A look inside Roseville’s very own harmonica choir

By Carol Marchel

For over 30 years, Roseville has had its own harmonica choir— the Windjammers.

It all started with a harmonica class at Roseville Community Education, when students decided to play together even after the class ended. The group has been going ever since.

Over the years, the Windjammers have played at over 300 functions, generally for free. According to Boyer, they perform “pretty much wherever we are invited,” including nursing homes, funerals, birthdays, restaurants and once at a Christmas concert in HarMar Mall. During COVID-19 lockdowns, the Windjammers even played in Central Park, at a respectable distance from each other.

Choir leader Linnea Boyer, who joined at the start, said, “Over the years, members have come and gone. Right now the group has many newer members.” 

At one point, the group had over 30 members, but COVID-19 thinned membership to its present size of about 10. At weekly rehearsals, a room in the basement of Roseville City Hall is full of interesting harmonicas— not exactly the ones you may have played with in your younger years. For example, the Windjammers play chromatic harmonicas, which have a slider mechanism and are often used in jazz and classical music. Other harmonicas used by the group are 12, 14 or 16 hole harmonicas, a Hohner bass harmonica, and a 20-inch chord harmonica. The bass and chordharmonicas play rhythm, not unlike the role of string basses in more traditional orchestras. There’s a guitar player who helps guide the rhythm, too.

Good harmonicas are not cheap— a good instrument can easily set you back several hundreds of dollars— but harmonicas suitable for group playing are quite affordable.  The musician who plays the Hohner bass bought his harmonica used in his younger years while working as a soda jerk. Hohners, made in Germany, typically cost thousands of dollars, but many Windjammers play on instruments costing less than $50.

Several in the group said they were influenced by legendary Twin Cities harmonica musician, the late Dick Gardner, who played in Jerry Murad’s Harmonicats, a group famous in the late 1940s and early 50s. The Harmonicats toured broadly, playing on the Ed Sullivan Show and at Carnegie Hall. Gardner once visited the Windjammers, doing a little playing with them.

The Windjammers work hard, but definitely have fun. There’s lots of laughing and teasing and even a shout-out to a member celebrating her wedding anniversary that day.  One member, who withheld her name for privacy reasons, said she likes coming because “Linnea makes everything so relaxing.” 

“The best thing about this is you don’t have to know music to play,” said Pat, who only gave her first name.

Pat, who joined four years ago, said though she did not know how to read music or have previous experience with an instrument, she kept at it and has improved considerably.  She even agreed to perform “Danny Boy,”— quite an accomplishment for a “newbie.”

Because the repertoire is made up of tunes most folks know, the music is easy to understand. Group members said that when they perform, people in the audience almost always sing along. The singing helps cover any playing mistakes.

If you like music, comradery and affordable fun, the Windjammers could be for you. You can learn as you go and don’t have to carry a big instrument around. Don’t expect to find out about the Windjammers online, though, because they don’t have a website or a Facebook page. Their fame is spread by word of mouth.

The Windjammers may fly under the radar, yet they have been part of Roseville’s cultural scene for a long time, generously sharing their music.

If interested, contact Linnea Boyer at 651-428-1552.  Visit the group and be ready to be drawn into the fun.

Photo credit: Various harmonicas played by the Windjammers. Photo by Carol Marchel