FebFest 2025
FebFest 2026
February 7 & 8 – with Dr. G. Philip Schoultz, III, conductor. Co-sponsored by the United Church of Santa Fe.
Details coming soon
Known for fostering community and inspiring action among people of all ages and abilities, G. Phillip Shoultz, III, enjoys a multifaceted career as artist, educator, consultant, speaker and pastoral musician. Phillip is the associate artistic director of VocalEssence where his most visible impact is seen through his visionary leadership as founding conductor of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age and through his engaging Take 5 with GPS daily livestream and series of instructional videos. He is the principal Host for Young People’s Concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra and frequently appears throughout the U.S. as a guest clinician, adjudicator, and consultant.
Expanding boundaries and creating wider access to the choral arts is one of Phillip’s passions. Each year, he serves as mentor to educators through classroom visits and as an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate Music Education program at the University of St. Thomas. Phillip appeared as a Conducting Fellow with the Oregon Bach Festival, Chorus America, Choral Music Experience Institute and several other summer programs. He has prepared choirs for performances in Canada, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Mexico, and Russia. In 2017, he was named as an ACDA International Conductors’ Exchange Program Participant.
In the summer of 2020, Phillip created “Table for More,” a consulting and conversation platform to help arts organizations, schools, and churches consider ways to create more belonging through equitable and inclusive practices. Phillip enjoys biking, boxing, and all things related to sports and food and believes in the transformative power of shared singing experiences. He lives in St Louis Park, Minnesota with his wife, Michelle and their two children (Malachi and Lydia Grace).
10th Anniversary Gala
Please Join Us -- Get Your Tickets Now!
10th Anniversary Gala Celebration and Fundraiser May 3, 2025
A Place Called Home Updates
April 12 – Ellingboe’s A Place Called Home – New Mexico premiere, 7 pm at the Lensic Theater, Santa Fe (Coro Lux and the Sanctuary Choir of the United Church of Santa Fe)
Spirituals and Gospel Songs Updates
February 16 – Spirituals and Gospel Songs – our 2nd annual celebration of Black History Month, 3 pm at the African American Performing Arts Center, sponsored by Nexus Brewery and Restaurants.
The Feminine Divine Updates
December 15 – The Feminine Divine – Coro Lux’s annual holiday celebration, including Bach’s Magnificat and the premiere of Z. Randall Stroope’s Luminous Night, commissioned to honor the 10th anniversary of Coro Lux. 2 pm and 5 pm, Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Albuquerque
Durufle Requiem Updates
November 3 – Duruflé‘s Requiem, an All Saints’ Day observance. 3 pm, the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint John, Albuquerque
Serenade to Music Updates
October 6 – Serenade to Music, including the world premiere of a new piece commissioned by Coro Lux in honor of Paul Bushnell: “This Breath, This Life, This Song” by Will Todd. 3 pm, Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Albuquerque
10/6/2024 Serenade to Music Program Notes and Updates
Anton Armstrong
Dr. Anton Armstrong, Conductor
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.
FebFest 2024
FebFest 2024 with Dr. Anton Armstrong
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!