O Rejoice, Ye Christians, Loudly: The History of the Choral Union in the ELS

The “Choral Union” was composed of singers from various congregations that joined voices to sing a concert and for a service at the synod convention. In the May 15, 1918 issue of the Luthersk Kirketidende, Rev. Henry Ingebritson, pastor of the Lime Creek Lutheran Church in rural Lake Mills, Iowa, announced that the Choral Union would sing six songs from the booklet “Jubilate.” At the first Choral Union of the little Norwegian Synod, the gathered chorus sang “Kirken den er et gammelt Hus,” “126 Psalme,” and “Seek Ye the Lord,” among others.
For the next thirty years, synod conventions began on Thursday and ended on Tuesday of the next week. The Sunday of convention week became “Synod Sunday,” with a Norwegian and English service in the morning and the Choral Union concert/lecture/service in the afternoon or evening. Synod Sunday often meant that nearby congregations would not hold services so that the members could attend these special services.
The Choral Union concert would often consist of six to ten pieces sung by the joint choir, along with vocal and instrumental soloists. The concert would be held in the church, under a large tent used for the convention, or at a large rented hall.
The Lord provided talented men to choose the hymns and music and direct the choir. The first director was Rev. Henry Ingebritson. From 1921 to about 1930, Rev. Christian Anderson directed the Choral Union. In 1930, a young Rev. Adolph Harstad directed. When Prof. Walter Buzsin came to Bethany Lutheran College in 1931, he was also given the directorship. Under his leadership, the Choral Union sang and the Bethany Lutheran College choir often returned from their choir tour to participate in the concert. In 1939, Bethany Prof. Oswald Hoffman became director of the Choral Union.
The 1945 synod convention emphasized Christian education. That year, children from Immanuel Lutheran School – Mankato, MN; Trinity Lutheran School – Nicollet, MN; and Norseland Lutheran School – Norseland, MN, formed a joint choir directed by Mr. Otto Hellerman. By 1946, Prof. Alfred Fremder served as director of the Choral Union and the Bethany choir.
In the 1940s, the Choral Union devolved on the young people of the synod. The Young Peoples’ Association held their annual conventions about the same time as the synod. They also had a “Choral Union,” which sang for both conventions.
Beginning in 1951, the Rev. George A.R. Gullixson served as director for most of the 1950s. A major Choral Union concert occurred in 1953 in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Old Norwegian Synod. The Sentinel reported that 150 people sang in the Choral Union, 100 were in the children’s chorus, and the Bethany Choir also sang a motet that Dr. Fremder wrote for the Centennial. In 1957 and 1958, Rev. Raymond Brandstad directed the Choral Union and the Pastors’ chorus.
In the 1970s, the schedule of the synod conventions changed to begin on a Sunday and continue throughout the week, so there was no separate evening concert. The Choral Union choirs sang during the afternoon Synod Sunday service. In 1966, Rev. Brandstad brought down the choirs of Fairview Lutheran Church in Minneapolis to sing at the Synod Sunday service. He continued directing the Choral Union into the 1970s. The last Choral Festival occurred in 1993, when the Bethany Lutheran College Choir, the Holy Cross and King of Grace choirs, and the assembly sang songs and hymns from past Choral Unions to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the synod.
The practice of Choral Union singing at synod conventions has been sporadic during the past 30 years for various reasons. One important reason is the twenty-year existence of the Youth Honor’s Choir under the direction of Prof. Dennis Marzolf. For the past three years, these young people have arrived on Saturday in order to be able to sing for the afternoon Synod Sunday service.
With the 100th anniversary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the anniversary committee has revived the idea of the “Choral Union” so that singers and choir members from around the synod could join together in song, just as they did in the early days of our synod.
Rev. Theodore G. Gullixson
Contributing Editor
Pastor Emeritus