1959 Concordia Choir Postcard
Concordia College has had an impressive choir since the early 1920s. It has created a well-known reputation around campus, the Fargo-Moorhead area, and across the nation. The reputation creates communication and networks around outside communities and is used as a good recruitment strategy for incoming students. When extracurricular activities expanded on campus, choir became one of the more popular activities for students. The choir toured around Northern Minnesota and slowly built a national reputation by the late 1920s.[1] The choir is most famous for their annual Christmas Concert held in Moorhead and Minneapolis. The acappella choir has spread widely throughout the United States and has been acknowledged for performance excellence and remarkable leadership.[2] The competing colleges with Concordia are St. Olaf in Northfield, MN and Luther College in Decorah, IA. Many high school students who are involved in music understand that Concordia is a very good school for musical talent and many students will consider attending the college for that reason.
The college has advertised the choir for entertainment purposes as well as recruitment strategies. The 1959 postcard was originated from Concordia’s admissions to invite high school students to the concerts. The postcard is also used to connect alumni and future students with current students. The relationships made by people associated with the Concordia Choir are a good way to network and become more engaged in society. The 1959 choir postcard reflects the importance and values Concordia College holds toward the students and community. The postcard also reveals the time period and how people communicated information in the 1950s. The message on the back of the postcard informs the student about details for the concert.
The era of the postcard was during the 1950s and 1960s when American cultures were changing and developing. Youth culture was growing and becoming more active and distinct in communities. Nothing defined youth culture as much as music.[3] Music is important to many aspects in life and still continues to be created today. It provided entertainment, happiness, and meaning to many listeners. The Concordia Choir has been performing Christmas concerts annually since 1926, and attending is a tradition for some families. The Christmas performances are very popular around the community and the choir also tours nationally in the spring. The postcard reveals a sense of community and acknowledgement of how important and well known the choir is and it signifies one of the many positive reputations of Concordia College.
Notes
[1]. Carroll Engelhardt, On Firm Foundations Grounded: A First Century of Concordia College 1891-1991 (Moorhead, MN: Concordia College, 1991), 86.
[2]. David Hendricksen, Twentieth-Century Choral Music Programming by Concordia, Luther, and St. Olaf College Choirs, 1950-1986 (Dissertation Abstracts International 50, no. 4 1989), 824.
[3]. Mary Beth Norton et al., A People and A Nation. 9th ed. Vol. II (Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2012), 778.
Essay By Greta Titus