Give to the Max Day is tomorrow!
Thank you to all of you who responded to our recent fundraising appeal and have already contributed directly to Choral Arts Ensemble. If you have not yet made the decision to support our singers, season and fledgling community enrichment quartet - here is another opportunity through GiveMN. A $3,000 Mayo Clinic Matching Challenge grant is also still available to 1st time donors - doubling the impact of your contribution. Again, thank you for your support!
Wake up!
In 1598, as a plague epidemic decimated his small town in western Germany, a beleaguered young Lutheran minister, Philipp Nicolai, wrote one of the greatest of all chorales, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Wake up, the voice is calling us). He wrote it “to leave behind me (if God should call me from this world), or, if God should spare me in health, to comfort other sufferers.” This evocative text and memorable melody have inspired composers ever since, from the glorious Ca
It's gonna be OK
The amazing OK Factor duo, Olivia (cello) and Karla (violin), will be in residency with Choral Arts Ensemble all next week! They'll play all over town, teach in the schools, work with SEMYO, and delight at Rochester Music Guild's Lunch-n-Learn. Our Saturday night performance will feature original music by OK Factor, some of CAE's best sounds (from Baroque to a world premiere), and a number of pieces together--everything from classical to folk to Broadway to the Beatles. Yo
Quiz: Which member of the choir are you?
You were born to sing! You just need to know where you fit in, right? Find out which choir personality best describes you with this fun quiz from MPR's the Choral Stream.
The OK Factor @ the Great Minnesota Get-together!
It's almost time for the MN State Fair! As always there will be a ton of things to do - but if possible, stop by the MPR booth on the corner of Judson & Nelson @ Noon on Wednesday, Aug. 29th. Olivia and Karla will be playing live on the MPR stage. So grab your favorite fair food (or try one of the 27 new treats) and feast on some GREAT MUSIC! Just the thing to whet your appetite for HEARTLAND, our first concert of the season with special guests The OK Factor.
This is Your Brain on Music
The title of this blog is not original with me. It was the title of a session I recently attended at the annual meeting of Chorus America in Chicago. (Choral Arts Ensemble is a member Chorus America – a professional association dedicated to promoting artistic achievement, organizational strength, and advocacy for choral groups.) There is a growing body of evidence about the power of music to affect health, improve learning, enhance one’s sense of well-being, and advance healt
"That's Minnesota"
Composer Carol Barnett's website has a page simply labeled Friends. On that page are links to other composers' websites, Carol's selfless promotion of the Minnesota choral art in general. Hear what she tells MPR's Steve Staruch about her friends in the short clip below. Then come to our Choir Country concert this Saturday, May 12, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Rochester! Meet Steve, see the rest of this interview, and hear CAE perform terrific Minnesota choral music, inc
A visit with Jake
A couple weeks ago, we tracked down Jake Runestad, home for a few short days in his Uptown condo. It was a great pleasure--Jake is relaxed, warm, articulate, passionate, upbeat. Jake is IN DEMAND as composer and clinician--over the weekend he was in NYC having his music conducted by Anton Armstrong in Carnegie Hall. This week he's resident composer with Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland, OR (the OTHER CAE). Then a stop as clinician at University of Washington Choral Festival
Comments in cars about composers
Classical MPR host Steve Staruch, videographer Andy Buchholz and I spent the last two Saturdays driving around the Twin Cities. Our goal--to find and interact with choral composers in their native habitats. Turns out it's pretty easy--this is CHOIR COUNTRY, and choral composers are thriving in this favorable environment. We talked to Dominick Argento, Jake Runestad, Libby Larsen, J David Moore, Jerry Rubino, Craig Carnahan, and Carol Barnett. Lots of insights into their pe
A Singing Valentine
We are gearing up for another wonderful evening of fun and romance on Saturday, February 10! We'll have a fabulous combo ready to support our efforts, which will include: 1) Fields of Gold, the sweet love song written by George Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (aka Sting) 2) Stephen Chatman's gorgeous setting of a love poem by Sara Teasdale, I am not yours 3) table-side serenades by a barbershop quartet (My Romance) and a women's quartet (It's in his kiss) 4) opportunities to sing
