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Annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival ushers in Advent season

By Carole Leigh Engblom
December 4, 2005

The annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival is one of the longest-running observances of its kind in the world. Five choral ensembles and the St. Olaf Orchestra -- some 550 student musicians strong -- perform a rich repertoire of classic Advent-Christmas compositions that provide eternal messages of hope, peace and healing. The theme this year is "O Come to Us, Abide with Us, Our Lord Immanuel" with concerts Dec. 1, 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 4 at 3:30 p.m. in Skoglund Center Auditorium. The ticketed event will be broadcast to regional and national audiences by MPR and American Public Media as part of their holiday programming.

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A scene from last year's St. Olaf Christmas Festival. This year's theme is "O Come to Us, Abide with Us, Our Lord Immanuel."
Five choral ensembles and the St. Olaf Orchestra will perform a rich repertoire of classic Christmas compositions along with familiar carols and hymns from around the world. "Our goal is to provide a message of hope and healing, an essential message of the Christmas season that will have a special resonance this holiday," says Dr. Anton Armstrong, artistic director of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival.

The participating choral ensembles include the critically-acclaimed 74-member St. Olaf Choir, conducted by Armstrong; the 65-member Viking Chorus and the 120-member Chapel Choir, both conducted by Christopher Aspaas; the 110-member Cantorei, conducted by John Ferguson and the 100-member Manitou Singers, conducted by Sigrid Johnson. The St. Olaf Orchestra is conducted by Steven Amundson. Each group performs individually and as part of a mass ensemble.

The St. Olaf Choir was founded nearly a century ago by F. Melius Christiansen. The Choir set a new standard of excellence for choral performance when it toured the cultural centers of the Eastern United States in 1920. That standard of excellence continues today under the direction of Armstrong as the choir continues to perform for capacity audiences in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Each year more than 12,000 people travel to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, to attend the Christmas Festival.

Radio Broadcasts (All times listed are Central Standard Time.) A live broadcast of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival will be broadcast on 99.5 KSJN in the Twin Cities and on the classical music stations of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3:30 p.m. In addition to the live broadcast, MPR's classical stations will air the Christmas Festival on Friday, Dec. 23, at 8 p.m. Both broadcasts will also be available at Minnesota Public Radio

National radio broadcasts The St. Olaf Christmas Festival will be distributed nationally by American Public Media for broadcast in December. Check local National Public Radio listings for the day and time in your area. American Public Media, the audio broadcast partner of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, is the national production and distribution arm of Minnesota Public Radio.

Internet broadcasts Following the 2005 St. Olaf Christmas Festival concert, American Public Media will present an audio archive of the program for on-demand listening. Links will be available on the St. Olaf College website.

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Television Broadcasts (All times listed are Central Standard Time.) A new PBS Christmas special offers a rare treat for viewers this holiday season. A St. Olaf Christmas in Norway, featuring the St. Olaf Choir with the Nidaros Cathedral Girls Choir and soloist Randi Stene, will premiere on Twin Cities Public Television on Dec. 21 at 8 p.m., with encore broadcasts on Dec. 24 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 25 at 8:30 p.m.

A St. Olaf Christmas in Norway will air on PBS stations nationwide on Dec. 21, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25. National broadcast information can be found on the St. Olaf Christmas in Norway website.

The one-hour program, filmed in the magnificent Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim during the St. Olaf Choir's tour of Norway in 2005 (along with the St. Olaf Band and St. Olaf Orchestra) will also air in Norway and be distributed internationally by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). A St. Olaf Christmas in Norway DVDs and CDs will be available through St. Olaf Records beginning in January 2006.

Contact Carole Engblom at 507-646-3271 or leigh@stolaf.edu.