Rehearsals starting July 8. Concert August 3, 7:30pm.
Viva Coro! and Summer Chorus. We challenge and delight our audiences and singers through dynamic and diverse choral music performed with skill and passion. Our civic engagement and educational programs foster lifelong choral singing.
Pioneer Press (11/2016)
2023-2024 Concert Season
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Our 2023-2024 Concert Season
Select a season to explore and then move the mouse over the desired concert poster for more detailed information.
- 2023-2024
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Winter Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Winter Concert
Christmas Concert
March Concert
May Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Winter Concert
Christmas Concert
Spring Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Winter Concert
March Concert
May Concert
Summer Chorus Concert
Support the Oratorio Society
The Oratorio Society has been celebrating choral music since 1980, thanks to our many friends and supporters.
Your continued generosity will help us to provide wonderful musical experiences for years to come, and will enable
us to continue to keep ticket prices low so we can make great choral music accessible to all.
We will recognize your generosity in each concert program, listing contributors as shown to the right:
Contributors | $1 - $49 | |
Friends | $50 - $99 | |
Donors | $100 - $249 | |
Supporters | $250 - $499 | |
Patrons | $500 - $999 | |
Partners | $1,000 - $2,499 | |
Benefactors | $2,500+ |
Contribute by Check
If you prefer to donate by check, make it payable to Oratorio Society of Minnesota and give to any chorus member, bring it to a concert, or mail to:
Oratorio Society of MinnesotaP.O. Box 131814
St. Paul, MN 55113
The Oratorio Society is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation. Donations are tax deductible as permitted by law.
Employer Matching Program
Ask your employer if they have a matching gifts program to match your contribution. If so, this is an easy way to double or triple your contribution, at no additional cost to you!
Our "Wish List"
Another way you can support the Oratorio Society is through donation of goods and services. These donations are also tax deductible. Currently, we are looking for:
- Printing of our brochures & programs
- Photography for publicity photos
Viva Coro!
Viva Coro!, the Oratorio Society's youth engagement program, aims to inspire the next next generation of singers to be lifelong participants in choral music.
Viva Coro! invites high school-age singers to rehearse and perform a choral masterwork with the Oratorio Society and a professional orchestra.
For more information about the program, please send us an email.
Participants Comments
"It was incredible! It's one thing to listen to the Requiem with the orchestra and a full choir, but another thing to be part of it. It was like an out-of-body experience. No! It actually was!"Henry, age 18
"It was just kind of like, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"Bethany, age 17
"I'd have to agree with that. Singing with 82 adult singers, with them and the sound they can make, is a very special experience."Sam, age 17
Our Viva Coro! program provides wonderful benefits to high school singers, who get a chance to enjoy performing great choral works with professional orchestra and the Oratorio Society.
Summer Chorus
Held yearly during the month of July, Summer Chorus is a collaboration between the Oratorio Society of Minnesota
and the University of Minnesota School of Music.
Rehearsals:
July 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31
All rehearsals are from 7-9:30 pm in room 85 of Ferguson Hall on the campus of the University of MN
Dress Rehearsal
August 3 - 9:30am-1pm
Performance
August 3, 7:30 pm
Auditions
Requesting an Audition
Please email Matthew Mehaffey, Artistic Director, at
[email protected]
to set up a date and time.
Audition Process
Please read the following information carefully before requesting an audition – you will be asked to:
- Bring a prepared solo to sing
Bring a copy for yourself and a bound copy for the accompanist. Note: the melody of a hymn tune is also acceptable, but you must bring a harmonized version of it for the accompanist. - Vocalize
To the high and low extremes of your range
Sing back pitch recall exercises
Sight read a selection provided
The whole process takes about 10-15 minutes.
Location
Auditions are held at Macalester Plymouth United Church (see rehearsal venue below)
Rehearsal Venue
Macalester Plymouth United Church
1658 Lincoln Ave
St. Paul, MN 55105
Phone: 612-419-6536
Macalester Campus Map
Macalester Plymouth United Church
Artistic Staff
Artistic Director Matthew Mehaffey
American conductor and educator Matthew Mehaffey enjoys a national reputation in
the field of choral/orchestral music through his engaging artistry,
collaborative spirit, affirming pedagogical style, and entrepreneurial
approach to concert programming.
Mehaffey serves as Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota, where
he was the 2015 recipient of the Arthur “Red” Motley Exemplary Teaching Award.
In addition to conducting the University Singers he teaches courses in choral
literature and conducting. He has been the Artistic Director of the Oratorio
Society of Minnesota since 2008. During his leadership, OSM has endeavored to
make the genre of Oratorio relevant to 21st century audiences. Immersive
programs like The Music of Downton Abbey, Victoria! Voices of Light,
Lest We Forget, and The Greatest Generation have delighted audiences and led
to OSM being hailed as “Twin Cities’ foremost presenter of large-scale
works for chorus and orchestra.” (Pioneer Press) From 2016-2023 he was
the Music Director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, the “Choir of Choice”
of the Pittsburgh Symphony. During his tenure the choir received a GRAMMY
Nomination for its recording of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Pittsburgh
Symphony.
He has published extensively on the topic of choral rehearsal technique with
GIA Publications. He and his friend Dave Fielding are currently working on
The English Heritage Music Series with the University of Minnesota Libraries.
He and his wife Libby have four young children.
Accompanist Yichen Liang
Born in Suzhou, China, Yichen Liang is currently pursuing a DMA in Collaborative Piano at University of Minnesota Twin-Cities, studying with Timothy Lovelace. He studied piano performance with Edward Auer, and collaborative piano with Futaba Niekawa and Charles Prestinari at Indiana University. He got his undergraduate degree in Music Education at Shanghai Normal University. As a pianist, he participated in masterclasses with Peter Bithell, Kevin Kenner etc. Active as a versatile performer, he has played and sung in many performances of solo, chamber, and choral settings across Asia and the United States.
Conductor Laureate George S.T. Chu
George Chu founded the Oratorio Society in 1980 and served as its Artistic Director until May 2008,
when he was named its first Conductor Laureate.
As professor of music and choral activities at Hamline University, Dr. Chu directs the A Cappella
Choir, an ensemble which gives students — most are non-music majors — an opportunity to sing the finest choral music and tour internationally.
Dr. Chu's love of teaching resulted in a unique expansion of the Oratorio Society's activities —
Viva Coro! high school choral workshops, with an emphasis on leadership.
His musical training includes a bachelor's degree from Yale University (1969) and a Doctor of
Musical Arts degree from Indiana University (1979), where he studied with Julius Herford.
George S.T. Chu
Administration
The Oratorio Society, a nonprofit corporation, is governed by a Board of Directors. Day-to-day affairs are handled mainly by volunteers. The Oratorio Society thrives on the energy and support of its chorus members and friends.
Board of Directors
The Society's Board of Directors consists of elected members who serve three-year terms, and the Artistic Director, an ex officio member. The current directors collectively have over 60 years of board experience, including service on nonprofit boards of directors in the arts, civic groups, and churches. This significant experience helps effectively guide and provide oversight to the Society's mission and activities.
Board Members 2023-2024
- Mark Gustafson
- Andrea Hansen
- Karen Jollie
- Ron Ketterling
- Barry Lau
- Rick Saumer
- Kathy Schwister
- Judy Taves
- Matthew Mehaffey, Artistic Director (ex officio)
Administration Team
- Julie Kirsch, Choir Manager
- Kim and Volker Petersen, Webmasters