In Black History Month talk, Anton Armstrong asks ‘How Far Have We Come?’
![This year marks Anton Armstrong's 35th year leading the St. Olaf Choir, making him the longest-tenured conductor in the ensemble’s storied history. He'll reflect on the college's progress during a Black History Month event on February 27.](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ChristmasFestival2022AntonArmstrong2500x1667.jpg?resize=2500%2C1667&ssl=1)
Longtime St. Olaf Choir Conductor Anton Armstrong ’78 will deliver a Black History Month talk that asks a simple, yet powerful question as the college marks its 150th anniversary this year: How far have we come?
A St. Olaf graduate, Armstrong returned to his alma mater in 1990 to become just the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir and the first Black conductor. This year marks Armstrong’s 35th year with the St. Olaf Choir, making him the longest-tenured conductor in the ensemble’s storied history. Under his leadership and vision, the choir has remained a pacesetter in performing a varied program that remains committed to music of the sacred realm while welcoming new and diverse perspectives from composers around the world.
In his lecture, titled 150 Years: How Far Have We Come?, he will speak about his time at St. Olaf and the evolution of the music program. The event, hosted by the Taylor Center for Equity and Inclusion, will begin at 5 p.m. on February 27 in the Buntrock Commons Viking Theater. It will be streamed and available for on-demand viewing online. Following the talk, Armstrong will take questions from the audience.
![Anton Armstrong '78 conducts during the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, a beloved annual tradition featuring more than 500 student musicians.](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ChristmasFestivalAntonArmstrongConducting_2500x1667.jpg?resize=2500%2C1667&ssl=1)
The Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf, Armstrong is a worldwide leader in the arena of choral music and has expanded the repertoire performed by the St. Olaf Choir to include more diverse narratives, languages, and composers. He sees his conducting as a way to live the values of St. Olaf, particularly those of excellence, inclusion, and global citizenship. In addition to conducting the St. Olaf Choir and the Collegiate Chorale, he teaches courses in conducting, choral pedagogy, and vocal performance. He is also the artistic director of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, a beloved annual tradition featuring more than 500 student musicians.
A graduate of the American Boychoir School and St. Olaf, Armstrong earned advanced degrees at the University of Illinois and Michigan State University. His honors include the 2006 Robert Frost Cherry Award for Great Teaching from Baylor University, a Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State, and the Saltzman Award from the Oregon Bach Festival. In 2014 the St. Olaf Choir and Armstrong received a regional Emmy® Award for the 2013 PBS television program Christmas in Norway with the St. Olaf Choir.
![St. Olaf Choir Conductor Anton Armstrong '78 introduces the St. Olaf Choir to the audience during the ensemble's tour of South Africa in the summer of 2024.](https://i0.wp.com/wp.stolaf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/South-Africa-Tour-0966-Sevilla.jpg?resize=2500%2C1666&ssl=1)
Armstrong’s influence extends well beyond the United States. He has shared his choral knowledge and conducting prowess in locations from New Zealand to Israel and South America to Scandinavia and at such events as the World Symposium on Choral Music. He has led the St. Olaf Choir on numerous international tours, including a tour of Norway alongside the St. Olaf Orchestra in 2019 and a tour of South Africa in 2024.