St. Olaf debuts digital concert series
The sounds of the St. Olaf campus in spring are usually alive with music made by students rehearsing and performing their final concerts of the year. While the Hill is quiet this spring, the St. Olaf Music Organizations team is excited to bring the music of St. Olaf ensembles to your homes through a new digital concert series: Sounds from St. Olaf.
Each week, a curated program drawn from the extensive video archive of choral and instrumental performances will center on a unique theme that presents St. Olaf music in a fresh perspective. Various ensemble conductors will also make appearances to lend viewers their insights into the music selected for that week’s concert.
Weekly episodes will premiere on the St. Olaf YouTube channel on Sunday afternoons at 3:30 p.m. CT, offering viewers an opportunity to comment and connect in real time with others. Even while audiences remain physically distant, Sounds from St. Olaf invites us to join in experiencing the power and passion of the St. Olaf ensembles together.
In the first episode, which premieres this Sunday, May 3, at 3:30 p.m. CT, we celebrate the excellent music made by this year’s ensembles before their concert season on campus came to an early end. You’ll hear well-known masterworks from the St. Olaf Orchestra and St. Olaf Philharmonia, exciting contemporary works from Norseman Band and the St. Olaf Band, beloved choral works with messages of comfort and renewal from the St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf Cantorei, St. Olaf Chapel Choir, Viking Chorus, Manitou Singers, and Chamber Singers, and engaging selections from Collegium Musicum, the St. Olaf Handbell Choir, and St. Olaf Jazz I.
“St. Olaf has always shown, through the extraordinary depth of its music program, that music is powerful and vital to the human condition,” says Director of College Relations for Music Organizations Jean Parish. “Our new digital concert series offers students, alumni, friends of the college, and music enthusiasts the chance to experience concerts at home, yet still feel a sense of community and connectedness while they watch, listen, and react in real time. Though we are not physically together during this time, the desire for community at St. Olaf is stronger than ever. We hope that this series will serve as a source of healing and hopefulness, and remind listeners that music at St. Olaf is alive and well.”
Be sure to check out the Sounds of St. Olaf website each week to see what the next concert will include.
If you’re not able to tune in on Sunday, episodes will be saved to view on-demand. You can also subscribe to the St. Olaf YouTube channel to get updated when new concerts are added.