This month the three major music ensembles at Gustavus Adolphus College will depart on their annual concert tours. This year the Gustavus Choir will represent Gustavus internationally on a 20-day visit to Portugal and Spain, while the Gustavus Wind Orchestra and Gustavus String Orchestra will embark on one-week domestic tours.
Celebrating its 75th year as an ensemble, the Gustavus Choir, under the direction of conductor Gregory Aune, marks its 13th international tour. Prior to the trip, the 66 members of the choir spent two weeks on campus preparing musically and academically. Students study the art, architecture, food, language, history, religion, and culture of the region. While on tour, the ensemble will explore the region and perform five full concerts in cathedrals in Lisbon, Seville, Malaga, Granada, and Madrid. The choir departs Jan. 11 and returns Jan. 30. A home performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in Christ Chapel at Gustavus.
On a four-year international touring rotation with the Gustavus Choir, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra and the Gustavus String Orchestra will spend this year’s tours in the Midwest. Douglas Nimmo, conductor of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra (formerly the Gustavus Band), will lead the 50-plus-member ensemble through Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois performing in churches, art centers, and high schools. The wind orchestra tours Jan. 26 through Feb. 4 and will perform notable and challenging pieces by Percy Grainger, Aaron Copland, Morton Gould, and “The Suite for Wind Music” by Yukio Kikuchi. The home concert for the wind orchestra is 3 p.m. Feb. 10 in Christ Chapel at Gustavus.
Traveling farther west, the 40-member Gustavus String Orchestra, part of the 65-piece Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, will perform in Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota under the direction of conductor Warren Friesen. The string orchestra will perform in churches, art centers, and other venues on its Jan. 26-Feb. 4 tour. The group’s opening performance is Jan. 26 at the Fairmont Opera House in Fairmont, Minn. The string orchestra’s tour repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary and includes works by Vaughan Williams, Tchaikovsky, Morton Gould, and Minnesota composer William Beckstrand. The string orchestra’s home performance is 3:30 p.m. Feb. 11 in Bjorling Recital Hall at Gustavus.
Past international locations where the Gustavus ensembles have performed include China, South Africa, Europe (Eastern and Western), Sweden, Russia, England, Scotland, and Wales. The public is cordially invited to attend tour performances, including home concerts. Tour schedules may be found on the Gustavus website.
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510