St. Olaf Choir Will Perform A Cappella Spiritual Arrangement at Baylor on Feb. 4

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WACO, Texas (Jan. 29, 2016) – The St. Olaf Choir, a famous a cappella choir, will perform at Baylor at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4 in the Jones Concert Hall of Glennis McCrary Music Building.
The 75-voice choir has a mission "to provide music of the highest quality that lifts people’s hearts and spirits, incorporating a diversity of voices and cultural traditions into the chorus of the Christian faith," according to its website.
Randall Bradley, D.M.A., the Ben H. Williams Professor of Music for the School of Music and director of the church music program, described the St. Olaf Choir as "one of America's national treasures."
"Their programs are always a delicate balance of traditional choral works performed with the finest interpretation and finesse and of newer more contemporary works presented with equal attention to detail," he said. "Their sound is considered unique and idiomatic."
The choir’s sound is so well-known that other choirs might even be described as having a “St. Olaf” sound, Bradley said.
The choir has been conducted by Anton Armstrong since 1990. Armstrong, only the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir since its founding in 1912, was the winner of Baylor's Robert Foster Cherry Award in 2006 and taught a semester at the university in 2007.
"Baylor’s relationship with Dr. Anton Armstrong, past Cherry Teaching Award recipient, runs deep," Bradley said. "Those of us who were at Baylor when he spent a semester on our campus are grateful for the lasting campus-wide impact that his presence made. His work is recognized around the world, and many would consider Dr. Armstrong to be the most significant choral conductor in the world."
The choir will stop in Waco as part of its annual tour to churches all around the country. Baylor is the only university stop on the tour.
The choir will perform spiritual arrangements, including music by Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Sebastian Bach, Herbert Howells and, in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Alberto Ginastera.
The choir also will sing a set of four pieces honoring Kenneth L. Jennings, who led the St. Olaf Choir from 1968 to 1990. He passed away in August at age 90.
"We have been fortunate at Baylor to host the St. Olaf Choir in the past, and I am thrilled that they are returning to Baylor," Bradley said. "Students will have an opportunity to engage with immense beauty, to see up-close the impact of tradition on an organization and engage with timeless choral music."

The Glennis McCrary Music Building is located at 110 Baylor Ave.
by Jenna Press, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

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The Baylor University School of Music provides transformational experiences that prepare students for careers in music. Our students thrive in a Christian environment characterized by a nurturing resident faculty, an unwavering pursuit of musical excellence, a global perspective, dedication to service, and devotion to faith. They investigate the rich musical and cultural heritage of the past, develop superior musical skills and knowledge in the present, and explore and create new modes of musical expression for the future. While preparing for future leadership roles, the students join with School of Music faculty in enhancing the quality of community life, enriching the larger culture, and making Baylor a place in which heart, mind and soul coalesce. The School of Music of Baylor University is a member of the National Association of Schools of Music and the Texas Association of Music Schools. Degree programs leading to the bachelor of music education degree conform to certification requirements of the Texas Education Agency.