The chatter of Wallenberg Hall dies down as the doors open, welcoming the Korgossarna Choir as they take the stage. Distinguished by their white bow ties, hats and medal-decorated jackets, the Korgossarna Choir from Uppsala University in Sweden joined the Augustana Choir for a concert on Saturday, Sept. 20.

The all-male choir has been performing concerts in the upper Midwest, traveling between Minneapolis and Chicago. The group’s choir director, Rebecka Gustaffson, heard about Augustana’s Swedish heritage and reached out to Augustana Choir Director Jon Hurty.

The directors picked out a piece that the two groups could perform together. The piece was not complicated, since the groups did not have much time to prepare, but they made it work by practicing on their own and with one final rehearsal led by director Gustaffson.

Korgossarna sang several songs in Swedish, ranging from gospel to musical folk tales. One number had the group lining the aisles to serenade audience members.This was an homage to the Swedish tradition “Serenade Night,” where all-male choirs serenade a girl at her bedroom window the night before prom. 

Following their performance, the Augustana Choir sang three American choral pieces before the Korgossarna Choir joined them onstage to sing a piece in Swedish. Their ability to sing together was a highlight for Augustana Choir President Maggie Meyers. 

“[Music] looks different, but it’s a way that we’re able to share [and] partake in others, but also share our own [culture],” Meyers said. “And that’s what we get to do this weekend, we get to share.” 

For many Augustana students, singing in Swedish was quite the challenge. Speaking another language isn’t easy for many, and singing in one is just as challenging. 

The choir has sung songs in other languages before, such as German, Latin or Italian, but not in a short time frame nor in front of native speakers, said Director Hurty. They only had two weeks to prepare for this concert, since they started at the beginning of September.

“The pressure is on, from my perspective, to make sure that we’re doing it correctly, so that it shows that we respect the language and that we’re trying our best to do what we can do to make it work,” Hurty said.

However, for First-Year Hedda Ungerstedt, who is from Sweden, singing in Swedish is nothing new. As a native Swedish speaker, Ungerstedt said she has acted as a guide to the others, listening to the choir’s pronunciations and providing corrections.

“I’m very proud of the choir…I am very happy that they were asking me, because I love to teach them my language,” Ungerstedt said.

While many in the audience could not understand the language, both groups received standing ovations at the end of the concert.

The Augustana Choir will tour Scandinavia next summer. They will perform in Sweden, with their final concert at Uppsala, where they hope to see some of their fellow performers again.