Alvin M. Keeling 
St. Olaf’s Choir postpones national tour
The St. Olaf Choir, conducted by Dr. Anton Armstrong ’78, has postponed its 2022 national tour across the mid-Atlantic. The choir will perform in Chicago, East Lansing, Cincinnati, Nashville, Charlotte, Durham, Richmond and Washington, DC, beginning May 31, including a performance at Strathmore Arts and Culture Center. The choir’s appearance with the Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City has been rescheduled for May 1 with a public performance at First Presbyterian Church on April 30.
The choir typically kicks off its tour in late January, but surging COVID-19 cases this winter and college health and safety protocols have resulted in the cancellation of the initial slate of concert dates. Tickets for the original concert dates were refunded by St. Olaf or transferred to new performances at venues in Cincinnati, Durham or Bethesda, Maryland. Tickets for new St. Olaf Choir tour dates are on sale now, available online or by phone at 800-363-5487.
The new tour comes nearly two and a half years after the choir celebrated its centennial tour at Carnegie Hall in 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardized choral music on campus and around the world. world. The 2022 tour will include strict measures to provide the safest possible experience for student musicians and their audiences. The St. Olaf Choir has set a benchmark in choral singing for more than a century, and the ensemble’s 75 singers and Armstrong are excited to resume the touring tradition.
St. Olaf Choirmaster Anton Armstrong
Hearing the St. Olaf Choir in concert is more than just a musical experience. Our singers, performing at the highest artistic level, convey a message of hope. Our music provides a bridge to what can unite us at a time when the world is so divided. We often hear audiences tell us that they are not only struck by the sound and consistency of the St. Olaf Choir, but also by the earnestness of the voices of our young singers. Our singers touch the hearts and souls of listeners, and our audiences leave transformed.
2022 national tour marks Anton Armstrong’s 32nd birthdayn/a year as conductor of the St. Olaf Choir. He is the fourth conductor to lead the ensemble in its 110-year history. In addition to his role as music teacher at St. Olaf College, he is in demand on the international choral scene as a guest conductor and lecturer. Like his three predecessors, Armstrong continues the international reputation of the St. Olaf Choir, an ensemble rooted in St. Olaf College’s tradition of faith and commitment to a global perspective.
The St. Olaf Choir’s musical selections for the tour reflect these values with a variety of sacred and secular works. The program will include pieces by living and traditional composers, including Adolphus Hailstork, Mack Wilberg, Felix Mendelssohn, JS Bach and St. Olaf Choir founder F. Melius Christiansen.
At each concert, the public must wear a mask for the duration of the performance. For concerts at Michigan State University and The Strathmore, proof of vaccination or negative test within 72 hours is required at the door; more information can be found when purchasing tickets. The entire St. Olaf Choir and support staff are fully vaccinated and reinforced in accordance with St. Olaf College requirements.
