What is your connection to Sweden?
Göran: I was born in Småland but grew up on Öland. I have a Master’s Degree in architecture from Chalmers and moved to Atlanta 1993 after 33 years of work in Malmö and Stockholm.
Jay: We had a Swedish exchange student in my home when I was in high school which sparked my interest for Sweden. In college I studied abroad in Skinnskatteberg, Sweden. I stayed in Stockholm during the summer afterwards and worked. After graduating I received a Fulbright Fellowship to do graduate work. I spent a year studying Swedish literature so now I speak Swedish and I even teach it.
Tell us a little bit about your organization, what does Vasa Drängar in Atlanta do?
Vasa Drängar is a nonprofit men’s choir which started in 1996. Göran was asked to put together a group to sing some Swedish songs at a crayfish event. “We found that people appreciated it and we like to sing, so we kept going since then, 25 years ago.”