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History

Copy from an article in the local paper Aarhus Stiftstidende Saturday 8. February 1999:
New choir for good oldies
by Lotte Hemmer

Ældre Sagen Aarhus Nord has started a new mixed choir: "The Good Oldies" as the 26 members call it.
The conductor is going to be Marianne Nørholm Villadsen.

The president is going to be Bent Møller, Egaa, who, for 13 years, was president of "The Men’s choir Arion".

Marianne Nørholm Villadsen is known among the inhabitants of Aarhus. She participates in the festival plays of Vilhelmsborg where she conducts the orchestra. She also conducts the female "Vocal group Harperne" in Aarhus.

The choir has room for more and plans to be an extroverted choir with many performances.


Has always been singing.

"The Good Oldies" has chosen a very experienced president.

His name is Bent Møller and until recently he was president of "The Men’s Choir Arion". He has been a member of that choir since 1980. At the last general meeting another president was elected.

Bent Møller has always been singing. As a child he sang at "Aarhus School of Music". Some of his teachers were Hans Erik Knudsen and Jette Tikøb and he, i.a. sang with Ellen Winther and Preben Torntoft.

About 20 years ago Bent Møller decided to take a break from choir practice. He was busy with his job as self-employed electrician and with his family which includes his wife Liselotte and his two daughters.

In 1980 Bent Møller then became a member of The Men’s Choir Arion; and he was president for 13 years. During his period as president he managed to find a permanent practice room in Risskov. At the corner of Grenaavej and Hørgaardsvej in Arions Hus (Arion’s House) "The Men’s Choir Arion" practices.

Funnily enough it is also in Arion’s House that the new choir "The Good Oldies" practices every Tuesday.

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The story of the choir
by Bent Møller

The first general meeting took place on 2 February 1999. A lot of names were suggested for the choir, i.a.: Da Capo (Dacapo), Once gain, Vitalis-koret (Chorus Vitalis), Otilia-koret (The Otilia choir) og Aarhus Senior Kor (Aarhus Senior Choir). But the name The Good Oldies won the voting. Later the name became: "GOOD  OLDIES"

The first board:
President: Bent Møller
Vice-President: Jens Christian Jørgensen
Treasurer: Lis Daugaard
Secretary: Hanne Tofte
Archivist: Peer Hove Kristiansen

The choir gave its first concert on Monday 31 May at the end of the season in Ældre Sagen Aarhus Midt at Aaboulevarden in Aarhus.

In April 2000 we participated in an amusing entertainment, "Dus med musikken" (friends with music), in Hørning Hallen (the hall in Hørning).

As Marianne Nørholm Villadsen only had promised to conduct the choir at the beginning we hired Annette Kibsgaard as Marianne’s successor on 23 July 1999. Annette conducted the choir until the summer holiday 2001 when she left for England to continue her studies.

She was replaced by Tina Warncke Olesen. At the beginning Tina was a bit reserved, but very soon she was a great favourite by all the members of the choir. As she also had to continue her education she stopped conducting the choir when the spring season ended in 2004.

Ingrid Jacobsen started on 24 August 2004. She only stayed about a year and with just one day’s notice she ended the co-operation as she had got a job she could not resist.

It was very disadvantageous as we had arranged a concert tour to Goslar in Harzen, Germany in September 2005.
Until we found a new conductor Tina Warncke Olesen helped us a few times.

We announced for a conductor at the University of Aarhus and not less than four students were interested in conducting "Good Oldies".
We chose Lene Esmarch, who showed us what she could on 5 April 2005. We immediately hired her and after only a few rehearsals she was willing to go on the choir’s first trip abroad, which by the way became a huge success.

We are today, jan. 2010, 43 members (28 women and 15 men)