Anton Eugene Armstrong (born April 26, 1956) is the

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of the St. Olaf Choir as well as the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and th ...

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, in the United States. Armstrong became the fourth director of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990, continuing the tradition begun by the choir's founder F. Melius Christiansen in 1911, sustained and developed by his son, Olaf Christiansen, and strengthened and enhanced by Kenneth Jennings. Armstrong teaches conducting in the Sacred Music department at

Luther Seminary Luther Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is the largest seminary of the ELCA. It also accepts and educates students of 41 other denominations and traditions. It is accredited ...

and also conducts some pieces in "Northfield Youth Choirs".

Early life

Anton was born in New York City on April 26, 1956, to William Benfield Armstrong (1916–2002) and Esther Louise Holder (1917–2007). William was born in

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, and Esther was born in New York City to Herbert Henry Holder (1887–1973) and Leander Hassell (1890–1945), both from St Thomas. Armstrong grew up on Long Island where he and his mother were active singers in a local church choir. Armstrong joined the American Boychoir, based in Princeton, New Jersey. According to Armstrong, "That experience lit my fire for choral singing." Armstrong earned his bachelor's degree at St. Olaf College, graduating in 1978. He was a member of the St. Olaf Choir from 1976 to 1978, under the leadership of Kenneth Jennings. Jennings became a mentor to Armstrong and 12 years after graduating from St. Olaf, Armstrong replaced Jennings as director of the St. Olaf Choir.

Career

Armstrong was invited to conduct the Masterwork Festival Chorus's performance of Robert Ray's Gospel Mass at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

on March 18, 2019. He was also the conductor of several All-State Honor Choirs across more than 40 states, most recently being the 2022 Kansas Music Educators Association All-State Mixed Choir. In March 2024, Armstrong was the guest conductor for the Manassas Chorale's annual "Voices United" concert. Armstrong served two terms as president of the Choristers Guild and has led numerous webinars and given lectures for Choristers Guild over the past decades.

References

St. Olaf Choir the conductor. 2005. Updated n.d.
December 10, 2005.

December 10, 2005.

December 10, 2005. * Ashmore, Nancy J. 2004. Spirit voices. St. Olaf Magazine, September, 29.

December 10, 2005.

External links

Oregon Bach Festival Youth Choral Academy Official WebsiteSt. Olaf CollegeSt. Olaf ChoirBiography page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Anton Michigan State University alumni 1956 births Living people American choral conductors American male conductors (music) St. Olaf College alumni St. Olaf College faculty Classical musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American male musicians