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St. Olaf, Westminster choirs to present joint concert at Bethel College in Arden Hills

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March 5, 2002

NORTHFIELD, MINN. -- Two giants of choral music, the St. Olaf Choir of Northfield and the Westminster Choir of Princeton, N.J., will collaborate for only the second time in their decades-long history. A joint concert of the world-renowned college choirs will take place Sunday, March 17 at 4 p.m. at Bethel College in Arden Hills.

"Heavenly combination" is how one reviewer described the first joint appearance of the two choirs last month in Pittsburgh, Pa. The 75-voice St. Olaf choir, which is celebrating its 90th year at St. Olaf College and is directed by St. Olaf alumnus Anton Armstrong, is the "greyhound of the two, sleek and light on its vocal feet," according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette music critic Jane Vranish.

She described the Westminster Choir, which operates out of Rider University under the direction of Joseph Flummerfelt, as "operatic in quality" and "musically rich." The Westminster Choir marked its 75th anniversary last year with a world-premiere performance of Stephen Paulus's "Voices of Light."

At their Twin Cities appearance, the choirs will showcase their individual repertoire and styles and then perform two pieces together: "Danny Boy," with an arrangement by Flummerfelt, and "Beautiful Savior," arranged by F. Melius Christiansen, founder and first director of the St. Olaf Choir.

Among the works the St. Olaf Choir will perform - drawn from the group's recently concluded East Coast winter tour - are multicultural pieces such as "Past Life Melodies" by Sarah Hopkins (drawn from her experience with Australian Aboriginal art and music) and "Tancuj, Tancuj," sung in Slovak.

The Westminster Choir's repertory includes "Ave Maria," "The Circus Band" by Charles Ives and Olivier Messiaen's "O Sacrum Convivium!" Armstrong, a professor of music at St. Olaf, has conducted the St. Olaf Choir since 1990. He earned a master of music degree in choral music from the University of Illinois and a doctor of musical arts degree in choral conduction from Michigan State University. This spring he is scheduled to lead choral festivals in New York City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Armstrong also has been conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Youth Choral Academy since 1998.

Tickets for the event cost $16 and $14 for adults and $10 for students and are available by calling 651-638-6333 or 800-255-8706, x6333.

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 more than two-thirds of its students participating in international studies. For more information, see www.stolaf.edu.

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