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St. Olaf Choir touring southern Europe until June 17 first time since 1972

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May 25, 2001

NORTHFIELD, Minn. ? For the first time in nearly 30 years, the renowned St. Olaf Choir of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., is touring southern Europe.

The St. Olaf Choir departs for France on Memorial Day, May 28, and returns in mid-June after a five-nation tour. The ensemble, conducted by Anton Armstrong, last performed in southern Europe in 1972, when it was conducted by Kenneth Jennings.

The tour will take the St. Olaf Choir to France, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany. Performances are scheduled in Paris, Chartres, Sorbonne and Auvers-sur-Oise, France; in Salzburg, Linz, Vienna, Hollabrunn and Rosenburg, Austria; in Bratislava, Slovakia; in Prague, the Czech Republic; and in Berlin, Leipzig and Eisenach, Germany.

The choir will perform a wide variety of music, including "Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Sing Ye Praises" by Aaron Copland, "Water Night" by Eric Whitacre and a selection of spirituals featuring Moses Hogan?s "My Soul?s Been Anchored in the Lord."

The 75-voice St. Olaf Choir has toured annually since 1912, when it was founded by F. Melius Christiansen. A 1920 tour to major music centers of the East Coast sowed the seeds of the ensemble?s national reputation, establishing its a cappella style of singing as a primary element in American choral music.

Since then 12 tours to Europe, Asia and Australia have produced international acclaim for the ensemble. In 1988 the group was one of five choirs in the world invited to participate in the Seoul Olympic Arts Festival in South Korea. In 1993 the ensemble completed a 21-day concert tour of Norway and Denmark that included appearances at the Bergen International Festival. A 1997 tour to New Zealand and Australia marked the ensemble?s first tour "down under."

Armstrong, Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal professor of music at St. Olaf College, has been conductor of the St. Olaf Choir since 1990. A 1978 bachelor of music graduate of St. Olaf (where he was a member of the St. Olaf Choir), Armstrong later earned a master of music degree in choral music from the University of Illinois and a doctor of musical arts degree in choral conducting from Michigan State University.

The St. Olaf Choir has inspired and entertained thousands of audiences, first under the direction of F. Melius Christiansen, then under his son Olaf C. Christiansen, then under Kenneth Jennings (who led the ensemble from 1968 to 1990), and now under Armstrong.

The St. Olaf Choir?s European tour schedule:

* Wednesday, May 30: Cathédral Notre Dame, Chartres, France.

* Thursday, May 31: Grand Amphithéâtre Malesherbes, Sorbonne, France.

* Friday, June 1: American Cathedral, Paris, France.

* Sunday, June 3: Church of Notre Dame, Festival Mass and Festival Concert (two performances), Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

* Wednesday, June 6: Salzburg University Church, Salzburg, Austria.

* Thursday, June 7: Ursulienkirche, Linz, Austria.

* Saturday, June 9: Palais Liechtenstein, Vienna, Austria (benefit concert for children seeking asylum in Austria).

* Sunday, June 10: Castle Rosenburg-Marble Hall, Rosenburg, Austria.

* Monday June 11: Philharmonic Hall, Bratislava, Slovakia.

* Tuesday, June 12: Stadtsaal Hollabrun, Hollabrunn, Austria (benefit concert for Sonnendach, a handicapped children?s house).

* Wednesday, June 13: Basilica St. George, Prague, Czech Republic.

* Thursday, June 14: French Cathedral (Französischer Dom), Berlin, Germany.

* Saturday, June 16: Alte Handelsbörse im Zentrum, Leipzig, Germany.

* Sunday, June 17: Georgenkirche, Eisenach, Germany.

More information on sites where the choir will perform, as well as updated photos and news from the tour, can be found at: http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/music/stolaf_choir.

St. Olaf College prepares students to become responsible citizens of the world, fostering development of mind, body and spirit. A four-year, coeducational liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), St. Olaf has a student enrollment of 2,950 and a full-time faculty complement of approximately 300. It is one of Money Guide?s top 100 "elite values in college education today," and it leads the nation?s colleges in percentage of students who study abroad.

Contact Michael Cooper at 507-786-3315 or cooperm@stolaf.edu.