Magnum Chorum is a choral ensemble based in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

. Magnum Chorum performs sacred choral music in cathedrals and sanctuaries throughout the Midwest. The 65 voice auditioned choir presents concerts, commissions new sacred works, makes recordings, and provides music for worship. Founded in 1991 in the choral tradition of

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. 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 the Patron Saint Ola ...

, membership was originally limited to St. Olaf graduates, but since 2005, auditions are open to singers devoted to excellence in choral music. Magnum Chorum’s name is intended to convey the importance of the choir in expressing the divine and infinite through voice, music, and text. Magnum Chorum has collaborated with numerous composers including

Stephen Paulus Stephen Paulus (August 24, 1949 – October 19, 2014) was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature. His best-known piece is his ...

, Kenneth Jennings,

Frank Ferko Frank Ferko (born June 18, 1950) is an American composer. Born in Barberton, Ohio, Ferko played piano from childhood, and worked as an organist and conductor in his teens. His first compositions were primarily liturgical in nature, with Luther ...

Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...

, Ralph M. Johnson, J. Aaron McDermid, Eric Barnum, Robert Morris and Eric Sayre. The choir has appointed three Composers-in-Residence including Stanford Scriven, Benjamin Simmons, and Paul John Rudoi. Magnum Chorum has performed with conductors such as

Anton Armstrong Anton Eugene Armstrong (born April 26, 1956) is the conductor of the St. Olaf Choir as well as the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College of Northfield, Minnesota, in the United States. Armstrong became the fourth dir ...

, Craig Arnold,

René Clausen René Clausen (born 1953) is an American composer, conductor emeritus of The Concordia Choir, and professor of music at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. His works are widely performed by high school and church choirs while his more tec ...

, Allen Hightower, Kenneth Jennings, Craig Hella Johnson, Sigrid Johnson,

Weston Noble Weston H. Noble (November 30, 1922 – December 21, 2016) was an American music educator and conductor. The Ervin and Phyllis Johnson Professor of Music Emeritus at Luther College since 2005, he was best known for his 57-year tenure on the facu ...

, Matthew Olson, Sandra Peters, Brian Schmidt,

Osmo Vänskä Osmo Antero Vänskä (born 28 February 1953) is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist, and composer. Biography Vänskä started his musical career as an orchestral clarinetist with the Turku Philharmonic (1971–76). He then became the principal cl ...

, and Dale Warland. The ensemble has been featured at conferences of the American Choral Director’s Association, Chorus America, College Music Society, American Guild of Organists, and American Hymn Society. Broadcasts of the choir’s 8 recordings have been heard in the U.S. and Canada on public radio and classical music stations. Magnum Chorum has served as Choir in Residence at Westwood Lutheran Church in

St. Louis Park, Minnesota St. Louis Park is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 50,010 at the 2020 census. It is a first-ring suburb immediately west of Minneapolis. Other adjacent cities include Edina, Golden Valley, Minnetonka, Ply ...

from 2005-2014 and from 2016 to present. Magnum Chorum was founded in 1991 by three St. Olaf College graduates, including Jin Kim, the choir's Founding Music Director from 1991-1994. David Dickau conducted the choir from 1994-2007, during which time the ensemble released four recordings including "Wonder Tidings: Christmas Music of Stephen Paulus" (2001), and appeared at national and regional choral conferences. For the 2007-2008 season, Ralph M. Johnson was named interim Music Director, and Christopher Aspaas was named guest conductor. In 2008, Christopher Aspaas was appointed Artistic Director and he served until 2013. The ensemble produced two recordings under the direction of Christopher Aspaas, including "Love Divine" (2009) and "With a Voice of Singing: The Music of Kenneth Jennings" (2012). Guest conductors during the 2013-2014 season included Craig Arnold, Mark Stover, Allen Hightower, and Anton Armstrong, In 2014, Mark Stover was appointed Artistic Director. Under Mark Stover's direction, Magnum Chorum released the live recordings "Requiem: I Will Lift Mine Eyes" (2015) and "My Song in the Night" (2016). Guest conductors led the 2017-2018 season including Brian Schmidt, Sigrid Johnson, Sandra Peter and Matthew Olson. In 2018, Dr. Dwight Jilek was named Artistic Director of the ensemble, and in 2019, Karen Lutgen was named Associate Conductor.

External links

*http://www.magnumchorum.org/ Choirs in Minnesota Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups from the Twin Cities 1991 establishments in Minnesota {{US-singing-group-stub