Welcome to our 42nd Season!
Join us for an uplifting year of choral music celebrating the wonders of the human experience.
Connection. Compassion.
Hope. Collaboration. Expression.
The things that unite us.
Drawing from many styles and eras – from Baroque to brand new commissions, classical to pop – our concerts will reflect a rich spectrum of human emotion and expression.
Considering Matthew Shepard
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 - 7:00 pm
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026 - 3:00 pm
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 - 7:00 pm
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 - 3:00 pm
Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 - 3:00 pm
Historic Chateau Theatre
Experience the unforgettable power of Craig Hella Johnson's acclaimed oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard, presented in a semi-staged production by Choral Arts Ensemble at the Historic Chateau Theatre. Blending choir, instrumental ensemble, storytelling, dance, and lighting, this moving contemporary work tells a deeply human story of loss, compassion, and hope.
Inspired by the life of Matthew Shepard — a gay college student who was murdered in a 1998 hate crime — this powerful work draws from Shepard’s journals, reflections from his family, poetry, interviews, and news accounts. Through themes of identity, belonging, empathy, and justice, the piece confronts difficult realities with extraordinary emotional honesty. Musically, it moves fluidly through classical, jazz, pop, country, hymnody, and spoken word, creating an experience that feels immediate and relevant for modern audiences.
Confluence
Friday, Nov. 6, 7:30 pm
St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Roseville
Sunday, Nov. 8, 3:00 pm
Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester
Confluence brings together two distinctive Minnesota choirs for a weekend of collaborative performances celebrating artistry, connection, and shared expression. Featuring Choral Arts Treble Singers under the direction of Dr. Ryan Deignan and the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus Borealis Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Gerald Gurss, these concerts highlight the unique strengths of each ensemble while exploring the expressive possibilities of voices and communities coming together.
At the heart of Confluence is a celebration of the distinctive beauty of treble and tenor-bass choral sound worlds. From the brilliance, warmth, and agility of women's voices to the depth, richness, and sonority of lower voices, each ensemble brings its own color and character to the stage. With performances in both Twin Cities and Rochester, audiences will experience each choir individually in repertoire that showcases its distinct identity and artistry before the ensembles unite for several combined selections that reveal the sonic possibilities of these voices together.
Christmas at Assisi: The Promise of Peace
Friday, Dec. 11, 7:00 pm
Saturday, Dec. 12, 7:00 pm
Sunday, Dec. 13, 3:00 pm
Lourdes Chapel, Assisi Heights
Experience the beauty, wonder, and hope of the season at Christmas at Assisi: The Promise of Peace, a concert inspired by the timeless message of peace and reconciliation. This cherished holiday tradition brings together the Honors Concert Choir, the Choral Arts Treble Singers, and the acclaimed Choral Arts Ensemble, continuing a musical legacy spanning more than 40 years.
Enveloped in the grandeur of Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights, audiences will hear classic carol arrangements, historical choral treasures, stirring new works, and beloved popular selections — music chosen to comfort, inspire, and unite. From moments of quiet reflection to joyful celebration, The Promise of Peace invites listeners of all ages to step away from the world's noise and rediscover the hope and shared humanity at the heart of the Christmas season.
Heaven & Earth Rejoice: Giants of the Baroque
Saturday, Mar. 13, 7:30 pm
Sunday, Mar. 14, 3:00 pm
St. Francis Catholic Church
Our March concert celebrates three towering Baroque composers whose music helped define one of Western music's most expressive and influential eras. Opening and closing the evening are two notable sacred works of the 1600-1750 time period: Antonio Vivaldi's energetic Gloria RV. 589 and George Frideric Handel's exuberant Utrecht Jubilate HWV. 279, with Claudio Monteverdi's concerted madrigal Hor che'l ciel e la terra SV. 147 appears between them as a unique, contrasting centerpiece. Presented with a 16-piece chamber orchestra in the gorgeous acoustic of St. Francis Catholic Church, these masterworks invite audiences into a world of splendor and celebration — where heaven and earth rejoice.
something whose name is Forever
Saturday, May 1, 7:00 pm
Sunday, May 2, 3:00 pm
Christ United Methodist Church
Join Choral Arts Ensembles for the closing concert of the season, something whose name is Forever, an uplifting program celebrating extraordinary things hidden amongst ordinary days. Moving seamlessly between traditional choral works, historical gems, and popular arrangements, the program reflects the rich emotional spectrum of our shared experience — joy, awe, humor, tenderness, nostalgia, hope, and gratitude. As always, Choral Arts offers a vibrant variety of musical colors and textures, creating a concert experience where every listener can enjoy live vocal music that is both familiar and unexpected.