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St. Olaf College celebrates the 100th anniversary of Choral Fest on Sunday

By Nancy J. Ashmore and Jake Erickson '06
October 31, 2002

"Lutherans are bred from childhood to sing in four-part harmony," Garrison Keillor says. "It's a talent that comes from sitting on the lap of someone singing alto or tenor or bass and hearing the harmonic intervals by putting your little head against that person's rib cage."

For those who aren't Lutheran -- or who want to expand upon the lessons learned in their parents' laps -- the St. Olaf College Choral Festival, at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, will be a multi-voice demonstration of four-part harmony.

Held in Skoglund Auditorium, the event is free and open to the public.

The festival, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, brings together some of the region's finest high school, college and church choirs to sample the best of today's choral repertoire. This year, five choral ensembles of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival (Chapel Choir, Manitou Singers, Cantorei, St. Olaf Choir, Viking Chorus), and the St. Olaf Orchestra will be appearing, along with Cantus, an all-male vocal ensemble primarily composed of former Oles. They will perform separately and with 33 church and high school choirs from around Minnesota and Wisconsin - for a total of more than 1,300 participants.

The program will include such favorites as the orchestral "Russian Sailor's Dance," from The Red Poppy by Reinhold Gliere, the F. Melius Christiansen setting of "Beautiful Savior" with the massed choir, along with "He Comes to Us," arr. by John Ferguson, and "God of Life," by F.J. Haydn, with the choirs and orchestra.

Also featured will be the world premiere of two newly commissioned works for this event: V'chi t' tu (Song of Peace), an arrangement by Alice Parker, and Nunc dimittis, composed by René Clausen for choir and orchestra.

Conducting will be St. Olaf Music Department faculty members Steven Amundson, Anton Armstrong, Sigrid Johnson, Robert Scholz, and John Ferguson.

The St. Olaf Choral Festival began in May 1904 under the direction of F. Melius Christiansen. The two-day event included music, speeches and a baseball game played against Luther College. Eventually, in the mid-1920s, the college began to invite outside choirs, and the festival grew.

In 1984 two choral festivals were held, one in the spring and a second in the fall to accommodate the anticipated visit to the campus in the spring of 1985 of distinguished choral conductor, Robert Shaw. When participating high school and church choirs reacted enthusiastically to the seasonal switch, it was made permanent.

St. Olaf College, a national leader among liberal arts institutions, fosters the development of mind, body and spirit. It is a residential college in Northfield, Minn., and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college provides personalized instruction and diverse learning environments, with nearly two-thirds of its students participating in international studies.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.