2013 Centennial Tour to to celebrate St. Olaf ’s historic and cultural ties to the homeland with 11 concerts, May 30-June 16

Conductor Anton Armstrong and singers to deliver performances reflecting their international reputation for uncompromising excellence

As conductor F. Melius Christiansen traveled through Norway with his new St. Olaf Choir in 1913, the concert tour was heralded for its artistic, religious and patriotic significance. He was a Norwegian from Larvik building an impressive music department at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and most of his 50 singers were of Norwegian descent.

When today’s St. Olaf Choir embarks on its seventh concert tour to Norway in June 2013, its singers come from more diverse cultural backgrounds, its conductor Anton Armstrong is African American and its repertory reflects a broader worldview. What hasn’t changed in the past century is the St. Olaf Choir’s commitment to setting the highest standard of choral music performance, as well as celebrating the profound role Norway and its immigrants played in building a rich cultural life in Minnesota, which made it possible for this internationally recognized ensemble to grow and thrive.

For audiences in Norway, the St. Olaf Choir and Armstrong will deliver powerful performances reflecting their international reputation for uncompromising excellence and innovation during its 11-city 2013 Centennial Tour to Norway. The St. Olaf Choir is recognized as a creative force behind America’s a cappella choral tradition, and it will present an eclectic program of sacred and secular masterpieces past and present, as well as dynamic music with a broad global perspective.

The first concert takes place at the Oslo Concert Hall on Thursday, May 30, and concludes Sunday, June 16, at the Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral) in Trondheim. Also on the tour itinerary: Bølgen Concert Hall in Larvik Sunday, June 2; Trefoldighetskirken (Holy Trinity Church) in Monday, June 3; Kilden Concert Hall in Kristiansand Tuesday, June 4; Stavanger Concert Hall Wednesday, June 5; Vår Frelsers Kirke (Our Savior’s Church) in Haugesund Thursday, June 6; Grieghallen (Grieg Hall) in Bergen Sunday, June 9; Voss Kulturhus (Voss Culture House) Tuesday, June 11; Molde Domkirke (Molde Cathedral) Thursday June 13; and Snåsa Church Friday, June 14. Ticket information is available at stolafchoir.com.

In addition to its first visit in 1913, previous St. Olaf Choir concert tours to Norway took place in 1930, 1955, 1980, 1993 and 2005. The St. Olaf Choir’s 2005 tour was a joint trip with the St. Olaf Band and St. Olaf Orchestra, and it celebrated both the Centennial of Norway’s 100 years of independence from Sweden as well as 100 years of friendship and historical legacy between St. Olaf College and Norway. In December 2005 “A St. Olaf Christmas in Norway” television special, recorded during this tour at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, was televised nationally in the United States on PBS and was released on DVD. St. Olaf Choir 2013 Centennial Tour to Norway Page 2

ST. OLAF: A TRANSFORMATIONAL CHOIR

“When they opened their mouths to sing, an even wall of sound emerged: words clear, notes true. But more than that, the notes were felt … (The St. Olaf Choir is) good because of its remarkable balance and mellow tone … It’s good because of its dynamic shadings: its ability to sustain, then build from, nearly inaudible pianos, or to distinguish between a forte and a fortissimo … Dr. Anton Armstrong, the group’s leader since 1990, is clearly a gifted choral director – and a teacher to the core.” The New York Times, 2005

After F. Melius Christiansen founded the St. Olaf Choir in 1912, he was credited with contributing to the transformation of American choral music. He and the St. Olaf Choir transcended America’s limited early 20th century choral tradition with the introduction of a cappella singing of the highest level, creating a model for the widespread choral growth that followed.

“F. Melius opened a whole new paradigm that never existed before,” Anton Armstrong says. “Prior to the St. Olaf Choir, glee clubs and oratorio societies were the choirs of the day. A cappella singing in America was new for its time. The St. Olaf Choir helped establish what we know today as the parish choirs that are now a regular part of many worship services across the nation.”

The St. Olaf Choir has a long history of innovation. It became one of the first to tour the nation regularly … starting in 1920. The St. Olaf Choir also began recording in the 1920s and performed on air when radio was in its infancy. The annual “St. Olaf Christmas Festival” has aired on national and international radio and television for more than 30 years … and continues to serve as a prototype for these types of holiday broadcasts.

In 2007 the St. Olaf choral ensembles achieved another major milestone when Christmas at St. Olaf: Where Peace and Love and Hope Abide was simulcast to more than 180 movie theaters across the United States on December 2, 2007. The PBS premiere of the one-hour highlights program produced by Twin Cities Public Television aired on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, and reached 2.5 million people. On December 4, 2011, the 100th St. Olaf Christmas Festival was simulcast to 372 movie theaters across America.

The singers commit to balancing full course loads with rehearsals five days a week; choir members perform concerts entirely from memory. Anton Armstrong has conducted the St. Olaf Choir since 1990. There have been only three other conductors of the St. Olaf Choir: Kenneth Jennings, Olaf Christiansen and the founder and first conductor F. Melius Christiansen.

The St. Olaf Choir has also been featured in a number of symphonic collaborations including, most recently, performances of Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem for Voices, Orchestra and Organ, Opus 9, with the Minnesota Orchestra under the baton of Osmo Vänskä in April 2010 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. The St. Olaf Choir has also performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner, Neemi Jarvi, Sir David Willcocks, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Andreas Delfs, Helmuth Rilling and the late Robert Shaw.

St. Olaf Choir 2013 Centennial Tour to Norway Page 3

Touring, recording and broadcasts are all major components in the artistic life of the St. Olaf Choir. The St. Olaf Choir has performed for capacity audiences in major concert halls across the nation and overseas since 1920. Annual tours attract audiences totaling 25,000. Recent tours have included a 2009 tour to England, Wales and Ireland, a 2005 tour of Norway, a 2001 European tour including Paris, Prague, Vienna and Berlin, and a 1997 tour to Australia and New Zealand.

In November 2011, the St. Olaf Choir released its third volume in its Great Hymns of Faith series through St. Olaf Records. This series has been the choir and St. Olaf Records’ most popular commercial release ever, with the first two volumes received international critical acclaim and selling more than a quarter-million copies around the world. The St. Olaf Choir’s ever-expanding discography now features 27 recordings.

For more info visit: stolafchoir.com.

2013 CENTENNIAL TOUR OF NORWAY Concert Itinerary

Thursday, May 30, 2013 Sunday, June 9, 2013 Oslo: Oslo Concert Hall Bergen: Grieghallen

Sunday, June 2, 2013 Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Larvik: Bølgen Concert Hall Voss: Voss Kulturhus

Monday, June 3, 2013 Thursday, June 13, 2013 Arendal: Trefoldinghetskirken Molde: Molde Domkirke

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 Friday, June 14, 2013 Kristiansand: Kilden Concert Hall Snåsa: Snåsa Kirke

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 Sunday, June 16, 2013 Stavanger: Stavanger Concert Hall Trondheim: Nidarosdomen

Thursday, June 6, 2013 Haugesund: Vår Frelsers Kirke

The Conductors of the St. Olaf Choir

F. Melius Christiansen ~ 1912 to 1943 Olaf Christiansen ~ 1943 to 1968 Kenneth Jennings ~ 1968 to 1990 Anton Armstrong ~ Since 1990