The 2023-24 season is Anton Armstrong’s 34th year as Conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, marking him as the longest tenured conductor in the ensemble’s storied 112 year history.  He is the Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, becoming the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990, after ten years in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served on the faculty of Calvin University. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College and earned advanced degrees at the University of Illinois (MM) and Michigan State University (DMA).  He is editor of a multicultural choral series for Earthsongs Publications and co-editor (with John Ferguson) of the revised St. Olaf Choral Series for Augsburg Fortress Publishers. In June 1998, he began his tenure as founding conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy.  Dr. Armstrong currently serves as Chair of the national board of Chorus America and also serves on the national board of The Choristers Guild.

During the 2023-24 season Anton Armstrong will lead choral festivals at Carnegie Hall and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.  He will also serve as a guest lecturer and clinician at the University of Illinois, Duke University and Baylor University.  In October of 2023 he will return as President of the Jury of the Busan International Choral Festival in Busan, South Korea.  Additional guest conducting appearances will take place in North Carolina, New Mexico and Virginia.  In June 2024 he will lead the St. Olaf Choir on their first tour to South Africa.

Dr. Armstrong has frequently conducted ensembles and appeared before regional, national and international gatherings of the American Choral Directors Association, International Federation of Choral Music, National Association for Music Education, Choristers Guild, American Guild of Organists, Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Organization of American Kodaly Educators and the Orff-Schulwerk Association. He has collaborated in concert with Bobby McFerrin and Garrison Keillor.

In January 2006, Baylor University selected Anton Armstrong from a field of 118 distinguished nominees to receive the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching.  In March of 2007 he was the first recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the American Boychoir School and in October of 2009 he received The Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University. In June 2013 Dr. Armstrong received the Saltzman Award from the Oregon Bach Festival. In the Fall of 2014 The St. Olaf Choir and Dr. Armstrong received a Regional Emmy for the PBS television program Christmas in Norway with The St. Olaf Choir.  In 2021 Armstrong was named an Honorary Life Member of the National Collegiate Choral Organization. In September, 2022, Dr. Armstrong received the Distinguished Legacy Award from the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Click Here for a printable copy of Dr. Armstrong’s Bio

FebFest 2024 was a rousing success! 

On February 24, 2024, we welcomed the internationally-known conductor, Dr. Anton Armstrong, to the United Church of Santa Fe, where he worked all day with a festival chorus of singers from around New Mexico to prepare four anthems for a concert the next day. Then, on Sunday afternoon, February 25th, this ad hoc chorus performed, along with the Coro Lux Oratorio Society, as well as our El Faro Youth Chorus (under the direction of Dr. Gabby Dietrich). The final program also included Elizabeth Young, violin; Hovey Dean Corbin, drums; and our pianists Dr. Mary Ann Ybarra and Raul Manjarrez. Readings, chosen by Talitha Arnold, were interspersed with the music, and read by the Rev. Arnold, and Artistic Director Bradley Ellingboe.

The final concert took place in the sanctuary of Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic church in Santa Fe and was attended by several hundred people. A free-will offering was taken to benefit Book Kids in Santa Fe and The Grief Center in Albuquerque. Thanks to the generosity of the audience, we’re pleased to say we were able to send each charity a check for $950.

A link to the final concert, as well as a copy of the readings, is found below. Well done, everyone!

Click Here to See the FebFest 2024 Concert

Click Here to See the FebFest 2024 Concert Readings

Coro Lux (“Chorus of Light”) Chorus Administrator Job Description

 Required qualifications

• Excellence in written and oral communication
• Familiarity with QuickBooks software
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office, including Excel
• Familiarity with the needs of non-profit arts organizations
• Well organized
• Ability to help coordinate volunteer activities

Desired abilities

• Comfortable with public speaking
• Familiarity with WordPress website software
• Familiarity with Tickettailor software
• Graphic aesthetic skills
• Familiarity with the particular needs of choral organizations

Duties Include:

Communication

• Managing communication among various constituencies (e.g., artistic director, board of directors, chorus and volunteers, vendors, contracted musicians, guest artists etc.)
• Working closely with the artistic director to help with chorus operations
• Attending monthly board meeting, including accountability to the board for various projects when assigned
• Responsibility for marketing concerts, events, auditions and donation campaigns
• Communicating with St. Paul Lutheran staff to schedule building use

Financial

• Managing ticketing for concerts
• Creating financial reports for concerts, as well as donations
• Depending on qualification, possibly banking and monthly financial reporting to the Board

Clerical

• Organizing, purchasing and managing sheet music
• Creating website or newsletter content (when needed)
• Performing various clerical duties such as copying, etc.
• Keeping the organization current with the NM Dept. of Taxation & Revenue
• Reporting musical performances to ASCAP and BMI
• Assisting with the production of the annual printed program

Salary

• This is a part-time position of approximately 10 hours/week
• Salary is negotiable, depending on whether some or all listed duties are assigned

CLICK HERE for a printable copy of this job description.

Saturday, February 4, 2023 – 9am-5pm (with breaks!)  Sing, learn, discuss, grow!

Concert Sunday, February 5, 2023 – 3pm at Basilica of St. Francis in Santa Fe

Join Coro Lux and the United Church of Santa Fe as we welcome our guest clinician, world-renowned composer and conductor, Dr. André Thomas, for our annual event honoring the contributions of African American composers and conductors, FebFest. Dr. Thomas is currently an associate artist with the London Symphony Orchestra, and has spent his career as one of the most sought-after conductors and choral clinicians in the field. Learn more about Dr. Thomas here.

This event is a non-auditioned choral music festival, open to anyone with a passion for singing, and an interest in learning from Dr. Thomas. You do not need to be enrolled in Coro Lux as a member.

Proof of vaccination will be required for the in-person event, and masks will be worn by all in attendance.

This year’s festival will be from 9am-5pm on Saturday, February 4th at the United Church of Santa Fe. The festival will culminate with an afternoon concert at the historically significant and acoustically fantastic Basilica of St Francis at 3pm on Sunday, February 5th.

The cost is $75, which includes Saturday lunch and copies of the music we’ll sing on Sunday. We will continue to offer this event in a virtual form, for the price of $50.

A free-will offering at Sunday’s concert will benefit Habitat for Humanity.