Music

A Fantastic Ensemble

local vocal group croons into its twentieth season

Emily Anderson |

The Master Singers really stand out in their field.
The Master Singers really stand out in their field.

The Master Singers is the Chippewa Valley’s premiere adult choral ensemble. Since the ensemble was founded, the Master Singers have consistently put on excellent performances that clearly display the group’s talent. Part of their success is due to skill and experience of their conductor. The ensemble is directed by Dr. Gary Schwartzhoff, a professor of Music and Theatre Arts at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. The group is full of talented members of the community, including many local music educators, who are “dedicated to the fostering, promotion and appreciation of choral music in the greater Chippewa Valley.” They began their 20th season this fall, and are now preparing for their upcoming holiday program. Entitled: Lessons and Carols: The Shepherds Sing, this concert will feature a wide array of holiday music. The Master Singers will perform this program three times throughout December. The first will be on Saturday, December 8 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, MN. The second and third will be a little closer to home on Friday and Saturday, December 14 and 15 at First Congregational Church in Eau Claire and St. Charles Borromeo Church in Chippewa Falls, respectively. The group will also be collecting nonperishable food items to benefit the Feed My People Food Bank. In the future, the Master Singers have two performances of their Easter program in April and will perform at the National President’s Day Choral Festival in Washington, DC. This season also features UWEC music student, Andrew Steffen, as the group’s first ever composer-in-residence.