St. Olaf Choir
Encyclopedia
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
of St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf College is a coeducational, residential, four-year, private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American immigrant pastors and farmers, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after Olaf II of Norway,...
, Northfield, Minnesota
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
. Officially founded in 1912 by music faculty member F. Melius Christiansen
F. Melius Christiansen
F. Melius Christiansen was a Norwegian-born violinist and choral conductor in the Lutheran choral tradition.-Background:...
as the St. Olaf Lutheran Choir, it began as an outgrowth of the local St. John's Lutheran Church
St. John's Lutheran Church (Northfield, Minnesota)
-Brief history:Founded in 1869, the church has shared a close relationship with St. Olaf College. The famous St. Olaf Choir first started at St. John's. The church was founded by Bernt Julius Muus, who founded several other churches as well as St. Olaf College....
, where Christiansen was organist. The choir was composed at least partly of students from the nearby St. Olaf campus.
The St. Olaf Choir is a pioneer of singing in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, born out of Christiansen's appreciation of the style he studied while at Thomasschule zu Leipzig
Thomasschule zu Leipzig
St. Thomas School, Leipzig is a co-educational and public boarding school in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1212 and is one of the oldest schools in the world.St. Thomas is known for its art, language and music education...
.
Along with F. Melius Christiansen, permanent directors have included Olaf Christiansen, Kenneth Jennings
Kenneth Jennings
Kenneth Jennings is the Harry R. and Thora Helseth Tosdal Professor Emeritus of Music and Director Emeritus of the St. Olaf Choir. He is a published arranger, composer, and choral music educator.-Biography:...
and the choir's current conductor, Anton Armstrong
Anton Armstrong
Dr. Anton Armstrong is the conductor of the St. Olaf Choir as well as the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College of Northfield, Minnesota in the USA. Armstrong became only the fourth director of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990, continuing the tradition begun by the choir's...
(since 1990).
The choir tours for two weeks domestically every year in February, during the college's week-long interim break and the first week of second semester. In the summer of 2005, the St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf Band
St. Olaf Band
The St. Olaf Band, an ensemble of approximately 90 musicians, is the touring concert band of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. The band was founded in 1891, and holds the honor of being the first music organization established at St. Olaf. F. Melius Christiansen assumed leadership of the...
and St. Olaf Orchestra traveled on a joint tour to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, celebrating the college's Norwegian heritage and the centennial of Norway's independence. During the summer of 2009 the choir toured the British Isles for the first time in its history.