Alumni Achievement Award (AAA) Jane
Leland Iverson ’70, Choir Director and
Organist Just as the melodies pour out of the choirs she directs, Jane Leland Iverson’s ’70 love for music envelops everything and everyone she encounters. After graduating from St. Olaf with a B.M. degree in music, Iverson went on to earn an MAT degree from Minnesota State University-Mankato, as well as a D.A. degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Shortly after completing her studies, Iverson become the coordinator of music at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyo. During her nine years there, she was a three-time recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award for the Arts and Humanities Division. In 1991 she founded the Cheyenne Chamber Singers, a group that has earned regional and national praise. In 2004 the group was chosen to perform at the American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA) convention in Boise, Idaho. In October 2006 they performed “Mozart’s Requiem” with the San Francisco Concert Chorale in both Cheyenne and San Francisco. Sixteen years ago, Iverson founded the Cheyenne Christmas Choral Festival, an annual two-day event she still co-directs that features more than 300 local singers. The audience reaches maximum capacity every year, and the event is televised on Wyoming public television. Iverson also has conducted the Women’s Chorale and the Civic Chorus at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. In addition to making music, Iverson also lends her services to several organizations. She is a board member and former president of the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. She also is former president of the Wyoming ACDA and currently serves as that organization’s repertoire and standards chair for church choirs. A visible reminder of Iverson’s deep dedication to music and her faith resides in Ascension Lutheran Church in Cheyenne. In 2005 Iverson and her husband Don led fundraising efforts to purchase a top-quality pipe organ for the church’s new sanctuary, which she helped design from an acoustic perspective. The Iversons also played an integral role in raising funds for the sanctuary. But her contributions to the church are hands-on as well. Iverson has directed the church’s choir for more than 25 years. In February 2008, the choir was invited to perform for the NW ACDA meeting in Vancouver, B.C. She also serves as organist, as well as occasional cantor and flutist. She also introduced the congregation to Taize worship and helped with the implementation of “Lenten Lunches,” a program for senior citizens unable to attend evening Lenten worship. Iverson’s leadership and many musical contributions to her community were formally recognized in 2004 when she received the Wyoming Governor’s Arts Award. She is highly regarded as one who enriches Wyoming’s culture by challenging singers to make beautiful music for audiences across the state. She is a frequent choral adjudicator and clinician in the Rocky Mountain region. Iverson does not let her busy schedule keep her from remembering St. Olaf as a great place to learn and make music. She often encourages her music students to consider St. Olaf as a place to grow in their musical talents and to be inspired while doing so. St. Olaf students “develop disciplined work habits and strong moral character, all of which prepares them well for the inevitable challenges they will encounter during their lives," Iverson says. Iverson has dedicated her life to finding creative ways to bring people together through music. Her talents, accomplishments and positive attitude represent Wyoming and St. Olaf well. |
