St. Olaf Choir collaborates with National Lutheran Choir for two concerts in May
This May, the St. Olaf Choir will join the National Lutheran Choir (NLC) for two collaborative performances on Saturday, May 2, and Friday, May 8. The collaboration celebrates the National Lutheran Choir’s 40th anniversary and the living legacy of the Lutheran choral tradition in the United States.
Founded in 1986 by the late Larry Fleming, the National Lutheran Choir grew under the direction of David Cherwien from 2002-2023 and is now led by Jennaya Robison. The ensemble sings a spiritual story through diverse repertoire, ranging from early chant and simple folk anthems to complex choral masterworks and new compositions. Now in its 40th year, the National Lutheran Choir features a roster of more than 65 volunteer singers from various backgrounds and faith traditions, including many graduates of St. Olaf College.
“The foundation of the National Lutheran Choir rests in the rich heritage of choral singing that has flourished across Lutheran colleges of the Upper Midwest,” says Jannaya Robsison, artistic director of the National Lutheran Choir. “Among these traditions, none has been more influential than the legacy of the St. Olaf Choir, founded by F. Melius Christiansen and stewarded by successive generations of conductors, including its current conductor, Anton Armstrong.”
The first concert will take place on Saturday, May 2 at 2 p.m.at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. The concert, titled Rooted and Rising, will feature the St. Olaf Choir as guest artists and will conclude the National Lutheran Choir’s anniversary concert season.
The program will include works by J.S. Bach, F. Melius Christiansen, Larry Fleming, and David Cherwien, alongside new pieces by Earlene Rentz and Jennaya Robison. Tickets are $35 for general admission, with pay-what-you-can options available for students, and can be purchased online here.
“The St. Olaf tradition has shaped nearly every Lutheran college choir, cultivating a distinctive approach to choral artistry grounded in expressive, unaccompanied singing and engagement with sacred repertoire,” says Robinson. “Concluding our anniversary season in collaboration with the St. Olaf Choir was an intentional choice. It honors the strength and enduring significance of a choral tradition whose roots have been carefully cultivated for more than a century, even as new voices continue to rise from it.”
The roles will reverse the following weekend, as the National Lutheran Choir will be featured as a guest ensemble for the St. Olaf Choir’s annual spring concert on Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Boe Chapel. This concert is free and open to the public, with no tickets required. The concert can also be livestreamed here.