organist at the Oulu church, he went on to study at the Helsinki Conservatory, while auditing courses at the Helsinki Normal Lyceum as well. During the time that he was organist of the church of St. Nicholas in Helsinki he also composed several works for choral groups, but then came his move to the United States, a brief stay in Michigan followed by his settling down in Minnesota. Björkman came to Ely in 1902, and a few years later he moved

Ely's S. S. Luther League choir. Front row: Miriam Vatilo (East), Violet
Mäki (Lassey), Helmi Koivumäki (Lintula), director, Viena Hill (Virtanen),
Lilja Mäki (Hendrickson). Second row: Esther Porthan (Nixon), Viena
Somero (Suoja), Martha Mäki (Koski), Ida Porthan (Bevins), Laila Ritola,
Martha Mattola (Erickson), Aune Palmgard, Sylvia Koski (Isaakson). Back
row: Charles Lassey, Uno Jokinen, William Lassey, Kauko Luhtanen, Lauri
Leino, Toimi Lepistö.

from there to Virginia. He was decorated by the Finnish Government in 1930 for his contributions to musical culture, receiving the Order of the White Rose of Finland.

Björkman's devotion to his work in Ely came to its fruition in 1904, when the male chorus (Elyn Kaiku, the Ely Echo) of 26 voices and the mixed chorus (Viesti, the Message) of 20 voices,

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