SMSU Choirs

SMSU Choirs The SMSU Choirs are a vibrant community of performers and scholars dedicated to choral excellence. Welcome to the Choirs of SMSU!

The Choirs of Southwest Minnesota State University are dedicated to the personal growth of every member, from that of the would-be professional musician to those interested in singing merely as an avocation-we have a choir for you! Our current rosters represent nearly all disciplines and majors on campus and contain singers from all over the world. Joining a choir is a great way to make new friend

s and increase your contact with the community and region as all choirs at SMSU perform and tour regularly. All choirs at SMSU are committed to the dynamic, personal growth of each singer from a musical and technical standpoint. Our distinguished faculty is unswerving in their dedication to nurturing a free, healthy tone as well as the performance of unique and challenging choral fare from the ancient to the ultra-modern. We hope that you will join us as we continue to build upon SMSU's reputation for choral excellence.

Looking for a professional development opportunity this summer? Registration is open for the 2026 Minnesota Area Conduct...
05/15/2026

Looking for a professional development opportunity this summer? Registration is open for the 2026 Minnesota Area Conducting Workshop. If you're not familiar with the MACW, it's a three-day workshop that is devoted entirely to the art of conducting. The Music Program at SMSU has been offering the MACW for nearly 20 years. Best of all, it's FREE OF CHARGE to any music educator, community ensemble conductor or church musician who wants to attend. The only cost is room and board (Graduate credit is also available for those who wish for a nominal fee). Participants can choose from the Choral track, the Instrumental track, OR do both.
This year's clinicians will be:
Stephen Kingsbury, Director of Choral Activities at SMSU
Richard Carrick, Director of Choral Activities at College of St. Scholastica
John Ginocchio, Director of Bands at SMSU
Cassandra Bechard, Director of Bands at Univ. of Northwestern
If you're interested in finding out more, you can go to www.SMSU.edu/go/ConductingWorkshop to find more information about the workshop or to register online.
Enrollment typically fills up fast. Enroll today!

Yesterday, I spent a wonderful morning working with the choir at Morris Area High School. This was my last scheduled hig...
05/13/2026

Yesterday, I spent a wonderful morning working with the choir at Morris Area High School. This was my last scheduled high school visit of the academic year. What a wonderful way to wrap things up!

Some more great pictures of the Chorale singing the Alma Mater at Saturday's commencement ceremony.
05/12/2026

Some more great pictures of the Chorale singing the Alma Mater at Saturday's commencement ceremony.

Commencement is always a bittersweet time as we celebrate our graduates and wish them the very best on the next stage of...
05/10/2026

Commencement is always a bittersweet time as we celebrate our graduates and wish them the very best on the next stage of their lives’ journey. There were three members of the choir who graduated today. Congratulations to Elle Lupkes, Robyn Condelli, and Luke Hammerschmidt. We are going to miss you terribly, but we are so excited to see what comes next for each of you.

Today was SMSU’s 58th commencement ceremony. The SMSU Choirs wrapped-up their academic year with wonderful performances ...
05/10/2026

Today was SMSU’s 58th commencement ceremony. The SMSU Choirs wrapped-up their academic year with wonderful performances in honor of our fantastic graduates. For those who have wondered what the Chorale does before our performance of the Alma Mater, we are staged behind the platform. Today, some members kept an eye on the ceremony from under the curtain.

The end of the academic year is always a bittersweet time as we mark the end of our performance season by adding new con...
05/06/2026

The end of the academic year is always a bittersweet time as we mark the end of our performance season by adding new concert posters to the walls of the choir room. As we look back on the semester that has just passed, we acknowledge that we will miss working on the music that we have been singing, as we are also deeply proud of the performances that we shared and the community that we built in the process. We also look forward to the sharing of more great art that is to come. Thank you all for your support of the SMSU Choirs over the past year. We are so grateful. We have one more performance at commencement on Saturday, and then we’ll be on hiatus for the summer.

And just like that, my final adjudication of the year is in the books. I spent a wonderful morning at Springfield High S...
05/02/2026

And just like that, my final adjudication of the year is in the books. I spent a wonderful morning at Springfield High School, where I worked with students from Red Rock Central, Wabasso, Springfield, and Redwood Valley at their solo and ensemble contest. It was truly a fantastic way to wrap-up my year with some truly great singing all around. Bravo tutti!

Yesterday was the final student recital of the semester, and what an incredible way to wrap things up it was! There wer...
04/30/2026

Yesterday was the final student recital of the semester, and what an incredible way to wrap things up it was! There were three voice students who sang, and they all did an outstanding job. Congratulations, Julia, Bri, and Blaine!

Dr. Stephen Kingsbury, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Southwest Minnesota State University cond...
04/29/2026

Dr. Stephen Kingsbury, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Southwest Minnesota State University conducted the SMSU Chorale in a concert entitled “Be Still My Soul: The Music of Morten Lauridsen" on Saturday, April 25th, 2026 at First Lutheran Church in Marshall; and again on Sunday, April 26th at Olivet Congregational Church in St. Paul. Lauriden’s Lux Aeterna was accompanied by concert organist Dr. Stephen Hamilton. This photograph was taken before the concert at Olivet Congregational Church which houses historic Dobson, Opus 4 organ, with Stephen Hamilton, left; and Stephen Kingsbury, right, on the organ bench surrounded by the members of the SMSU Chorale.

Just a quick reminder that registration is open for the 2026 Minnesota Area Conducting Workshop. If you're not familiar ...
04/28/2026

Just a quick reminder that registration is open for the 2026 Minnesota Area Conducting Workshop. If you're not familiar with the MACW, it's a three-day workshop that is devoted entirely to the art of conducting. For nearly 20 years, SMSU has is offering the MACW, free of charge to any music educator, community ensemble conductor or church musician who wants to attend. Participants can choose from the Choral track, Instrumental track, OR do both.

This year's clinicians will be:
John Ginocchio, Director of Bands at SMSU
Cassandra Bechard, Director of Bands at Univ. of Northwestern
Stephen Kingsbury, Director of Choral Activities at SMSU
Richard Carrick, Director of Choral Activities at College of St. Scholastica

Unlike past years, we won't be sending out brochures this year, so if you're interested in joining us, you can go to www.SMSU.edu/go/ConductingWorkshop to register online and to find more information about the workshop.

Enrollment typically fills up fast. Enroll today!

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1501 State Street
Marshall, MN
56258

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