The Singers - Minnesota Choral Artists

In October 2021, The Singers returned to in-person music making with a weekend of outdoor "Concerts in the Park" held in Minneapolis, Edina, and St. Paul MN. This program included music by Minnesota composers Stephen Paulus, Dale Warland, and works that reflected the social justice climate in the Twin Cities, including a number of works by Black American composers including Ysaye Barnwell, Alysia Lee, and Mari Esabel Valverde. In November 2021, The Singers performed at the fall conference for Minnesota's chapter of the American Choral Directors Association - a concert weekend that honored four of Minnesota's choral leaders. In December 2021, the choir's annual "What Sweeter Music" Christmas concerts included two world premiere works by Artistic Director Matthew Culloton as well as music by Rosephanye Powell, Christopher Harris, Herbert Howells, Cecilia McDowall, and traditional carols from around the globe. On March 13, 2022, The Singers made their solo debut at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis to celebrate the 90th birthday of Minnesota's choral icon Dale Warland (a mentor to Matthew Culloton and the conductor of the Dale Warland Singers for 32 years). This concert included many works that Warland himself championed and commissioned, as well as an DWS alumni choir (80 singers strong) that joined The Singers for a tribute set that included video recollections and a slideshow film during one of the pieces. The Singers' Composer-in-Residence Timothy Takach was commissioned to write a new piece for Warland on a text by Minnesota poet Brian Newhouse, Changed By Beauty. A reception for special guests of the Warland family was held after the performance, with guests from around the country in attendance. In May 2022, The Singers presented Craig Hella Johnson's concert-length fusion oratorio, Considering Matthew Shepard, in Northfield, St. Michael, Mahtomedi, and St. Paul MN. This moving work recalls the murder of Matthew Shepard, and the response of all of us to such violent hate. It is a work that journeys through grief and in the end is an uplifting remembrance and call to action. To close the season in June 2022, the choir performed American folk music and a mini-suite from CMS at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. The 2021-2022 series marked The Singers' 18th season.