History
The Viking Chorus at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, is a
group of more than 70 first-year student men who have been organized to
sing the highest quality literature. They perform a program of music
which includes motets, cantata movements, and anthems, as well as
contemporary choral pieces, spirituals, folksongs, and music
traditionally associated with men's singing groups.
The Viking Chorus was founded in 1935 by Luther Onerheim '37, when a number of students gathered together informally under student direction. For more than 30 years the Vikings flourished under student direction.
In 1968, Dr. Robert Scholz '61 (Dr. Bob) returned to St. Olaf, and was given leadership of this ensemble. Several years later, the Viking Chorus changed from a four-year ensemble to an ensemble open only to first-year men. Under Dr. Bob's direction, the Viking Chorus has recorded three Compact Discs for St. Olaf Records and toured extensively throughout the midwest.
In 2005, Dr. Christopher Aspaas '95 followed Dr. Bob as the second faculty conductor of the Viking Chorus (having sung in the ensemble as a first-year).
The 2005-2006 Viking Chorus participated as a solo choir in the Intercollegiate Male Choruses Inc. National Seminar at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, and after their performance their continued their travels to Milwaukee and Madison. They participate in many campus events, including the annual Christmas Festival, Choral Day, Family Weekend, and chapel services.
The 2006-2007 Viking Chorus will perform as a solo choir at Choral Day (November), the MMEA Mid-Winter Clinic (February) and on tour in Iowa and South Dakota (March).
