About Ellen and Ken

Ellen (Haffling) and Ken Svengalis perform, primarily, traditional Swedish folk songs and ballads, with voice, guitar, and violin. Together, they have performed for a number of Swedish and Scandinavian organizations and festivals throughout the Northeast, including the SAHS Midsummer Celebration and ScandJam in NJ, the Scandinavian Folk Festival in Jamestown, NY, and the Scandinavian Fest in NJ, as well as numerous R.I. Swedish Heritage Association (RISHA), American Union of Swedish Singers (AUSS), and Scandinavian Club events. They have also performed in Rockford, IL at their Midsummer festival. Their biggest thrills to date have been singing solos in Detroit at the AUSS Grand Concert (in 2004) and in Sweden as part of the AUSS singing tour (in 2005).

Ellen and Ken are members of Nordic Harmoni, a Swedish chorus that belongs to the American Union of Swedish Singers (AUSS), with which they sing solos and duets. They also sing at their church.

Ellen, who is of Swedish descent, has been performing as a soloist at Scandinavian events for four decades. All four of her grandparents emigrated from Sweden, from the provinces of Halland and Värmland. Her father, the late Eric Haffling, sang with the North Star Singers of the AUSS for 66 years. Ellen developed a love for Scandinavian music by hearing them perform. Her hand-made folk costume is from a village in Värmland. She is a past national secretary of the American Union of Swedish Singers and is currently their webmaster and newspaper editor. Ellen was the first female president of the Scandinavian Club of Fairfield, CT. She directed the Lucia Fest at the Scandinavian Club for over 10 years. She feels that it's important to pass on Swedish songs and traditions to the coming generations. When not promoting her heritage, Ellen is a computer software consultant, graphic designer, website designer, photographer, and editor.

Ken Svengalis is of Swedish and Lithuanian descent. His maternal grandparents emigrated from the Swedish provinces of Småland and Värmland. His paternal grandparents emigrated from the Suwalki region of Lithuania. He particularly enjoys singing the songs of Carl Michael Bellman and Evert Taube. Ken is on the board of the Jussi Björling Society – USA, which honors the career of the 20th century’s greatest operatic tenor. He also serves as president of the Rhode Island Swedish Heritage Association which works to preserve the history of the Swedish immigrants to southern New England and share its customs. Ken is an author, publisher, and president of New England LawPress, which publishes the annual Legal Information Buyer's Guide & Reference Manual. His latest books, Conspiracy on the Housatonic and The Great Emerson Art Heist, are historical fiction novels about a Swedish-American girl detective. But, there's an unusual twist: they are also vocabulary-building books for all ages. Ken also wrote Gary, Indiana: A Centennial Celebration, about his home town, which celebrated its centennial in 2006.

Ken and Ellen were married in 2001 and make their home in the rolling hills of Connecticut.