Pacific Lutheran University Choir

The PLU Choir of the West ends our 2023-2024 performance season next week, with two performances of Johannes Brahms' sublime Ein Deutsches Requiem, with the piano transcription for two pianist penned by the composer. We're joined by the exceptional Amy Boers and Oksana Ejokina at the piano.

Performances are Sunday, April 21, 7:30pm, at Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle, and Tuesday, April 23, 7:30pm, in Lagerquist Concert Hall at Pacific Lutheran University.

The Tuesday performance will be livestreamed for those who cannot experience it in person—https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDtK35vyj9Q

I am so proud of the students work, growth, and artistry this year. I hope you can join us to hear this exquisite music!

A reminder that the Choir of the West Tour Homecoming Concert, directed by Dr. Brian Galante, has been rescheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, February 22 at 7:30pm in Lagerquist Concert Hall.

The program is titled "The Gift to Sing", taken from Damien Geter's evocative setting of the James Weldon Johnson poem. Centered on themes of resilience, comfort, hope, renewal, and reimagining, we also feature works by Felix Mendelssohn, William Byrd, Roderick Williams, Saunder Choi, Marques L.A. Garrett, Kestutis Daugirdas, Brian Galante, Caroline Shaw, Craig Hella Johnson, Nilo Alcala, and Juris Karlsons.

Tickets are available in advance online using the following link (or at the door): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/choir-of-the-west-tour-homecoming-concert-tickets-750864735637?aff=oddtdtcreator

We hope to see you all there!

Choir of the West is currently on their 2024 Tour to Nevada, Arizona, and Southern California. For anyone who is in the area please consider joining us for our final two performances, we would love to see you there: February 1 in Palm Desert, CA (7pm at Hope Lutheran Church), and February 2 in Thousand Oaks, CA (7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church) - more details can be found at www.plu.edu/choir/tour24

For those in the Portland and Salem area, we are delighted to announce performances offered during our 2023 Choir of the West Spring Tour: we'll be at St. Michael's Lutheran Church in Portland on Thursday, April 20 (7:30pm); and St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Salem on Friday, April 21 (7:30pm). We'll also perform a Tour Homecoming Concert on Tuesday, April 25 (7:30pm) in Lagerquist Concert Hall, and that performance will be live streamed.

Works include exquisite Psalm settings by Johannes Brahms and Caroline Shaw, significant contemporary works for choir and piano by Jake Runestad and JAC Redford, and two works written during--and in response to--the pandemic by Jennifer Lucy Cook and Ken Burton. We'll be joined in performance by collaborative pianist Amy Boers.

Hope to see you there!

Next week is concert week for PLU Choirs, and we are excited to present our Fall Choral Concerts on Tuesday (Oct 18) and Wednesday (Oct 19), 7:30pm PDT in Lagerquist Concert Hall. The performances mark my debut as Director of Choral Studies and conductor of the Choir of the West. Tiffany Walker joins us this year as Visiting Assistant Professor of Choral Music and conducts Chorale and Singers. And, of course, Barry Johnson brings his inimitable leadership to the Knights Chorus.

Collaborative pianists are Amy Boers (Choir of the West, Chorale, and Singers) and Ella Kalinichenko (Knights Chorus).

I hope that you can join us in person! If not, both performances will be streamed live (link at plu.edu/music). Tickets are available in advance or at the door. Repertoire is below:

CHORALE
Ov'e, lass', il bel viso? (Lauridsen)
The Peace of Wild Things (Runestad)
Locus iste (Bruckner)
Abendlied (Rheinberger)
Holding the Light (Boykin)

KNIGHTS CHORUS
Brothers, Sing On! (Grieg/McKinney)
Psallite Hodie! (V. Johnson)
Contrapunto bestiale alla mente (Banchieri)
Lament of a Fisher's Wife (Singh)

SINGERS
Be like the bird (Betinis)
Myr, zaraz (Szymko)
Ich stand in dunkeln Träumen (C. Schumann)
Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal (Parker)
Wild Embers (Dunphy)

CHOIR OF THE WEST
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Luther/Olds)
O Praise the Lord (Hailstork)
Movements from "love is the every only god" (Redford)
Come to the Woods (Runestad)
Magnificat (Walton), featuring Paul Tegels, organ

COMBINED CHOIRS AND ALUMNI
Beautiful Savior (arr. Christiansen)

PLU Choral Concert Choral Concert, featuring the Choir of the West, University Chorale, University Singers, and University Knights Chorus.

Hi Friends! I am so excited to share a new piece with you - "In Profundum Maris." This was composed for Choir of the West back in 2019 and we were working on it when COVID hit - so it was never performed. The students wanted to record the piece in virtual choir format, and at long last here it is! This was right at the beginning of virtual choir development, so we didn't really know what we were doing, and the videos weren't usable. But Envision Studios has done an excellent job of editing together the audio, and we used the score along with some stock video to create the performance. I hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOG4F1eVVHM

PLU Choir of the West - In Profundum Maris In Profundum Marismusic by Richard Nancetext by Kathryn SparksPerformed virtually by the PLU Choir of the West Dr. Richard Nance, conductorAmy Boers, pianoAv...

I'm very pleased to present the latest virtual choir performance by the PLU Choral Union! Here is a recording of Josu Elberdin's "Ubi Caritas," which we dedicate to healthcare workers who have been so instrumental in the effort to bring us back from the COVID-19 crisis, combined with Josu's "Cantate Domino." I hope you enjoy the performances and will share them with your family and friends!

https://youtu.be/1aZacdrk2LI

PLU Choral Union - Ubi Caritas and Cantate Domino "Ubi Caritas et Amor" and "Cantate Domino" by Josu Elberdin. Performed by the PLU Choral Union - Dr. Richard Nance, conductorAudio and Video Engineering: Dan...

Great news! Our album There Will Come Soft Rains was chosen as one of the top albums in 2020 by UK's Scala Radio! https://planetradio.co.uk/scala-radio/entertainment/music/scala-radio-presenters-pick-their-top-three-albums-from-2020/

Scala Radio presenters pick their top three albums from 2020 Charles Nove's Top 3 Albums from 2020 The Pacific Lutheran University Choir of...

Applications for Artistic Achievement Awards are being accepted now! Incoming PLU students in the 2021-22 school year are eligible to apply for one of our Music awards to support pursuing choral and vocal studies. These merit-based awards can be stacked on top of academic scholarships. Please help us spread the word and encourage students to apply! Applications are due February 8, 2021. https://www.plu.edu/music/future-students/scholarships/

Scholarships | Music | Pacific Lutheran University For exceptional students interested in studying and performing music, there is no better place than Pacific Lutheran University.

Save 20% on downloads of our album, There Will Come Soft Rains, today only! Purchase directly at https://signumrecords.com/product/there-will-come-soft-rains/SIGCD603.

All this weekend over at www.signumrecords.com we're offering 20% OFF on ALL our titles! 🛍

It's the final hours of and your support would mean a lot to our students! We're thankful that during this time of virtual learning, we're able to provide master classes to benefit of all Music students' learning and career goals. Will you please consider making a gift to support future classes?

Give here: https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/15173/donations/new?pdesignation=MUSICDEPARTMENT

Academics I just gave to my favorite academic area at PLU! Give to what you love & unlock a scholarship match.

I'm very proud to announce the virtual choir premiere of "Prayer of Hope," a work I composed for PLU's University Singers after our spring semester was interrupted by the COVID-19 crisis. We never were able to rehearse the piece as an ensemble - the singers learned their parts on their own, and after some brief coaching on Zoom, they filmed their individual performances at home with their phones. I put together the audio with Audacity and the video with iMovie. It was quite a long process, but I learned a lot and am much better prepared for the next time I do one of these projects! I hope you enjoy the piece, and find comfort and hope during these extraordinarily difficult times.

Richard Nance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GrIi8SCvCQ&t=12s

Prayer of Hope "Prayer of Hope" was composed for the University Singers at Pacific Lutheran University after we were quarantined for the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the choir'...

This would have been the 2020 Commencement Weekend at PLU. This year's Choir of the West has found a way to salute the senior class and to show our support for everyone in the PLU community with this virtual performance of F. Melius Christiansen's "Beautiful Savior." We look forward to the day we can sing together again!

https://youtu.be/Ut_i_ULeiRw

Pacific Lutheran University Choir of the West 2020 sings F. Melius Christiansen's "Beautiful Savior" Though our academic year was interrupted by the COVID-19 crisis, the Pacific Lutheran University Choir of the West found a way to sing together again through...

Choir of the West Senior 2020 Tribute
Caroline Goodwin, Soprano

This is Caroline's first year as a member of the Choir of the West. She will be graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition with an emphasis in Vocal Performance and Audio Production.

Caroline says: "My favorite moment in choir was when COW was on tour in Boulder, Colorado. We were rehearsing before a concert and everyone began singing Lux from our Christmas concert series, filling the whole worship space at St.Paul with an angelic presence and sound~ the spontaneous nature of it and the emotion was very profound!"

Congratulations, Caroline - and thank you!

Choir of the West Senior 2020 Tribute
Ian Rice, Tenor

"I've loved being a part of COW! As a Global Studies and Hispanic Studies double major, I'm so thankful to have kept music a priority and daily activity in my life at PLU. I was very excited to join COW for my senior year. Being in this community of warm-hearted people and talented musicians was incredibly meaningful. My favorite moment with COW was going on our J-term tour, especially the concert at St. Paul Lutheran church in Denver, because we grew so much as a choir and developed a very full and beautiful sound. My future plans are obviously uncertain, but I'm interested in pursuing a nonprofit career, traveling, and singing in a community choir!"

Congratulations, and thanks Ian!

Choir of the West Senior 2020 Tribute
Cat Tyler, Alto

Cat is a four-year member of Choir of the West. She will be graduating with a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree with a minor in Dance. Of her time in the Choir, Cat says, "I have enjoyed many moments and it is almost impossible to pick a favorite, but choir has always been important to me! I am very grateful to COW and everything it has taught me."

After graduation Cat will be moving to Georgia. She plans to pursue a masters degree in education, and will begin looking at options to combine her skills and love of horses with music.

Congratulations, Cat - and thank you!

Choir of the West Senior 2020 Tribute
Ethan Moon, Bass

Ethan has been a member of the Choir of the West for four years as a bass, and he has served as one of our bass section leaders this year. Ethan has performed many solos with the choir, including at this year's Christmas concerts, on our J-term tour, and on the album "There Will Come Soft Rains." Of his time in the Choir, his favorite memory is singing Evensong in Kings College Chapel in Cambridge, England during last year's international tour. Ethan is a senior Music Education major with an emphasis is secondary choral music. He plans to student teach at Puyallup High School in the fall.

Congratulations, Ethan - and thank you!

Choir of the West Senior 2020 Tribute
Chase Alm, Tenor

Chase Alm has been a member of the Choir of the West for two years as a tenor, and he served as the section leader this year. His favorite memory was singing in King’s College Chapel in England and being able to share that beautiful space with his fellow choir members. Chase is working on his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education with an emphasis in secondary choral music. Moving forward, he plans to student teach in the fall and continue working as a choral scholar at a local church. When the pandemic is over, he vows to never make a virtual choir ever again, along with the rest of the people who are making virtual choirs.

Congratulations Chase, and thanks!

Choir of the West Senior 2020 Tribute
Rachel Bridges, Alto

Rachel has been a member of the choir for four years, and has served as choir president this year. She will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Of her time in choir, Rachel says: "Although there are countless wonderful memories to choose from, my favorite time in Choir each year is getting to hear the first sound we make in Lagerquist Hall during our first rehearsal as a choir. Something about it just makes me feel like I’m returning home. This summer I will begin working at Good Samaritan Hospital as a nurse on the Med/Surg Oncology floor. "

Congratulations and thanks, Rachel!

For some, the holidays are the most uplifting and peaceful time of year.

Since our world is currently experiencing some difficult times, we are re-releasing our 2019 Christmas Concert, O Nata Lux, for your enjoyment. It is free to watch on our website or on this YouTube link.

Stay healthy everyone!

O Nata Lux: A PLU Christmas Concert Join us in one of the most beloved holiday traditions in the Northwest, as The Choir of the West, University Chorale and University Symphony Orchestra presen...

More great news for There Will Come Soft Rains! Gramophone has chosen the album as an April 2020 Editor's Choice! We are incredibly proud and honored to be selected. It is the top accolade from a prestigious UK publication, so we are very excited!

The best new classical albums: Editor's Choice, April 2020 Featuring new releases from Bach Collegium Japan, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Víkingur Ólafsson and Marc-André Hamelin

Exciting news! The new Choir of the West album, "There Will Come Soft Rains" has been reviewed in the April edition of Gramophone magazine! This is a big deal - Gramophone is one of the most highly respected sources for reviews of classical music albums! To read the review and others by Agora Classica, BBC Music Magazine, and Textura (scroll down the page), please visit:

https://www.plu.edu/choir/there-will-come-soft-rains/

There Will Come Soft Rains | Choir of the West | Pacific Lutheran University Gramophone Magazine | March 2020 “Richard Nance has polished his Pacific Lutheran choristers to perfection. Balance and tuning are beyond reproach, with superb control of a full dynamic range.

The Choir of the West’s album “There Will Come Soft Rains” has been reviewed by Gramophone! Gramophone is a monthly magazine in the UK known for its excellent focus on classical music and in depth reviews.

Here’s part of what they said:
“Richard Nance has polished his Pacific Lutheran choristers to perfection. Balance and tuning are beyond reproach, with superb control of a full dynamic range. The soloists’ contributions are another great attraction.”

Read the entire review online here: https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/e-envalds-there-will-come-soft-rains

Stream the album online! Visit http://smarturl.it/PLCW for options.

There Will Come Soft Rains - Richard Nance & The Pacific Lutheran Choir Of The West

Wednesday, March 17. A message from Dean Cameron Bennett:

As announced yesterday by PLU President Allan Belton, PLU will remain in remote/distance learning for the remainder of the semester.

Unfortunately, the continuation of distance learning will require us to extend the cancellation of all SOAC events and performances for the remainder of the semester. This is so very disappointing on so many levels and so very sad, especially for our seniors. This same decision is being made at universities and colleges across the country. These are unprecedented times.

We will issue refunds for tickets already purchased. Further announcements will come in the days ahead. For now, stay well, stay healthy, and stay positive. There are no barriers for creativity. Our students need us; we need each other.

Thank you sincerely.

A message from our Dean, Dr. Cameron Bennett:

After hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, and other natural disasters, the arts play an integral role. The arts are a vital component of the revitalization of disaster-affected communities. People in crisis turn to the arts to heal their souls and provide comfort. The arts illuminate the human condition, bring people together, and provide a crucial vehicle for healing. Disaster recovery includes addressing the emotional and spiritual healing of our communities in addition to material necessities such as food and shelter; research shows that arts-based therapies in the aftermath of earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and other disasters reduce rates of distress, depression, and anxiety and increase hope, feelings of well-being and safety, and overall confidence.

COVID-19 is much different. Due the necessary and wise decisions to cancel most all public arts events, we will not have that requisite human outlet for emotional and spiritual healing. Most all arts organizations and practicing artists will suffer immense financial losses. Many will never recover. Whenever we come out the other side of the COVID-19 virus, the world will be lesser place, both in the tragic loss of lives, but also with the loss of many artists and arts organizations to help heal our communities.

Where possible, I encourage you to donate any purchased tickets to cancelled events back to the arts organizations, as well as consider other ways to support the organizations and artists that help serve our communities - and frankly, help heal our souls.

In light of PLU's decision to move to distance learning through to the end of March, SOAC has made the difficult decision to cancel all events and performances now through March 29. The choir does not have any scheduled performances in the next three weeks, but we wanted to alert you all the same in case an extension might affect a future performance. We will be working to reschedule as many events as possible after Spring Break.

If you have further questions, you may reach out to us at [email protected] or [email protected] or 253.535.7602 (Music) or 253.535.7150 (SOAC).

Check out this interview with the composer of There Will Come Soft Rains, Ēriks Ešenvalds, on Presto Music!

"Among the current crop of contemporary choral composers, Ēriks Ešenvalds has made a particular name for himself as a man with a knack for beguiling, powerful harmonies and a unique melodic directness. A growing number of recordings devoted to his music testify to its popularity and its ability to reach people..."

Ēriks Ešenvalds on There Will Come Soft Rains Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds talks to David about his new album of choral works, recorded by the Choir of the West at Pacific Lutheran University in Washington.

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