By Jesse Helling   Fort Dodge, IA —  Since 1950, the organ stylings of LaVon Wing have filled St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge. In recognition of her long service, the St. Olaf Lutheran Church Foundation has commissioned a choral work honoring Wing. The piece, which will be written by composer Z. Randall Stroope, […]

By Sarah Bradshaw   LaGrange, NY —  With his fingers pressed on a keyboard, Peter Muir stood before a holiday concert scene —layers of poinsettias, a twinkling Christmas tree and a choir of red sweater vests in the LaGrange Middle School auditorium. On the top choral riser, the shortest singer, 13-year-old LaGrange resident Niklas Watkins, stood angled […]

By Malanie Phillips   London, UK — Rarely has a song that’s hit the top of the charts provoked more tears and admiration than today’s runaway winner, Wherever You Are. This charity single is sung by the Military Wives Choir, the wives and girlfriends of British servicemen fighting in Afghanistan who were brought together by choirmaster […]

By Peggy Fletcher Sack   Salt Lake City — Before metal rods were inserted in her arms, Louise Degn liked to bring her LDS ward choir to its final note with a strong, upbeat flourish. Now Degn must settle for using her baton in downward motion as a more subtle punctuation, with her arms lifted only […]

By DeNeen Brown   Washington, DC — The director needs a little more “SSSSHHHH” and a little less “er” in “shepherd.” “The sound should be foreboding. SSSSHHHH is a sound in the English language that has power to silence a restless crowd. It’s SHHHepherd,” J. Reilly Lewis, music director of the Cathedral Choral Society, insists, as the […]

By Alan Mozes   New York — Late December wouldn’t be the same without the uplifting sound of holiday choirs, but there’s a unique chorus in New York City, called “The Unforgettables,” that’s bringing new harmony to singers and audiences alike. That’s because the chorus’ 22 members include 11 men and women diagnosed with early to […]