The Grinnell Singers in Concert

The Grinnell Singers are a group of people who are highly diverse in terms of their backgrounds, interests, and talents, but who are united in their love of singing and their dedication to the choral art. They perform music from a wide variety of traditions and locales — from Brahms to Bluegrass, from Renaissance England to twenty-first century New York. They work hard to craft the very best musical performances together, and as they pursue these high ideals, they are committed to fostering an environment that is welcoming and supportive for each and every member. In addition to their musical work, the ensemble regularly contributes to the community in the form of volunteer projects.

 Each year, the Grinnell Singers complete a concert tour during the first week of spring recess. In past years, they have completed tours to Finland, Estonia, Russia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Their 2012 tour took them into Canada, with concerts in Chicago, Ann Arbor, Toronto, and Montreal, culminating in a concert at Boston University, and in 2013, they travelled to California, with concerts all along the coast, from San Francisco to San Diego.

This year, we have another collaboration planned with the Lyra Baroque Orchestra from the Twin Cities. Together with this professional period-instrument ensemble, we will be presenting three performances of Handel’s Dixit Dominus and J. S. Bach’s Mass in A Major in Grinnell and in St. Paul and Rochester Minnesota. One of our most illustrious musical alumni, Thomas Meglioranza ’92, will also be joining us as baritone soloist for these concerts. This is the third time that the Grinnell Singers have teamed up with the Lyra Baroque Orchestra. Our 2017 concerts, under the direction of guest conductor Simon Carrington, were hailed as “superbly nimble and confident” by the Rochester Post-Bulletin. Our first collaboration, on Handel’s Esther was also a joyful and richly rewarding occasion. We are pleased to have this ongoing relationship with this fine ensemble, and their musical director, Jacques Ogg.

Following our Twin-Cities concerts with the Lyra Baroque Orchestra during the first two days of spring break, we will continue on the road, performing concerts on our own on our spring-break tour.

Tallis’s forty-voice motet, Spem in alium has been a signature piece for the Grinnell Singers over the years. It is a great adventure mastering this piece, in which each individual really has to sing with complete independence. There is so much to explore in this rich work of art. One of the most enjoyable things we’ve done is to sing impromptu performances of Spem in alium in resonant acoustics such as state capitol rotundas while on tour. As part of this project, we also plan to create a virtual choir version of our performance.