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St. Olaf Commencement weekend to include Norway 'farewell' performance, tribute to Robert Scholz

By Le Ann Finger '85
May 27, 2005

This year's Celebration Weekend at St. Olaf College includes two special concerts that are open to the public: the final performance of the St. Olaf Band, Choir and Orchestra before they head off on their joint tour of Norway, and a special tribute to retiring Professor of Music Robert Scholz.

The first performance is a joint concert of the St. Olaf Band, Choir and Orchestra on Friday, May 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Skoglund Center Auditorium. The concert will feature a preview of the music the three ensembles will perform during their upcoming tour of Norway.

In June, the three ensembles will make an unprecedented joint performance tour of Norway in celebration of the country's centennial year and more than 100 years of friendship and legacy between St. Olaf and Norway. The tour will include joint performances in Oslo, Bergen, Molde and Trondheim, with each ensemble presenting additional concerts throughout the country.

The performance will begin with the St. Olaf Band, conducted by Timothy Mahr '78, performing four selections, including "Overture for Band" by John Heins and "The Soaring Hawk" by Mahr. The band also will play two movements from Donald Grantham's "Southern Harmony" and conclude with "Jug Blues and Fat Pickin" by Don Freund.

The St. Olaf Choir, conducted by Anton Armstrong '78, will follow the band, singing in German, Norwegian, Latin and Spanish. They open their program with Bach's "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied." Other favorites include "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord" by Moses Hogan and F. Melius Christiansen's "Beautiful Savior" - the choir's signature song.

The St. Olaf Orchestra, conducted by Steven Amundson, will conclude the Norway Farewell Concert with four selections, including Gershwin's "Cuban Overture," "Overture to West Side Story" by Leonard Bernstein and the ensemble's signature song, "The Turtle Dove," by G. Winston Cassler.

A special concert honouring Professor of Music Robert Scholz '61, who is retiring after 37 years of service to St. Olaf, will take place on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Boe Memorial Chapel. The performance will include St. Olaf alumni of the Chapel Choir, Viking Chorus and the former Campus Choir joining the mass choir of singers under the direction of Scholz. The performance will include "Lord, in Thee Have I Trusted" by Handel, "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place" by Brahms and "Nunc dimittis" by Scholz.

For more information on Celebration Weekend at St. Olaf, visit www.stolaf.edu.

Contact Le Ann Finger at 507-786-3416 or finger@stolaf.edu.