Music

Listen Up: Outstanding spring choral events in the Chippewa Valley

Olivia Kroner |

The Master Singers
The Master Singers

Spring time is the best time to get out of the house, clear out your ears, and enjoy an evening of choral music. With a glut of choruses and choirs raising their voices throughout the Chippewa Valley, there is a concert for every preference and every driving radius. Check out this list of opportunities to enjoy a song.

Chippewa Valley Community Chorus

“The Arts Are All Around Us” • March 8 at 2pm, Heyde Center for the Arts, Chippewa Falls • On a mission to share their love of music with the community, this year’s CVCC concert features an eclectic mix of well-known classical pieces, big-band numbers, culturally important songs from Bob Dylan, and original music by local artist Jerry Way, whose song “The Arts Are All Around Us” provides the title for the program. Tickets ($10 for adults, $5 for students/seniors) are available at Foreign 5 (123 N. Bridge St., Chippewa Falls) or at the door.

The Master Singers

“Choral Images 2020: Lux: The Dawn From On High” • March 15 at 2pm, First Congregational United Church of Christ, Eau Claire • The Master Singers will be joined by guest artist Christopher Stroh, organist at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, and members of the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, with conductor Frank A. Watkins. The first half of their concert will feature the instrumental guest artists alongside the singers in the five-movement work Lux: The Dawn From On High, while the second half will include six choral works by various noted American composers. Tickets ($20 for adults, $8 for students/season pass) are available at the three Festival Foods locations in Eau Claire and at First Congregational UCC (310 Broadway St., Eau Claire).

Schola Cantorum of Eau Claire

“St. John’s Passion” • March 29 at 2pm, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Eau Claire • If you’re looking to experience a musical program seldom performed in this region, you might consider attending Schola Cantorum of Eau Claire’s dramatic setting of St. John’s Passion, composed by German composer Leonhard Lechner. With renaissance counterpoint woven creatively throughout the work, this program also serves as a great introduction to the German renaissance style. Free admission, donations accepted.

UW-Stout Symphonic Singers and Chamber Choir

“Flora and Fauna” • April 15 at 7pm, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Menomonie • This concert serves as the kickoff event of UW-Stout’s Earth Day Celebration, and will feature a fun night of light-hearted music that centers on plants and animals. Come for the poetry, odes, and songs, and stay for the sustainability exhibition, which will showcase work by UW-Stout students. Tickets ($5) available at the door, or online at tickets.uwstout.edu.

Chippewa Valley Festival Choir (with Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra) 

“Symphony No. 9” • May 8 at 7:30pm, RCU Theatre at the Pablo Center, Eau Claire • Join the Chippewa Valley Festival Choir as they celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birth year with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Featuring the iconic Ode to Joy, and the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra, this night is sure to fill you with joy and sweep you off your feet! Tickets available via the Pablo Center website.

Oxbridge Consort

Farewell, My Joy – A Brexit Concert • May 24 at 4pm, Location TBA • Serving as a musical commentary on Brexit, this concert presents choral music by featured composers such as Vaughan Williams, Britten, C.H.H. Parry, C.V. Stanford, and MacMillan. Free admission, donations accepted.