St Olaf Choir with South African Youth Choir - Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre

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Friday, 14 June, 19h00 | Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre, Cape Town

Celebrated Conductor, Dr. Anton Armstrong, brings his award-winning St Olaf Choir

With Host Choir: South African Youth Choir, conducted by Phil Robinson

American and World music, Choral Standards, Hymns, African-American Spirituals, Folk Songs, South African, Living Composers, and more. 

“When they opened their mouths to sing, an even wall of sound emerged: words clear, notes true. But more than that, the notes were felt … (The St. Olaf Choir is) good because of its remarkable balance and mellow tone … It’s good because of its dynamic shadings: its ability to sustain, then build from, nearly inaudible pianos, or to distinguish between a forte and a fortissimo … Dr. Anton Armstrong, the group’s leader since 1990, is clearly a gifted choral director – and a teacher to the core.” ~ The New York Times

Open Seating based on your ticketed section

R200 - Floor rows A-F

R150 - Floor rows G-N

R100 - All Balcony Seats

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Wheelchair accessible seats in A1 and A20

Venue Address: 20 Picton St, Parow, Cape Town, 7500, South Africa

Refreshments And Meals: Refreshments not available at the venue.

Doors open 30 minutes prior to the performance start time. Open seating within your purchased section

Learn more here: https://www.classicalmovements.com/stolaf-sa-tour/

St. Olaf Choir

For more than a century, the St. Olaf Choir, conducted by Dr. Anton Armstrong, has set the gold standard for choral singing, performing for millions around the world. Composed of 75 mixed voices, the St. Olaf Choir is hailed as one of the nation’s premier a cappella ensembles, renowned for its artistry and beauty of sound. The St. Olaf Choir was founded in 1912 by F. Melius Christiansen, whose work established the ensemble’s standard of excellence and its tradition of bringing music to audiences outside of campus. Christiansen chose spiritually profound music and pushed student musicians to perfect a tone that was disciplined, controlled, and free of excessive vibrato. That sound — securely in tune, controlled in pitch, smooth in delivery — became the choir’s hallmark. When Armstrong took the helm in 1990, his vast knowledge of music and his ability to articulate a vision to singers and audiences alike took the St. Olaf Choir to the next level, adding more flavor to its signature sound and further expanding its repertoire to include music of the Pacific Rim, Africa, and Latin America. Under Armstrong’s leadership, the choir continues to expand its touring horizons, engaging capacity audiences in major concert halls throughout the United States and worldwide. The ensemble has toured internationally 15 times. Most recently, in June 2019, the St. Olaf Choir toured Norway for two weeks with the St. Olaf Orchestra.

Dr. Anton Armstrong, Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, became the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College and earned advanced degrees at the University of Illinois and Michigan State University. He is editor of a multicultural choral series for Earthsongs Publications and co-editor (with John Ferguson) of the revised St. Olaf Choral Series for Augsburg Fortress Publishers. In June 1998, he began his tenure as founding conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy.  In January 2006, Baylor University selected Anton Armstrong from a field of 118 distinguished nominees to receive the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching and spent February–June 2007 in residency at Baylor University as a visiting professor. In October 2009, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University. In June 2013, Dr. Armstrong received the Saltzman Award from the Oregon Bach Festival. The festival’s highest honor, the Saltzman Award is bestowed upon individuals who have provided exceptional levels of leadership to the organization. Dr. Armstrong is a highly sought-after clinician and guest conductor, and works with many of the world’s most prestigious organizations and ensembles.

South African Youth Choir

The internationally acclaimed, Non-Profit Organisation, South African Youth Choir is one of the most exciting choral projects in the world today. Appealing to various spectators across the globe the SAYC has showcased its vast musical abilities on local and international platforms since its inception in 2005. It has also positioned itself as one of the most sought after performance choirs in the country thereby gaining the SAYC the opportunity to perform and record with numerous local and international artists on a regular basis.

Under the direction of Phil Robinson, the choir was awarded “Best Youth Choir” at the renowned <em>ATKV Animato International Choral Competition for two consecutive years in 2014 and 2015; and “Best Regional Choir 19 Years and Younger” at Tygerberg International Eisteddfod.

The South African Youth Choir prides itself on being diverse in terms of musicality and through its members who come from all our the country. At present SAYC consists of 54 high school learners and students between the ages of 13-22. While the focus not only lies in promoting a unique musical product of international standards, SAYC also endorses raw talent and provides a platform for the South African youth to flaunt and further develop their talents.

In the true spirit of Ubuntu, the South African Youth Choir is a human project that celebrates unity within cultural diversity.

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