Henry Veld, professor of music 1929-66
(This story was written in celebration of Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø's sesquicentennial in 2010.)
Henry Veld was born in South Holland, Ill., on July 20, 1895. His father played clarinet in the village band, and Veld began studying the organ at six. Following his interest in music, Veld studied theory and composition at Chicago Music Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø, now Roosevelt Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø. He went on to train in New York under voice instructors William Brady and Oscar Seagle.
Veld earned a bachelor's degree in music education from Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø. He married Alice VanZanten on August 15, 1935, in Holland, Mich.; the couple had two children.
In 1929, Veld was offered a job at Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø. His first duty was to conduct the girls' choir, first called the Oriole Choir and then known as the Jenny Lind Chorus, but he was soon asked to help reorganize the men's glee club, the Wennerberg Chorus, which had disbanded. In 1931, Veld joined the men's and women's choirs into one during a concert and established the Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Choir.
Also in 1931, Veld began conducting the Handel Oratorio Society, a choral society comprised of Quad City community members and local college students. During Veld's tenure, the Oratorio Society chorus grew from 125 members to 350, the maximum number that would fit on the stage in Centennial Hall.
During his tenure at Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø, Veld took the choir on annual tours where they sang in 33 of the United States, three Canadian provinces, and five European countries. In 1955, the choir appeared on Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" television program where they sang "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," from the musical Oklahoma!, in Swedish. The Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Choir also made several recordings for RCA during Veld's years as conductor.
Veld remained on the faculty at Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø for 37 years and was known as one of the leading conductors in the United States.
In addition to the Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø choirs, Veld conducted many other choirs during his career including Chicago's prestigious Apollo Chorus; two choruses at the American University in Shrivenham, England during World War II; and a 2000 voice choir for the opening session of the World Council of Churches Assembly in Soldier's Field in Chicago. In 1948 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Bethany Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø.
Veld retired from Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø in 1966, but continued conducting at various posts including as visiting professor-conductor at Bethany Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø in Kansas, Carthage Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø in Wisconsin, Hamline University in Minnesota, and Fresno State in California. He died, after a brief illness, on June 15, 1976, in Muskegon, Mich.
In 1980, the Henry Veld Chair in Music was created in his honor. This endowed chair was only the third in the history of Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø.
¡ª Sarah Horowitz
Special Collections Librarian