Renowned Concordia Choir will perform in Gainesville on March 12
Press release from First Presbyterian Church
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Conductor Michael Culloton will bring The Concordia Choir, from Moorhead, Minn., to perform in Gainesville at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church (300 SW 2nd Avenue). The concert is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the 1stpc Music Series at First Presbyterian Church. It will be performed in collaboration with the Gainesville High School Concert Choir and Gainesville Youth Chorus.
The concert is part of The Concordia Choir’s 16-day, 2025 national tour of the Southeast United States. The tour includes performances in Maple Grove, Stillwater, and Rochester, MN; Sioux Falls, SD; Roanoke, VA; Charlotte, NC; Spartanburg and Columbia, SC; Jacksonville Beach, Largo, Naples, Orlando, and Gainesville, FL; Atlanta, GA; and Nashville, TN; and will conclude with a Home Concert in Moorhead.
The program will contain a wide variety of choral works ranging from baroque to contemporary and will include works by J.S. Bach, Emile Desamours, Undine Smith Moore, Frank Martin, René Clausen, and more and will include the premiere of a new piece by Sandra Peter commissioned for The Concordia Choir’s 2025 tour.
Touring nationally and internationally since 1920, the choir has performed in nearly every major hall in the United States including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center and continues to affirm its reputation as one of the nation’s finest a cappella choirs. Multiple ACDA National and Division performances and a performance and recording session with the Grammy Award-winning King’s Singers highlight the choir’s world-class quality. In May of 2022, the choir toured internationally to Italy and performed in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Renowned choral conductor Tim Seelig says this of The Concordia Choir: “THIS is why we love choral singing. The chorus is simply flawless. Do yourself a favor by listening!” Composer Eric Whitacre says “You MUST see this choir – it’s an unforgettable experience!”
Culloton, a 1998 Concordia College graduate and associate professor of music, was named director of choral activities in 2020, appointed conductor of The Concordia Choir, and named the Paul J. and Eleanor Christiansen Chair of Choral Music, succeeding Dr. René Clausen who retired after 34 years of service. He is also the artistic director of the Emmy®-winning Concordia Christmas Concerts seen by audiences of 12,000 each year. He teaches vocal music education and church music courses, serves as campus supervisor for student teachers, and advises the student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.