Back row, left to right: Jonathan Von Stroh ’03; Brad Larson ’76; Sarah Branton Harrison ’00; Alex Menter ’95. Front row, left to right: Alicia Small Rigsby ’94; Lindsey Whitaker Aquilina ’00; Melissa Holloway Menter ’94.

Kantorei, which means “group of singers,” got its start in 1997 when six friends joined together to sing Christmas carols. Alex and Melissa Menter were two of those friends. The group now consists of 50+ auditioned singers and performs at least four concert series per year. They have appeared at two national ACDA conferences, numerous regional events, and opened the 2008 National Performing Arts Conference in Denver. The group recently appointed only their second Artistic Director, Mr. Joel Rinsema, after the retirement of their original conductor, Mr. Richard Larson. Sarah Harrison has served as Interim Director while the choir conducted its search for a new director, bringing the total Ole participation in the group to seven, spanning 27 St. Olaf graduation years. Dr. Anton Armstrong ’78 was guest conductor for Kantorei for their October 2011 concert series. Other Lutheran colleges represented in the choir include Concordia, Wartburg, Augustana, and Pacific Lutheran University. For more information, please see www.kantorei.org.