Abstract
Materials of a choral society.
Administrative/Biographical History
Responding to requests for the creation of a choral group, the Grand Forks Oratorio Society was established in 1907. In May of that year, the inaugural spring music festival was held at the Metropolitan Opera House. Professor George A. Stout of Wesley College was the first conductor, while John W. Ogren was the first choir master. Ogren later became president of the society. Perhaps the most significant involvement of the Oratorio Society in the community was its leadership role for a new auditorium. As a result, the Grand Forks Auditorium was built at what was then North Fifth Street and Dakota Avenue and was completed in time for the third festival in May 1909. The Grand Forks Oratorio Society appears to have remained active into the 1920s.
