October 14, 2014
Update to the original post:
We just learned that Anna Solberg Cloud died October 3, 2014. Here is the link to her obituary originally published in the Times: Anna Solberg Cloud
Day 11-Salish Sea Players Celebrations Campaign 2014
On May 30, 2014 we performed at the Foss Home in Greenwood. We perform at the Foss on a regular basis for several of the Activities Directors (unit 100, unit 400, 2nd floor, etc.) and always have a good time. This particular performance was an “it’s a small world” moment and that led to some fun times sharing memories with a new friend and my Mom.
Sitting at the front table waiting for the concert to start was a lovely woman and her visiting niece. When I went to greet them and hand them a program I learned t
hat the woman, Anna Cloud, had been a French Horn player in the Seattle Symphony Orchestra (SSO) starting in 1940–I don’t know when she retired but it must have been in the mid to late 60’s. The SSO was unusual in those days because it had several women playing in the orchestra—but to be a woman brass player!! Wow! Another woman in the orchestra during that time was 
my violin teacher in junior and senior high school–Karla Kantner (I think she retired in the late 60’s). I asked Anna if she had known Karla and she said, “Oh, yes, she lived on 20th!” And that house IS where I had my lessons for many years!
I went poking around on the internet the next morning and called my Mom because Anna had mentioned Ballard High which is where my Mom went to school. My Mom remembered a girl a little older than her who played horn. So she got out her Ballard High School Yearbooks and started searching. We figured out that the girl my Mo
m remembered was Anna’s younger sister Elna (who also played horn and also joined the SSO) and that’s how I learned that Anna’s maiden name was Solberg. I found a reference to her in the Nordic Heritage Museum and found a photo from February 23, 1940 in the Western Libraries Digital Collections of several players, including Anna, from the University of Washington—and they all played in the SSO too.
Anna was very enthusiastic about the concert we gave on Friday as were all the residents. It was a fun show with several questions thrown to us from the audience. We love that. And I love how this concert sparked memories not only for Anna and her niece, but for me and my Mom too.
Please join with us by giving a donation to the Salish Sea Players. Even a small gift helps us bring music to a beautiful audience, often sparking some sweet memories—those in retirement, nursing, memory care, and long-term care facilities! Donate safely online and receive a tax receipt from Shunpike the Early Music Guild. Maybe your employer matches donations? Check it out!
salishseaplayers.org 