Dr. Gregory Aune, long-time conductor and artistic director of the Gustavus Choir, has been selected by the Wisconsin State Music Association as conductor of the 2010 Wisconsin Honors Choir. The 102-member State Honors Choir includes students from across Wisconsin who were selected by audition as part of the WSMA State Honors Music Project which is nationally recognized as one of the finest choral opportunities for high school musicians.
Aune earned his bachelor’s degrees in public school music at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., and graduate degrees at the University of Iowa. He came to Gustavus in 1995 from Bethany College in Lingsborg, Kansas, where he had served as the Elmer F. Pierson Distinguished Professor of Music, conductor of the Bethany Choir, conductor of the Bethany College/Community Orchestra and music director of the Messiah Festival of Music and Art.
At Gustavus, Aune conducts The Gustavus Choir, the Chamber Singers, the St. Ansgar’s Chorus, and, in 2009-2010, served as interim conductor of the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra. He teaches classes in conducting and choral literature and is the music director of Christmas in Christ Chapel. Aune has adjudicated and guest conducted festivals in South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota. Choirs under his direction have appeared at the North Central Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association, the Minnesota Music Educators Association mid-winter conference and the Kansas Music Educators Association Convention.
The WSMA High School Honors Summer Camp, June 19 – 22, is a unique and essential component to the High School Honors Project experience. Held on the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay campus, it is the first opportunity the selected students have to meet Dr. Aune, see their music and rehearse as a newly formed ensemble. Following the rigorous rehearsal schedule of the camp, the members of the honors choir will gather in October to perform in Madison as part of the annual Wisconsin State Music Conference.
Additional information regarding the WSMA High School Honors Project can be found at www.wsmamusic.org/programs/hs_honors.
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