From The Concordia Choir
Press Release
The Concordia Choir from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., will present a concert in Asheville, N.C., at 4:00 PM, Sunday, February 22, 2015, at Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church Street, Asheville, N.C. Tickets; $20 Adults; $5 Students (K-Univ.); $15 for Group Tickets (10 or more); Available online at ConcordiaTickets.com, by calling 800-838-3006 or at the door.
The concert, part of the choir’s 15-day, 2015 national tour of the Southeastern United States, includes performances in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Minnesota.
Michael Smith, guest conductor this year during René Clausen’s creative leave, conducts the 75-voice a cappella choir and was the artistic director of the 88th annual Concordia Christmas Concert which is seen by audiences of 18,000 each year and televised nationally through PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). Smith is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the University of Northern Colorado. He was choral conductor at Brainerd High School for 25 years. In 2005, the National Federation of State High School Associations named him Outstanding Music Educator of the Year.A February 2010 performance and recording session with the Grammy Award-winning King’s Singers and multiple performances on Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion” radio show highlight the choir’s world-class quality.
The national tour program ranges from J.S. Bach to Morten Lauridsen and includes spirituals and hymns, a cappella and accompanied works, and several selections by Eastern European composers. Ēriks Ešenvalds composition “Stars” simulates the music of the spheres by using water-tuned wine glasses as accompaniment. “Curse Upon Iron”, sung in Estonian and composed by Veljo Tormis, combines folk melodies and contemporary choral techniques to connect the ancient past with the present as it warns of the dangers of war.
Touring nationally and internationally since 1918, the choir has performed in nearly every major hall in the United States and continues to affirm its reputation as one of the nation’s finest a cappella choirs. Paul J. Christiansen, son of F. Melius Christiansen, conducted the choir for 49 years and brought them to national and international prominence.
Concordia College is a four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America offering more than 60 majors, including 15 honors majors and 12 preprofessional programs.
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