News & Media
From One Stage to the Next
Jun 05, 2018
He stepped off the main stage of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and two days later he was unpacking for his next gig in Chicago.
Performing at the Kennedy Center was “absolutely wonderful,” said Christopher Kenney ’14. His last performance was with Patti LuPone, Nathan Gunn and Isabel Leonard at the Washington National Opera gala, which raised $1 million for the company's…
Music AlumniReady to Lead
Mar 06, 2018
Growing up in the northern Idaho Panhandle near the Canadian border, Samuel Gaines ’18 had long wanted to sing with the best collegiate choir he could find and in his research The Concordia Choir was always listed as a top choir.
During his senior year in high school, he came to Moorhead for a campus visit and heard a concert.
“It was awe-inspiring,” he says. “It gave me a sense of wonder and excitement that I had never experienced. The depth of sound and the level…
MusicNew Mexico Native Finds Niche
Feb 26, 2018
When Joshua Prichard ’19 was a high school student in Las Cruces, N.M., his choir conductor – a Concordia Choir alum – thought he’d be a good fit for the choral music program at Concordia.
Despite changing his major from music to global studies, Prichard agrees he’s benefitting from that recommendation.
“Every day, I’m learning something new from the man who has prepared scores of choral conductors in the U.S. and abroad,” Prichard…
MusicThe Singers Celebrate Clausen
Feb 16, 2015
A series of events hosted by The Singers, a professional choir in Minneapolis, will honor the contributions and work of Dr. René Clausen.
The events – including a community sing – will be held Feb. 19-21.
Clausen is renowned as conductor of The Concordia Choir. The director and choral composer is on sabbatical this academic year, but his teaching legacy is evident throughout…
MusicConcordia’s Brainerd Concert is a Homecoming
Feb 09, 2015
When The Concordia Choir takes the stage at Brainerd’s Tornstrom Auditorium Feb. 14, the hall will be very familiar to two choir members and their conductor.
Wyatt Steinke '17 and Naomi Swanson '17, both Brainerd (Minn.) High School graduates, will be singing for their hometown. Michael Smith, who taught in Brainerd schools for 25 years, is the guest conductor of The Concordia Choir, filling in for…
Music AlumniChristmas Concert Filled With Light
Nov 25, 2014
As the campus community prepares to ring in the holiday season, students and faculty in the choirs and orchestra are gearing up for the 88th annual Concordia Christmas Concerts.
The theme for this year’s Christmas Concert is “Arise, Shine, for Your Light Has Come.” Two choral conductors are the concert’s co-artistic directors.
D. Michael Smith, visiting conductor of The Concordia Choir, and Dr. Michael Culloton, conductor…
Music EventsVocal Performance Student Lands Fulbright
Apr 21, 2014
Exactly 30 years after her mother traveled to Germany on a Fulbright scholarship, Elsa Lund ’14, Seattle, will be heading there this fall.
Lund, a vocal performance major at Concordia, applied for Fulbright’s English Teaching Assistant Program with encouragement from her parents, who were both Fulbright scholars.
She heard the good news April 2 and immediately called her mom.…
Academics GlobalChoir Shares Hawaiian Culture
Mar 26, 2014
When The Concordia Choir went to Hawaii as part of its tour this spring, members didn’t just give a concert. They also experienced the state’s culture.
On their first full day in Honolulu, choir members exchanged culture and music with the Gioventu Musicale group. Gioventu is a youth choir made up of students from the Honolulu area. It’s under the direction of Nola Nahulu.
This is the second…
MusicVocal Major Has a Soaring Future
Mar 24, 2014
Chris Kenney ’14, Hawley, Minn., won a prestigious scholarship to study opera. He also dreams of flying.
Kenney possesses a singularly expressive baritone voice of exceptional range.
The Concordia music major recently won first place in the Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition in Lexington, Ky. The scholarship comes with a tuition waiver for…
MusicChristmas Concert Preparation Under Way
Dec 06, 2013
For many, the beginning of the holiday season is marked by attending the annual Concordia Christmas Concert. This year's concert includes some audience favorites along with some changes.
Now in its 87th year, the Concordia Christmas Concert is symbolic of the season filled with glad tidings and good cheer.
The approximately 450 people involved with this year’s concerts have been busily preparing and working on a few unanticipated…
Events Music