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St. Olaf Gospel Choir to perform Nov. 17 in Twin Cities churches

By Amy Gage
November 10, 2002

The singing, the clapping, the jumpin' jazz piano -- the sheer joy of it all brings people out of their offices at the Christiansen Hall of Music at St. Olaf College, where more staid music traditionally is heard.

Hallelujah! The St. Olaf Gospel Choir is rehearsing.

To celebrate its evolution from a student-led organization to a faculty-directed ensemble, the St. Olaf Gospel Choir will perform this Sunday, Nov. 17, at Park Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon. The group also will sing that afternoon, at 4 p.m., at Riverview Baptist Church in West St. Paul.

Keith McCutchen
McCutchen
Under the direction of composer, jazz pianist and new St. Olaf faculty member Keith McCutchen, the St. Olaf Gospel Choir aims to integrate African-American musical traditions with the European classical traditions for which the college's music ensembles are famous. "I live in this dual world," says McCutchen, who also is music director at Park Avenue United Methodist Church. "I want to share the Afrocentric dimensions of this music while incorporating the vocal-maintenance dimensions of European classical music."

Dan Dressen, who chairs the music department at St. Olaf, says the gospel tradition has more in common with European-based sacred music than may be apparent. "There's a parallel legacy between both traditions," he says. "They share similar gestures both musically and spiritually. That's why, in a St. Olaf Choir concert, you'll hear both Bach and a spiritual. They're an echo of each other - that human gesture to express our faith and spirit."

For a recent concert at Boe Memorial Chapel on campus, McCutchen selected a diverse repertoire of 10 songs, including spirituals handed down in the oral tradition of his ancestors and songs from a variety of cultures. He discovered "My Jehovah" by South African composer Camillo Lombard at the Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music in Minneapolis in August. The choir also will perform "Shma" -- the word means "coming together" in Swahili -- which McCutcheon wrote for a service of reconciliation, or Harambee.

Trained as a music educator and choral conductor, McCutchen favors the call-and-response style of singing he practiced growing up in a black Baptist church in South Union, Ken. There, McCutchen learned songs by ear -- and learned the value of interpretation. "The oral tradition is such a vital part of the history of African-American music," he says, "learning by hearing and passing on through oral transmission."

McCutchen teaches theory, ear training and jazz piano at St. Olaf, in addition to directing the gospel choir. He praises the work of Herbie Washington, a senior student who was the gospel choir's most recent director. McCutchen wants the group to remain accessible -- auditions are not required -- while incorporating the "standard of musical excellence" set by the St. Olaf Choir, which has toured internationally, and other ensembles at the college.

During the gospel choir's weekly practice on Monday evenings, McCutchen works to retain the emotion and spontaneity of gospel music while pushing his students to improve their posture and pay attention to the nuances of the lyrics. "The practice is an opportunity for devotional and worship time, too," says McCutchen, who often directs from the bench of a grand piano. "We have to do all of that in one hour - praise the Lord, but also watch your vowel formations."

McCutchen's connections in the Twin Cities music community are serving the St. Olaf Gospel Choir well. Robert Robinson -- dubbed the "Pavarotti of gospel" for his work with Aretha Franklin, Prince, the Sounds of Blackness and others -- joined the choir for its recent concert on campus.

Robinson is artistic director of the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir, and he tours with pianist Lorie Line.

St. Olaf College is a liberal arts institution that 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.