Magnum Chorum

HIGH QUALITY PERFORMANCES OF SACRED CHORAL MUSIC IN BEAUTIFUL VENUES THAT TRANSFORM LISTENERS IN CONCERT AND WORSHIP AND NURTURE A DEEPER CONNECTION WITH GOD AND ONE ANOTHER.

PREPARED AND PRESENTED 5 HIGH QUALITY LIVE CONCERTS FEATURING 4 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS ATTENDED BY 1,482 LISTENERS. IN NOVEMBER, CONDUCTOR AND COMPOSER RENE CLAUSEN COLLABORATED WITH DWIGHT JILEK IN CONDUCTING OUR PROGRAM FEATURING CLAUSEN COMPOSITIONS. IN CELEBRATION OF OUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY, 23 MAGNUM CHORUM SINGING ALUMNI JOINED US FOR A PORTION OF THE PROGRAM. OUR MARCH CONCERT, "I WILL BE YOUR REFUGE," INCLUDED AN 11 PIECE ORCHESTRA AS WE PRESENTED MUSIC BY 17TH CENTURY COMPOSER DIETERICH BUXTEHUDE JUXTAPOSED WITH PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AMERICAN COMPOSER CAROLINE SHAW SURFACING THE PLIGHT OF REFUGES AND OUR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSIBILITY TO NEIGHBORS IN NEED. OUR SPRING CONCERT, "UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN," FEATURED MUSIC FROM SWEDEN AND NORWAY, INCLUDING THE TOUR DE FORCE "A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH" BY SVEN-DAVID SANDSTROM, AT NORWEGIAN CHURCH MINDEKIRKEN IN ANTICIPATION OF OUR SUMMER INTERNATIONAL TOUR TO SCANDINAVIA.

WE OFFERED HIGH QUALITY SACRED CHORAL MUSIC TO ENHANCE THE WORSHIP EXPERIENCE FOR 3 DIFFERENT CONGREGATIONS THROUGH 6 WORSHIP SERVICES ATTENDED BY AN ESTIMATED 1,700 CONGREGANTS (INCLUDING WESTWOOD LUTHERAN CHURCH WHERE WE HAVE SERVED AS CHOIR IN RESIDENCE FOR 15 YEARS, BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH, AND HOPE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WHERE WE SANG FOR THE FIRST TIME) AND AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF CONGREGANTS ATTENDING WORSHIP ONLINE FROM THEIR HOMES.

IN JUNE 2023, WE LAUNCHED OUR FIRST INTERNATIONAL TOUR TO SWEDEN AND NORWAY, WHERE MANY OF OUR SINGERS FIND OUR ROOTS MUSICALLY AND PERSONALLY. WE ENJOYED A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE THAT HAS HEIGHTENED OUR ARTISTRY THROUGH OUR BONDING TO ONE ANOTHER, COLLABORATING WITH LOCAL CHOIRS, EXPERIENCING THE SPECTACULAR BEAUTY OF THE NATURAL LANDSCAPES, AND THE PROFOUND INSPIRATION OF SINGING IN ANCIENT EUROPEAN CATHEDRALS THAT HAVE HOSTED AND ABSORBED CENTURIES OF DIVINE MUSIC. IN SWEDEN, WE PRESENTED CONCERTS AT THE BEAUTIFUL SOFIA KYRKA IN STOCKHOLM AND IN THE MONUMENTAL UPPSALA DOMKYRKA, WHERE OUR VOICES SOARED IN THIS EXTRAORDINARY CATHEDRAL. IN NORWAY, WE WERE INSPIRED BY A VISIT TO EDVARD GRIEG'S LAKESIDE COMPOSING HAVEN IN TROLDHAUGEN. AT THE BERGEN CATHEDRAL (BERGEN DOMKIRKE), WE WERE JOINED BY LOCAL CHORUS OLE BULL KAMMERCHOR WHERE WE ENCOUNTERED THEIR DEEPLY RESONANT WAY OF SINGING NORWEGIAN FOLK SONGS, PRODUCING A TONAL QUALITY THAT IS STUNNING AND PROFOUNDLY MOVING, AND THIS EXPERIENCE CONTINUED TO SHAPE OUR OWN TONAL PRODUCTION IN PRESENTING NORWEGIAN FOLK SONGS THROUGHOUT THE TOUR AND PRESENTLY. IN MOLDE, WE WERE JOINED BY THE MOLDE DOMKANTORI AND APPRECIATED THEIR INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING OF DIFFERENT GENRES AND NEW MUSIC IN OUR COLLABORATIVE CONCERT AT THE MOLDE CATHEDRAL. AFTER A SHORT IMPROMPTU PERFORMANCE AT NIDAROS CATHEDRAL, WE CONCLUDED OUR TOUR WITH OUR PERFORMANCE AT VAAR FRUE KIRKE IN TRONDHEIM.