ST.

 OLAF  COLLEGE  DEPARTMENT  OF  MUSIC  PRESENTS  

 

BENJAMIN  BRITTEN’S  

WAR
REQUIEM
     

’
Following the devastating bombing of the Cathedral at Coventry, England, Cathedral stonemason
Jock Forbes saw two wooden beams lying in the shape of a cross and tied them together. A
replica of the wooden cross, built in 1964, has replaced the original in the ruins of the old
cathedral on an altar of rubble. The original is now kept on the stairs linking the new Cathedral
with St. Michael’s Hall below.

— photo by Shannon Cordes ’14

“My subject is War, and the pity of War.

The Poetry is in the pity …
All a poet can do today is warn.”
— Wilfred Owen

Unauthorized photography or video and audio recording is prohibited. The Boe Chapel performance is archived at
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 WAR REQUIEM, OP. 66
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Words from the Missa pro Defuntis and the poems of Wilfred Owen

I
Requiem aeternam

CHORUS
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, Rest eternal grant them, Lord;
et lux perpetua luceat eis and may everlasting light shine upon them.

TREBLE CHOIR
Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion; Songs of praise are due to Thee, God, in Zion;
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem; and prayers offered up to Thee in Jerusalem;
exaudi orationem meam, hear my prayer,
ad te omnis caro veniet all flesh shall come to Thee.

TENOR SOLO
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries for them from prayers or bells,
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, –
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?

Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of silent minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
[‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’]

CHORUS
Kyrie eleison Lord have mercy,
Christe eleison Christ have mercy,
Kyrie eleison Lord have mercy.
 II
Dies irae

CHORUS
Dies irae, dies illa, Day of anger, that day,
Solvet saeclum in favilla, Shall dissolve this generation into ashes,
Teste David cum Sibylla. With David and the Sibyl as witness.

Quantus tremor est futurus, How much quaking there will be,
Quando Judex est venturus, When the Judge will come,
Cuncta stricte discussurus! To weigh all things strictly.

Tuba mirum spargens sonum The trumpet pouring forth its awful sound
Per sepulchra regionum Through the tombs of the lands
Coget omnes ante thronum. Drives everyone before the throne.

Mors stupebit et natura, Death shall be stunned, and nature,

Cum resurget creatura, When life shall rise again,
Judicanti responsura. To answer for itself before the Judge.

BARITONE SOLO
Bugles sang, saddening the evening air,
And bugles answered, sorrowful to hear.

Voices of boys were by the river-side.

Sleep mothered them; and left the twilight sad.
The shadow of the morrow weighed on men.

Voices of old despondency resigned,

Bowed by the shadow of the morrow, slept.
[untitled]

SOPRANO SOLO AND CHORUS

Liber scriptus proferetur, A book inscribed shall be brought forth,
In quo totum continetur In which all is contained,
Unde mundus judicetur. From which the world shall be judged.

Judex ergo cum sedebit, When the Judge, therefore, shall sit,
Quidquid latet, apparebit: Whatever is concealed shall appear:
Nil inultum remanebit. Nothing unavenged shall remain.

Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? What am I, a wretch, to say then?

Quem patronum rogaturus, To whom as defender shall I entreat,
Cum vix justus sit securus? Since the just man is scarcely safe?

Rex tremendae majestatis, King of fearful majesty,

Qui salvandos salvas gratis, Who freely savest those who are to be saved,
Salva me, fons pietatis. Save me, fountain of compassion.
 TENOR AND BARITONE SOLOS
Out there, we’ve walked quite friendly up to Death;
Sat down and eaten with him, cool and bland, –
Pardoned his spilling mess-tins in our hand.
We’ve sniffed the green thick odour of his breath, –
Our eyes wept, but our courage didn’t writhe.
He’s spat at us with bullets and he’s coughed
Shrapnel. We chorussed when he sang aloft;
We whistled while he shaved us with his scythe.

Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!

We laughed at him, we leagued with him, old chum.
No soldier’s paid to kick against his powers.
We laughed, knowing that better men would come,
And greater wars; when each proud fighter brags
He wars on Death – for life; not men – for flags.
[‘The Next War’]

CHORUS
Recordare Jesu pie, Recall, kind Jesus,
Quod sum causa tuae viae: That I am the reason for your being:
Ne me perdas illa die. Lest Thou do away with me on that day.

Quaerens me, sedisti lassus: Searching for me, Thou didst sit exhausted:
Redemisti crucem passus: Thou hast redeemed me by suffering the cross:
Tantus labor non sit cassus. So much toil should not be in vain.

Ingemisco, tamquam resu: I sigh, so great a sinner:

Culpa rubet vultus meus: Guilt reddens my face:
Supplicanti parce Deus. Spare the supplicant, God.

Qui Mariam absolvisti, Thou who hast forgiven Mary,

Et latronem exaudisti, And hast listened to the robber,
Mihi quoque spem dedisti. And hast also given hope to me.

Inter oves locum praesta, Set me down amongst the sheep,

Et ab haedis me sequestra, And remove me from the goats,
Statuens in parte dextra. Standing at Thy right hand.

Confutatis maledictis, With the damned confounded,

Flammis acribus addictis, To the crackling flames consigned,
Voca me cum benedictis. Call me with your saints.

Oro supplex et acclinis, I pray, kneeling and supplicant,

Cor contritum quasi cinis: My heart worn away like ashes:
Gere curam mei finis. Protect me at my ending.

BARITONE SOLO
Be slowly lifted up, thou long black arm,
Great gun towering toward Heaven, about to curse;

Reach at that arrogance which needs thy harm,

And beat it down before its sins grow worse;

But when thy spell be cast complete and whole,

May God curse thee, and cut thee from our soul!
[from ‘Sonnet: On Seeing a Piece of Our Artillery Brought into Action’]
CHORUS AND SOPRANO SOLO
Dies irae, dies illa, Day of anger, that day,
Solvet saeclum in favilla, Shall dissolve this generation into ashes,
Teste David cum Sibylla. With David and the Sybil as witness.

Quantus tremor est futurus, How much quaking there will be,
Quando judex est venturus, When the Judge will come,
Cuncta stricte discussurus! To weigh all things strictly.

Lacrimosa dies illa, That tearful day,

Qua resurget ex favilla, On which shall arise again from the ashes,
Judicandus homo reus, The sinner to be judged,
Huic ergo parce Deus. Spare him accordingly, God.

TENOR SOLO
Move him into the sun –
Gently its touch awoke him once,
At home, whispering of fields unsown.
Always it woke him, even in France,
Until this morning and this snow.
If anything might rouse him now
The kind old sun will know.

Think how it wakes the seeds, –

Woke, once, the clays of a cold star.
Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides,
Full-nerved – still warm – too hard to stir?
Was it for this the clay grew tall?
– O what made fatuous sunbeams toil
To break earth’s sleep at all?
[‘Futility’]

CHORUS
Pie Jesu Domine, Kind Jesus, Lord
dona eis requiem. grant them rest.
Amen. Amen.

III
Offertorium

TREBLE CHOIR
Domine Jesu Christe, Lord Jesus Christ,
Rex gloriae, King of glory,
libera animas omnium fidelium free the souls of all the faithful
defunctorum de poenis inferni, dead from the tortures of hell,
et de profondo lacu: and from the bottomless pit:
libera eas de ore leonis, free them from the mouth of the lion,
ne absorbeat eas tartarus that hell may not swallow them up,
ne cadant in obscurum. nor may they fall into darkness.
CHORUS
Sed signifier sanctus Michael But the holy standard-bearer Michael
repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam: shall bring them back into the holy light:
quam olim Abrahae promisisti, as Thou once didst promise to Abraham,
et semini ejus. and his offspring.

BARITONE AND TENOR SOLOS

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Issac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb for this burnt-offering?
Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps,
And builded parapets and trenches there,
And stretchèd forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! an angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him. Behold,
A ram, caught in a thicket by its horns;
Offer the Ram of Pride instead of him.
But the old man would not so, but slew his son, –
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.
[‘The Parable of the Old Man and the Young’]

TREBLE CHOIR
Hostias et preces Sacrifices and prayers
tibi Domine laudis offerimus: we offer to Thee, Lord, with praise:
tu suscipe pro animabus illis, receive them for the souls of those
quarum hodie memoriam facimus: whose memory we recall today:
fac eas, Domine, make them, Lord,
de morte transire ad vitam. to pass from death to life.

IV
Sanctus

SOPRANO SOLO AND CHORUS

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Holy, holy, holy
Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Lord God of Hosts.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra Gloria tua, Full are heaven and earth with Thy glory.
Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord.
Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest.
 BARITONE SOLO
After the blast of lightning from the East,
The flourish of loud clouds, the Chariot Throne;
After the drums of Time have rolled and ceased,
And by the bronze west long retreat is blown,

Shall life renew these bodies? Of a truth

All death will He annul, all tears assuage? –
Fill the void veins of Life again with youth,
And wash, with an immortal water, Age?

When I do ask white Age he saith not so:

‘My head hangs weighed with snow.’
And when I hearken to the Earth, she saith:
‘My fiery hear shrinks, aching. It is death.
Mine ancient scars shall not be glorified,
Nor my titanic tears, the sea, be dried.’
[‘The End’]

V
Agnus Dei

TENOR SOLO
One ever hangs where shelled roads part.
In this war He too lost a limb,
But His disciples hide apart;
And now the Soldiers bear with Him.

CHORUS
Agnus Dei, Lamb of God
qui tollis peccata mundi, who takest away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem. grant them rest.

TENOR SOLO
Near Golgotha strolls many a priest,
And in their faces there is pride
That they were flesh-marked by the Beast
By whom the gentle Christ’s denied.

CHORUS
Agnus Dei, Lamb of God
qui tollis peccata mundi, who takest away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem. grant them rest.
 TENOR SOLO
The scribes on all the people shove
And bawl allegiance to the state,
But they who love the greater love
Lay down their life; they do not hate.
[‘At a Calvary near the Ancre’]

CHORUS
Agnus Dei, Lamb of God
qui tollis peccata mundi, who takest away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem sempiternam. grant them rest everlasting.

TENOR SOLO
Dona nobis pacem. Grant us peace.

VI
Libera me

CHORUS AND SOPRANO SOLO

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, Free me, Lord, from eternal death,
in die illa tremenda: on that dreadful day.
Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra: When the skies and ground shall quake:
Dun veneris judicare When Thou comest to judge
saeculum per ignem. our generation through fire.
Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo, I am made to tremble, and am afraid,
dum discussio venerit, until the trial shall come,
atque ventura ira. and the anger arrive.
Libera me, Domine, de morte aterna, Free me, Lord, from eternal death,
Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra. When the skies and ground shall quake.
Dies illa, dies irae, That day, day of anger
calamitatis et miseriae, of disaster and misery,
dies magna et amara valde. a great day and intensely bitter.
Libera me, Domine . . . Free me, Lord . . .

TENOR SOLO
It seemed that out of battle I escaped
Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which titanic wars had groined.
Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,
Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands as if to bless.
And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan.
‘Strange friend,’ I said, ‘here is no cause to mourn.’
 BARITONE SOLO
‘None,’ said the other, ‘save the undone years,
The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,
Was my life also; I went hunting wild
After the wildest beauty in the world.

For by my glee might many men have laughed,

And of my weeping something had been left,
Which must die now. I mean the truth untold,
The pity of war, the pity war distilled.
Now men will go content with what we spoiled.
Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled.
They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress,
None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress.
Miss we the march of this retreating world
Into vain citadels that are not walled.
Then, when much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels,
I would go up and wash them from sweet wells,
Even from wells we sunk too deep for war,
Even the sweetest wells that ever were.
I am the enemy you killed, my friend.
I knew you in this dark; for so you frowned
Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.
I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.’

TENOR AND BARITONE SOLOS

‘Let us sleep now . . .’
[‘Strange Meeting’]

TREBLE CHOIR, CHORUS, AND SOPRANO SOLO

In paradisum deducant te Angeli: To heaven may the Angels escort you;
in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, on your arrival may the Martyrs accept you,
et perducant te and lead you
in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. to the sacred city Jerusalem.
Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, May the Choir of Angels receive you
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere and with Lazarus, once a pauper,
aeternam habeas requiem. may you have rest eternal.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; Rest eternal grant them, Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis. and may everlasting light shine upon them.
Requiescant in pace. May they rest in peace.
Amen. Amen.
 If you would like to enjoy this program again, you can! Tune to Classical Minnesota Public
Radio, including KSJN, 99.5 FM, at 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 30 for the broadcast of our performance.
Classical Minnesota Public Radio is also scheduling a November re-broadcast in honor of Britten’s
centenary.

NOTES
On the terrible night of November 14, 1940, fire came down from the skies over Coventry, England, in the form of
incendiary bombs from German planes. The center of the city was destroyed, including much of the old cathedral. Out
of the charred ruins the next morning, a cross was erected from two burned beams under which was inscribed “Father,
forgive.” This was the spirit that grew from that dreadful night-a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, which was
also important in the planning of the new cathedral. Gifts and craftsmen came from all over the world to build the
edifice. The glass wall at the back of the cathedral overlooks the ruins that stand as a warning and reminder.

When Benjamin Britten was asked to write a piece to dedicate the new Coventry Cathedral in 1962, he also juxtaposed
the old and the new by using the traditional text of the Mass for the Dead in Latin and the anti-war poetry of the
soldier-poet Wilfred Owen who was killed in World War I. The images of Christ as all-holy Judge on the one hand and
all-merciful Savior on the other in the Latin Mass elicit despair and then hope. In the poetry of Owen, images of war
express the despair and hope which emerge from the experience of the soldier. Sometimes the words of Owen
underscore and blend with those of the Latin Mass as at the “Lacrimosa.” At other times they provide an ironic contrast,
most significantly after the exuberant “Sanctus.”

Britten heightens the emotional impact of these images with his music. The chorus and soprano soloist with orchestra
often represent humankind in its fear, false pride, and groping for help. The children with organ usually sing texts of
hope and innocence, and the tenor and baritone with chamber orchestra sing the poetry of Owen and often represent the
combatants.

The War Requiem has several important musical devices that likely are symbolic. The warning tritone — known as the
“interval of the devil” in the Middle Ages — pervades almost every page of the Requiem. Sometimes it is obvious as in
the chimes and chorus parts of the first movement, and sometimes it is buried within a melodic line or chordal structure.
The groping quintuplets of the opening orchestral passages return to provide asymmetrical rhythms in other solos and
in the “Libera me.” At the beginning of the second movement the orchestra presents three important motifs: the bugle
or trumpet triadic call to battle or judgment; the horn figures announcing the hunt or the seeking out of the enemy; and
the trombones’ descending scale (to hell or destruction) which sometimes ascends (to greater battle or Judgment Day).
The choir then sings an asymmetrical tune for the “Dies Irae” which reappears throughout the second movement and in
the orchestra as it overwhelms the choir in the last movement’s terrible vision of a final cataclysm.

In the “Offertorium,” the choir sings a jaunty, prideful tune in a quasi-fugal texture appropriate to the usual practice.
After the soloists sing of Abraham’s (and our) dreadful sacrifice of Isaac (and half the seed of Europe), the whole
quasi-fugue returns upside-down in dynamics and melodies-symbolic of the result of disobeying God’s command to
sacrifice the ram of pride instead of the beloved son.

The tritone of F#-C is resolved four times in the Requiem. Three times it moves to a quiet F major (at the end of
movements I, II, and VI) and once to a hopeful F# major at the end of V. Also, after the great climax of the last
movement, which drowns the cries of the choir for deliverance from eternal death in the judgment themes of the
second movement, the tritone disappears in the “Let us sleep now” and the final reconciliation of all the performing
forces. However, the children who represent the future of humankind sing the tritone again. Is this a warning that the
children are destined to make the same mistakes as their parents, “knowing that better men may come, and greater
wars?” We are left with the discomfort of this dual ending as the children sing the tritone and the choir resolves it once
more to F major.
— notes by Robert Scholz
 BIOGRAPHIES
 
Steven Amundson joined the music faculty at St. Olaf College in the fall of 1981. In addition to his leadership of the
St. Olaf Orchestra, he teaches courses in music theory and conducting. Mr. Amundson is the founding conductor of the
Twin Cities’ based Metropolitan Symphony and served as Music Director and Conductor of the Bloomington Symphony
from 1984—1997. He has been both a resident conductor and guest conductor for the Interlochen National Arts Camp,
and served as guest conductor for many All-State and Honors Orchestra festivals throughout the United States.
Mr. Amundson has led professional ensembles in Minnesota including the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, the
Minneapolis Pops Orchestra, the Fargo/Moorhead Symphony and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. A 1977 graduate of
Luther College, Mr. Amundson obtained the M.M. degree in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University and did
further studies at the University of Virginia, the Aspen Music School and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria where he
won the Hans Haring Prize. In 1992, the Minnesota Music Education Association named him “Minnesota Orchestra
Educator of the Year. ”
 
Christopher Aspaas serves as Artistic Director and Conductor of Magnum Chorum and Associate Professor of
Choral/Vocal Music at St. Olaf College. In addition to his work with the St. Olaf Chapel Choir, Dr. Aspaas conducts the
Viking Chorus, a 90-voice ensemble of first-year men, and teaches coursework in Conducting, Choral Literature and
private applied voice. In recent years, the St. Olaf Chapel Choir has performed the Brahms Requiem, Mendelssohn’s
Elijah, and most recently collaborated in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Active as a guest conductor and
clinician, Dr. Aspaas has conducted All-State Choruses this year in Minnesota, Colorado, and North Dakota as well as
festivals in Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Canada. Also active as a tenor soloist, Dr. Aspaas recently performed the role of
Evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion in North Carolina.

Associate Dean for the Fine Arts and Professor of Music, Dan Dressen is an active tenor and can be heard on recordings
of Aaron Copland’s “The Tender Land” and Benjamin Britten’s “Paul Bunyan” and “Company of Heaven.” He earned a
B.S. degree from Bemidji State University as well as an M.F.A. and a D.M.A. from the University of Minnesota.
Dressen’s career has included performances with the Washington Opera, Minnesota Opera, Cleveland Lyric Opera, the
Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, VocalEssence, and several appearances at the Aldeburgh Festival
in England. He is editor of a seven-part anthology series of opera arias by Benjamin Britten and creator of a Nordic art
song resource at St. Olaf College. He currently serves as Chair of the Commission on Accreditation for the National
Association of Schools of Music and this summer begins a new appointment at St. Olaf as Associate Provost.

With a voice the Boston Globe called “extraordinary in range, tonal quality, musicianship and dramatic effect,” soprano
Tracey Engleman has gained a reputation for excellence in opera, oratorio, and recital. Dr. Engleman has performed
operatic roles with Music by the Lake, Skylark Opera, the Minnesota Opera, the Minnesota Concert Opera, the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, and chamber works with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, the Tanglewood Music Center, and the
Boston Symphony. Oratorio and concert engagements include performances as a soloist with the the Minnesota Orchestra,
Milwaukee Bel Canto Chorus, the Valley Chamber Chorale, Minnesota Choral Union, the Cannon Valley Orchestra, and
the Rochester Aria Group. Dr. Engleman has performed in recital at Orchestra Hall, Hope College, the National
Association of Teachers of Singing National Convention, and as part of the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series. An
alumni of the Tanglewood Music Center and the Art Song Festival of Cleveland, Dr. Engleman’s awards include Regional
Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera, First Place and “Audience Choice” winner in the Austin Lyric Opera Young Artist
Competition, Finalist in the Sun Valley Opera Competition, recipient of the Minnesota NATS Artist Award, and winner
of the Milwaukee Bel Canto Chorus Regional Artist Competition.
 
Beginning his musical path as a euphonium and trombone player, Robert C. Smith holds degrees in instrumental as well
as vocal music. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College (B.M) Yale University (M.M.), and the University of Texas (D.M.A.).
Major teachers have included Phyllis Curtin, Donald Hoiness, Barbara Honn, Mary Kaye Schmidt, and Darlene Wiley
with additional study in Milan, Italy with Rita Patané. Dr. Smith has appeared with the Dallas Symphony, the Aspen
Festival, Madeira Bach Festival (Portugal), Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Covent Garden Festival (London), Prague
Spring Festival (Czech Republic), Foire Saint Germain (Paris), Festival Van Vlaanderen (Belgium) and at the Library of
Congress in Washington, D.C. As an avid chamber musician, Dr. Smith is a long-time member of the VocalEssence
Ensemble Singers. He has sung at two World Symposia on Choral Music, several ACDA National Conferences, and in
radio broadcasts on Belgium Radio, Radio France, NPR, and the BBC. Professor Smith served on the faculties of the
University of New Mexico, the Berkshire Choral Festival, and the University of Vermont before coming to St. Olaf
College in 1995. He currently teaches studio voice, vocal literature, and is the interim director of the Early Music Singers.

Elizabeth Jensen Shepley has been on the Northfield Youth Choir (NYC) staff since 2001 and is in her eighth year as its
artistic director. She conducts the Concert Choir and Anima and teaches Poco a Poco: A Music Experience for the
youngest NYC singers. She earned a master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas with an emphasis in Kodály and a
B.A. in music education from Concordia College in Moorhead, is a certified Orff-Schulwerk and Kodály music educator,
and has had further study at the Royal School of Church Music in England. Ms. Shepley has taught music education in
public and private schools and has led conferences and festivals nationwide. In addition to her position with the NYC, she
serves as the director of children’s choirs for Bethel Lutheran Church in Northfield.

ENSEMBLES
The St. Olaf Orchestra, made up of about 90 instrumentalists, is one of two full symphonies at St. Olaf College. Open to
all students by audition each fall, the orchestra performs five to six concert programs each year. The St. Olaf Orchestra
has toured throughout the United States, Scandinavia, Europe, and most recently China, where they performed in some of
that country’s finest concert venues. The orchestra has been featured at regional and national music conventions, on
Austrian National Radio, NPR, PBS, and twice on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion.

The St. Olaf Chapel Choir, a select group of 100 mixed voices, prepares music for Sunday services of the Student
Congregation, performs as a solo choir in Christmas Festival, and presents a fall vespers, a major spring concert with the
St. Olaf Orchestra, and special events both on and off campus. The Chapel Choir is open by audition to sophomores,
juniors and seniors; private lessons in voice are recommended for all members.

Recognized for expressive singing and inspired programs, Magnum Chorum brings artistry and spirit
to a cappella choral music. The 50-voice chamber choir presents colorful concerts, commissions and premieres new
sacred works, and provides music for worship. Founded in the choral tradition of St. Olaf College, the choir welcomes
singers of all backgrounds devoted to musical excellence in sacred choral music. Now offering its 22nd season, Magnum
Chorum also serves as Choir in Residence at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Magnum Chorum has performed with distinguished conductors including Anton Armstrong, Kenneth Jennings, Dale
Warland, Weston Noble, René Clausen, Philip Brunelle, Craig Hella Johnson, and Osmo Vänskä, and collaborated with
prominent composers such as Stephen Paulus, Frank Ferko, Libby Larsen, Ken Jennings, Ralph Johnson and Stanford
Scriven. To encourage the work of emerging composers, Magnum Chorum has established a Composer in Residence
program. Benjamin Simmons will serve as Composer in Residence during the 2012–2013 season.

The ensemble has been featured at regional and national conferences of the American Choral Director’s Association,
Chorus America, American Guild of Organists, American Hymn Society, and College Music Society. The choir’s
recordings are broadcast in the U.S. and Canada on public radio and classical music stations. Our name, Magnum Chorum,
is intended to convey the importance of the choir in expressing the divine and the infinite through voice, music, and text.

The Northfield Youth Choirs (NYC), 26 years old, is an organization that provides choral opportunities for those in
kindergarten through high school. Singers in second grade and up enjoy weekly rehearsals, yearly retreats, area
performances and, for upper elementary choirs and older, annual tours. Children in kindergarten and first grade may
participate in Poco a Poco —12 weeks packed with singing, music games, and movement fun. Highlights for the group
include participating in the Pacific International Children’s Choir Festival, performing on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home
Companion radio show and singing in Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel. They have premiered commissioned works by
Daniel Kallman for the Northfield Sesquicentennial, Elizabeth Alexander for the Northfield Arts Guild’s 50th
Anniversary, and Carolyn Jennings for the NYC’s 25th anniversary concert with the St. Olaf Choir.
 ST.  OLAF  CHAPEL  CHOIR      
CHRISTOPHER  ASPAAS,  CONDUCTOR
 
 
SOPRANO  I   ALTO  I TENOR  I BARITONE
Lauren Cummins, Stillwater, Minn. Abby Buuck, Edina, Minn. Daniel Bynum, Salt Lake City, Utah David Anderson, Oak Park, Ill.
social work chemistry undecided physics/studio art
Liz Hawkinson, Plymouth, Minn. B Crittenden, Dekalb, Ill. Thomas Case, Philadelphia, Pa. Brandon Berger, Worthington, Minn.
music performance music/psychology biology
Candice Jones, Edina, Minn. Claire Cummins, Stillwater, Minn. William Goforth, Vancouver, Wash. music education
music/French nursing/gender studies music performance Carsten Bosselman, Grand Island,
Kristin Lange, Topeka, Kan. Kelsey Fleming, Austin, Minn. David Gottfried, Roseville, Minn. Neb.
English/German music education music performance psychology  
Chelsea Lloyd, Spring Valley, Minn. † Emily Haller, Centennial, Colo. Gregory Hilleren, Willmar, Minn. Andy Curtis, Springfield, Mo.
mathematics music/psychology mathematics/theater music
Kari Nelson, Minnetonka, Minn. Becca Hart, Tulsa, Okla. Nathan Knutson, Chaska, Minn. Alex Gerleman, Marion, Iowa
theater English/studio art music theory/composition music education
Emma Ostby, Spicer, Minn. Katherine Kennedy, Vienna, Va. Ned Netzel, Duluth, Minn. Alex Girardot, Washington, D.C.
mathematics/biology sociology/anthropology English studio art/political science
Kaia Preus, Excelsior, Minn. † Eileen King, Oak Park, Ill. Daniel Sacerio, Rosemont, Pa. David Hahn, Bexley, Ohio
English computer science/ ESL education sociology/anthropology history/mathematics
Spencer Hodgson, Anchorage, Alaska
Kayleen Seidl, Joplin, Mo. Sarah Kretschmann, Verona, Wis.   psychology/religion
music performance/Spanish environmental studies/ TENOR  II  
Sarah Wineman, St. Paul, Minn. sociology/anthropology Nick Kovach, Zionsville, Ind.
Maxwell Collyard, Shoreview, Minn. music/mathematics
biology Stina Nesbit, Northfield, Minn. theater/physics
Michelle Yancey, Wayzata, Minn. psychology Martin Kvam, Oslo, Norway
Drew Dittmann, Stillwater, Minn. music
exercise science Bridget Novak, Iowa City, Iowa political science/social studies
studio art/sociology/anthropology Sterling Melcher, Davis, Calif.
education theater
SOPRANO  II   Kirsten Overdahl, Fort Wayne, Ind. George Fergus, Fort Worth, Texas Andrew O’Neill, Appleton, Wis.
Lauren Anderson, Eau Claire, Wis.   music performance/chemistry music performance
Catie Yokan, Sioux Falls, S.D. political science
music education Andrew Hoisington, Bloomfield Hills, Calvin Streit, Oak Park, Ill.
Sophia Butler, Burnsville, Minn. physics Mich. psychology
music/anthropology chemistry † Josh Woolfolk, Elizabethtown, Ky.
Hannah Hanssen, Burnsville, Minn. ALTO  II Bjorn Hovland, Iowa City, Iowa theater
music Katrina Atkinson, Evergreen, Colo. economics/mathematics Christopher Zander, Novato, Calif.
† Katherine Lewiston, Mondovi, Wis. mathematics Zachary Jackson, Matteson, Ill. music
music education Amanda Burgdorf, Buffalo, Minn. music
Michelle Logsdon, Waseca, Minn. music Eric Lander, Tulsa, Okla.
biology Audrey Craft, Dover, N.H. BASS    
chemistry Sam Benson, Willmar, Minn.
Katie Miller, Plymouth, Minn. music Alec Noll, Lakeville, Minn.
music performance Rebecca Cooper, Florence, Mass. political science/philosophy
physics/mathematics Sam Bosak, White Bear Lake,
Nicole Newell, Clive, Iowa psychology Zach Rice, North Oaks, Minn.
biology Halle Foss, Plymouth, Minn. Minn.
history/English physics/computer science
Ariane Olsen, Fort Collins, Colo. biology Thomas Scott, La Grange, Ill.
psychology/religion Katie Hindman, Pullman, Wash. Marcus Eeman, St. Louis Park,
computer science/mathematics Minn.
Cassie Paulsen, Eden Prairie, Minn. theater Ned Ulring, Decorah, Iowa
political science Anna Horner, Wichita, Kan. political science
English/Spanish Patrick Faunillan, Shakopee, Minn.
Johnna Purchase, North Richland psychology
Hills, Texas Annie Ketcham, Red Wing, Minn. Asian studies/nursing
English environmental studies Alex Kirstukas, Ames, Iowa
Natalia Romero, Katy, Texas Jessie Price, Murrieta, Calif. music
music education psychology Paul Liesmaki, Maple Grove, Minn.
Greta Shull, Washington, Ill. Samantha Stayton, Independence, Mo. mathematics/chemistry
English/psychology English David Niccolai, Burlington, Wis.
Sarah Beth Sivanich, Mequon, Wis. Olivia Wiedenhoeft, Beaver Dam, Wis. chemistry
physics/economics mathematics Cole Swanson, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Kari Swanson, Appleton, Wis. music/environmental studies
biology Matthew Terhaar, Minneapolis, Minn.
Stephanie Tyler, New Milford, Conn. music
French
Caitlin Woolums, Denver, Colo. † Officer
chemistry

 
 

 
ST.  OLAF  DEPARTMENT  OF  MUSIC            
Alison Feldt, chair
Kent McWilliams, vice chair

MUSIC  ADMISSIONS  
Mary Hakes, coordinator  
 
OFFICE  OF  MUSIC  ORGANIZATIONS
B.J. Johnson, manager
Terra Widdifield, assistant manager
Kevin Stocks, assistant director for marketing and promotion
Mary Davis, mechanical rights administrator
Christine Hanson, assistant to music organizations
Tim Wells, administrative assistant
 THE    ST.  OLAF  ORCHESTRA  
STEVEN  AMUNDSON,  CONDUCTOR  •  TERRA  WIDDIFIELD,  MANAGER  
VIOLIN  I   CELLO HORN  
††Greta Bauer, Minneapolis, Minn. Benjamin Bruce, Midland, Mich. Nicole Danielson, Watertown, Minn.
CHAMBER  ORCHESTRA
music/chemistry mathematics/philosophy music/biology  
Katelyn Berg, Fircrest, Wash. Lydia Bundy, Pasadena, Calif. Megan Dunlap, Albuquerque, N.M. VIOLIN  I  
music/psychology music/Russian chemistry †Emily Mullaney, Gilbert, Iowa
Lars Berggren, Lindsborg, Kan. ~Isabel Carman, Iowa City, Iowa Katie Hewett, Wauwatosa, Wis. music performance
economics psychology/Hispanic studies English/French
Jared Brown, Oak Park, Calif. **Sara Cattanach, Lake Elmo, Minn. Tyler Johnston, Long Lake, Minn. VIOLIN  II    
music/mathematics/physics English/management studies music/computer science *Elizabeth Fairfield, DeKalb, Ill.
†✧Seiji Cataldo, St. Paul, Minn. Kelly Halpin, Algonquin, Ill. **Ellan Krubsack, Maple Grove, Minn. music/management studies
music performance/economics music/environmental studies mathematics
Stephen Lee, Delran, N.J. Omar Macias, Plymouth, Minn. Molly Raben, Kenosha, Wis. VIOLA  
music/computer science music performance music/film studies Joshua Wareham, West St. Paul, Minn.
Sarah Marti, Prior Lake, Minn. Isaac Maier, Forest Lake, Minn. music performance
music music TRUMPET  
Daniel McDonald, Chesterfield, Mo. Keegan O’Donald, Greenville, Mich. Gregory Dean, Apple Valley, Minn. CELLO  
political science music performance biology **Benjamin Arbeiter, Rapid City, S.D.
Jonathon Peterson, Grand Forks, N.D. **Audrey Slote, Meadville, Pa. Neil Hulbert, Tacoma, Wash. chemistry
music music performance music performance
✧Amanda Secor, Fort Dodge, Iowa Andrew Wyffels, Plymouth, Minn. **Tim McCarthy, Brush Prairie, Wash. BASS  
music chemistry/music music performance Theo Brackee, Northfield, Minn.
Arthur Sletten, Osceola, Wis. William Wertjes, Olympia, Wash. music
chemistry BASS   music/chemistry
Hannah Sorrells, Weaverville, N.C. **✧Evan Anderson, Golden, Colo. FLUTE/PICCOLO  
music performance chemistry/mathematics TROMBONE   **Molly Schull, Hayward, Wis.
Grant Gordon, Katy, Texas Jesse Brault, Westby, Wis. exercise science
VIOLIN  II     Asian studies music theory/composition
Kristian Cardell, Lund, Sweden Henry Roe Ramsey, Bellevue, Wash. **✧Zach Gingerich, Conway, Ark. OBOE  
music/philosophy physics music performance **Hannah Femling, Vancouver, Wash.
Francesca Crutchfield-Stoker, Iowa City, Kara Lynn Sajeske, Elmhurst, Ill. music performance
Iowa studio art BASS  TROMBONE  
political science/Spanish Micah Stoddard, Omaha, Neb. Robinson Schulze, Santa Monica, Calif. CLARINET  
Eden Ehm, Decorah, Iowa music performance music performance Kayla Kaml, Bemidji, Minn.
mathematics/biology psychology
Sally Gildehaus, Red Lodge, Mont. FLUTE/PICCOLO   TUBA  
psychology/neuroscience **Chappy Gibb, Oak Park Heights, Minn. Lucas Sletten, Osceola, Wis. BASSOON  
Britta Hoiland, Park Ridge, Ill. music performance/Spanish physics Joshua Kosberg, Wildwood, Ill.
music/sociology/anthropology Jung-Yoon Kim, Chicago, Ill. music performance/physics
Erik McCoy, Iowa City, Iowa music performance PERCUSSION  
biology/Spanish Ida Zalk, Maplewood, Minn. Soren Docken, Chatfield, Minn. HORN  
Hanieh Nejadriahi, Northbrook, Ill. music performance music/mathematics Kira Seidel, Minneapolis, Minn.
mathematics/physics Neil Gleason, Buffalo, Minn. music performance
*Emily Reeves, Rapid City, S.D. OBOE     psychology/film studies
chemistry **Rosanna Egge, Lincoln, Neb. John Kronlokken, Eden Prairie, Minn. PERCUSSION  
Christina Solensten, Woodbury, Minn. music performance music/economics **Michael Betz, Mason City, Iowa
music  Mariah Johnston, Minnetonka, Minn. Tim O’Grady, Fort Collins, Colo. music theory/composition
Britta Stjern, Roseville, Minn. music music/mathematics
music Luke Simonson, Morristown, Minn. Robin Wheelus, Austin, Texas HARP  
**Karen Van Acker, St. Charles, Ill. music/mathematics/psychology physics/mathematics Joy Gunderson, Phoenix, Ariz.
music education church music
E-­‐FLAT  CLARINET   PIANO  
VIOLA   Carianne Newstat, Waukegan, Ill. Vivian Williams, Northfield, Minn.
Beret Amundson, Northfield, Minn. English music performance/ancient studies
biology/chemistry †† Concertmaster
James Bell, Potomac, Md. CLARINET   † Assistant Concertmaster
music **Erinn Komschlies, Appleton, Wis. ** Principal/Co-principal
Lauren Culver, Salem, Ore. music * Assistant Principal
music Jacob Meyer, St. Paul, Minn. ✧ Officer
**~Abi Enockson, Fargo, N.D. music performance ~ Librarian
music/management studies  English Horn
*Claire Folts, Hershey, Pa. BASS  CLARINET    Contrabassoon
music education/religion Jonathan Sanchez, Columbia, S.C.
McKinley Green, Butler, Ohio music performance
English
Britt Nance Letcher, West Lafayette, Ind. BASSOON  
music/American racial and multicultural Ethan Boote, Ada, Mich.
studies art history
Kelly McNeilly, Iowa City, Iowa **Conor Mackey, St. Charles, Ill.
computer science music theory/composition
John Ondich-Batson, Duluth, Minn. Linnea Pierson, San Jose, Calif.
music music/mathematics
Emma Ritter, Omaha, Neb.
English/philosophy
Hannah Stallkamp, Gilbert, Ariz.
biology
 MAGNUM  CHORUM  
CHRISTOPHER  ASPAAS,  ARTISTIC  DIRECTOR  
 
 
Soprano  I   Alto  I Tenor  I Bass  I
Kristi Barnes Katherine Atchinson Erik Akervik Bob Brandt
Meryl Burman Katie Bleskacek Ian Cook Peter Gallick
Deanna Loken Angie Hugo Tom Frank Steve Grundahl
Karen Lutgen Damara O’Malley Paul Holte Tom Knobel-Piehl
Heather Nelson Julianne Sixel Keith Lutgen AJ Lund
Meredith Samuelson Darin Riedel Nathan Oppedahl
Alto  II   Chris Paul
Soprano  II   Kate Burke Tenor  II Steve Rosas
Catherine Collins Katherine Johnson Peter Haugen
Beth Jeddeloh Martha Kunau Ben Henschel Bass  II  
Katelyn Larson Sara Kunau Dean Jilek Noah Anderson
Shannon Rosas Julia Mann Nate Raabe Ben Cherland
Gillian Teoh Tara Ritter Tony Rangel Nate Crary
Julie Urban Sarah Tengblad Rudy Dyer
Mark Henning
Chris Nelson
Mark Schneider
Ben Simmons
Karl Turnlund

MAGNUM  CHORUM  STAFF  

Martha Kunau, executive director
Kim Bowman, director of development
Peter Haugen, operations manager

ANIMA  FROM  NORTHFIELD  YOUTH  CHOIRS  

ELIZABETH  SHEPLEY,  ARTISTIC  DIRECTOR  
 

Isabelle Aylin Elsa Kasten Addie Nelson Maya Snesrud

Synneva Bratland Madeline Kerling Greta Nelson Jaclyn Swenson
Bella Callery Jessica Labenski Ruth Nelson Sienna Tisdale
Lily Evavold Alison Langston Lily Noble Emily Walser-Kuntz
Annika Fisher Siri Lindell Annalee Olson-Sola Anna Weber
Abigail Goerdt Emily Lorence Laura Olson Brooke Weed
Jariya Goerwitz Jane Ludwig Claire Paulsen Amelia Weir
Anna Hawkins-Saurer Hannah Mahr Julia Radtke
Jordan Hoffman Laurel Martinson Chlore Schwie ORGAN  
Ellie Ims Addison Monroe Christina Victoria Snesrud James Bobb
St. Olaf Faculty