lindsborg and graduating from Bethany, who held the baton for 11 years from 1898 to 1909. 

He
 continued his music studies in Stockholm, England and New York City.  Under his leadership and the support of college founder and president Carl A. Swensson and his wife Alma Swensson rehearsals support, the Messiah chorus grew from 183 to 487 and was the first international opera singer from Milan, Italy, soloist Eloise Vitti performed in the Messiah in 1899 while as well attendance grew to thousands flocking to Lindsborg .joined the in 1899 to sing  in the Messiah.  This was the beginning of international opera singers and musicians flocking to Lindsborg to sing in the Messiah.  It was reported in 1900 Ladies Home Journal that the Messiah Festival "can bring together ten thousand people during Holy Week  , , ,  "    


 When he retired as conductor, one international critic wrote solemnly that had raised his baton for the last time."  In 1947, he was Knighted by the Swedish Crown+    ​ And then Elmer Copley was the 3rd most distingued conductor who was very familar with the messiah perfromances at his augustana college, which was the birthplace for the Lindsborg Bethany College Messiah performances.    of the who, it seemed was spledidly destined along with the Oratorio Society to continue this tradition in a big way from 1960 to 1988. 



These two had exceptional training by the best teachers and attended the best college that would provide the Lindsborg Messiah background so perfect for them to easily step into this world of Messiah performances.  The college was Augustana College and they met on a choir tour.   

If the founder of Lindsborg and Bethany Church who became the 
3rd President of Augustana College, Olof Olsson, and the founder of Bethany College and second pastor of Bethany Church, Carl Aaron Swensson, would have known this couple would be involved with the Messiah performances the way they were, they would hav been totally thrilled.  Why?  Because, it was Pastor Olsson who started the Messiah performances in Augustana and Swensson who was a graduate of Augustana started them in LIndsborg.  Because, they totally had more of a connection to these performances than any other conductor due to Augustanta.  They were married in the same church that Alma and Carl were married in and where Alma was an organist. 


The couple had met at Augustana College on a choir tour. They married in 1951 in the same church that  and after graduation they headed for New York City for Elmer to study at Juilliard School of Music under the chairman of the voice department teacher Bernard Taylor from 1952 to 1953.  While there their daughter Rebecca Copley was born.  They returned to Augustana College in 1953 for Elmer to join the faculty there becoming conductor of the Augustana Seminary Chorus and assistant to Dr. Veld, his former professor who was to become one of the greatest conductors in the country.   Ruth would become member of the music faculty and pianist for the choirs at Augustana College.  She also had continued graduate studies at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, studying organ with Katherine Crozier Gleason, a leading American concert organist and teacher. 

until 1960. 


        He also studied at the University of Colorado and the University of Iowa where he received the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance with his scholarly treatise on the Lindsborg Bethany College Messiah Festival history up to his time as conductor.  When he retired in 1988, he had hopes to write "a much-wished-for history of the Messiah Festival at Bethany College, perhaps this treatise is more than enough!
 
and the conductor for 26 seasons due to three sabbatical years that included guest conductors, Dr. Henry Veld in 1968 and Dr. Walter Pelz in 1978,  Wayne Mitchell in 1985. 

1960-1988Elmer Copley
1968Henry Veld, sabbat. replacement
1978Walter L. Pelz, sabbat. replacement
1985Wayne Mitchell, sabbat. replacement

He was also a professor of voice, and the director of the college choir.   Dr. Copley started national and international periodic tours for the Bethany College Choir, with its first national tour debut being in New York City's Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in 1973.  He and his wife, Ruth Marie Anderson Copley, created the college's music department's annual holiday concert,  "An Hour of Christmas," known now as "Juletide" for the community of Lindsborg and the surrounding area.
.  

28 years after his retirement

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​Sources: Information on Dr. Copley has come from many sources such as Bethany Magazines, Recording Albums, Dr. Lindquist's Bethany In Kansas, the story of a college, the Lindsborg News-Record, and Copley family information.
 
>>  The "First Lady" of the Dr. Elmer Copley Messiah era, 1960-1988
​
Dr. ​& Mrs. Elmer Copley
(1925-1991) (1924-2010) 
~ Remembering their 29 years of dedication to that Bethany College "Messiah" tradition of excellence 
 
 The "First Lady" of the Dr. Elmer Copley Messiah performances era, 1960-1988

f Davenport, Iowa ,and Ruth Marie Anderson, of Moline, Illinois, both graduarates of Augustana College.  
Ruth Marie Anderson was a Canandian Swede who was baptized in Winnipeg, Manitoba, by her father who was a Lutheran pastor.
 Later, she was confirmed and married to Elmer in the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Moline, Illinois, a few miles from their Augustana College,that in the earliest days the professors and students had made their church when it was first named the Swedish Lutheran Church

.  It was the church in which Aaronn Swensson married his Moline bride, Alma Christina Lind Swensson and it was in this church that 


Elmer and Ruth, most assuredly would have been very familiar with the historical past of Messiah Performances at Augustana annually since 1881 also, for it was from this during


     
---
--   *  An 1986 press  In short, Dr. Copley was born to conduct these performances as he was gifted greatly with a passion "to do something special during [Easter] Holy season."*  
release from ?   



Of English descent, born in Davenport, Iowa, his college years were spent 4 miles away, just across the Mississippi River, at Augustana College, a sister Lutheran college of Bethany College. The idea of these Messiah performances was "first" established at Augustana College by third president Pastor Olof Olsson, the founder of Lindsborg and Bethany Church.  So his hearing the sacred music there, most likely directed him into the career he was to have. 
--
In addition to the “first time ever award,” the Kansas Governor's Arts Award for Performing Arts award he received for the Oratorio Society, Dr. Copley was the recipient of the Bethany College "Pierson Distinguished Professor of Music" award.  
<> BMs  There are 3 sections on this most dynamic conductor, Dr. Copley.  Go Here to begin the first  section.   REWORKING THE ABOVE: 6 8 21
 
--ORGINAL
​Dr. Elmer Copley, ACG -- (1925-1991) -- "Conductor" for Oratorio Society of Bethany College Centennial 1981 Messiah  performance, which on its Delta Record recording credited him for "the national prestige currently enjoyed by the Oratorio Society, and the development over the past two decades, . . ." This performance and the one in 1986 were significant in regards to viewership.  They were both televised worldwide and the count of viewers in 1981 was 25 million, no doubt the count would have been similar in 1986.  However, it was in 1976, that he created an Oratorio Society performance from selections of Handel's Messiah to be performed before His Majesty, Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, the most historic Swedish and Swedish American event in Lindsborg and Bethany College history!  In "that" standard of Bethany College "Messiah" traditional excellence, Dr. Copley and his Messiah performances would excel throughout his tenure from 1960 to 1988.  During this time, he was a professor of voice, director of the college choir, and conductor of festival music.  He initiated "Choir Tours" around the country and in Europe.   For the people of Lindsborg, he and his wife Ruth Marie Anderson Copley, an acclaimed pianist and organist, created the annual "Hour of Christmas," referred to now as "Juletide. "      

Of English descent, born in Davenport, Iowa, his college years were spent 4 miles away, just across the Mississippi River, at Augustana College, a sister Lutheran college of Bethany College. The idea of these 
Messiah performances was "first" established at Augustana College by third president Pastor Olof Olsson, the founder of Lindsborg and Bethany Church.  So his hearing the sacred music there, most likely directed him into the career he was to have.  After graduating from Augustana, Dr. Copley continued his studies at Juilliard School of Music in New York City from 1952 to 1953, and returned to Augustana College as an assistant to Dr. Veld and was conductor of the Augustana Seminary Chorus from 1953 to 1960. His studies would continue at the University of Colorado and the University of Iowa where he received the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance with his scholarly treatise being the narrative on the Lindsborg Bethany College "Messiah" Festival history.  The greatest Kansas award was accepted by Dr. Copley for the Bethany College Oratorio Society was the Governor's Arts Award for Performing Arts at the Statehouse Rotunda in Topeka, Kansas.  This was a "first time" ever award!  <> BMs  There are 3 sections on this most dynamic conductor, Dr. Copley.  Go Here to begin the first  section.   REWORKING THE ABOVE: 6 8 21

 
Mrs. Ruth Marie Anderson Copley, ACG -- (1924-2001) -- Wife of Dr. Elmer Copley, she would prove an irreplaceable resource and support for her husband and in her responsibilities to him, his students and to Bethany College.  Here she served as music office secretary and pianist for the Bethany Choir and for the annual Easter Holy Week Messiah Festival guest soloists, as well as organist for the annual "An Hour of Christmas."  As an intermittent music faculty member, she taught keyboard studies.   Like her husband, she also graduated from Augustana College where she studied music and 

   Before the couple arrived in Lindsborg in 1960, some of her performances as a pianist included the major concert halls in Boston at Symphony Hall; in New York City at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, in Washington, D.C. at Constitution Hall, where the 
Washington Post's
 critically acclaimed music editor Paul Hume wrote in 1950, “No better proportions or support has attended choral work on this stage for some time. Her anticipation for the singing is nearly wizardry, and her ability to merge background and interlude without jar or shock, was unusually satisfying."  As an accomplished organist, during her career, Mrs. Copley served as organist in Illinois at Moline's Calvary Lutheran, First Evangelical Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran Churches and at Rock Island's Saint Johns Lutheran Church; in Minnesota at Minneapolis' Mount Olivet Lutheran Church; in Kansas at McPherson's Trinity Lutheran Church, at Salina's Saint John's Lutheran Church and at Lindsborg's Messiah Lutheran Church.

She would host a BIG ENTETAINER



​(NOTE:  Among other things, I am hoping that if I report your information correctly that the Bethany College Music Department professor(s) who are teaching voice, etc. will find your section a "good outline" from "one of their own" to share with their students who may have a desire to work towards becoming a successful opera singer or musician as a career goal.) 
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* This Bethany Magazine was produced from the OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT:  Director, Institutional Advancement: R. Jay Ribble; Director Alumni Relations: Doug C. Talbott; Director, College Relations: A. John Pearson; Director, Planned Giving and Church Relations: Dr. Donald E. Trued; Secretary, Advancement and Alumni: Jane Asche; Financial Secretary: Sherrlyn Sanborn; Secretary, College Relations: T-Ann Kerschner; Special Projects Coordinator and Editor, Bethany Magazine: Nancy B. Peterson.
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Sources: Information on Dr. Copley has come from many sources such as Bethany Magazines, Recording Albums, Dr. Lindquist's Bethany In Kansas, the story of a college, the Lindsborg News-Record, and Copley family information.
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