Concordia Seminary will offer its 18th Annual Schola Cantorum: An Adult Choir Member Workshop, on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010. The workshop will be held in The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus and the Clara and Spencer Werner Auditorium on the Seminary campus.

The Schola Cantorum is open to all choir members, choir directors and ministers of music. The schedule for the day begins with registration at 8:15 a.m., Morning Prayer at 8:45 a.m., and rehearsal sessions at 9:15 a.m. The day concludes at 3:30 p.m. after the Closing Prayer service, which will include some of the music learned that day. Dr. Christopher Aspaas will serve as this year’s clinician.

Dr. Christopher Aspaas, assistant professor of Choral/Vocal Music at St. Olaf College, received his Ph.D. in Choral Music Education at The Florida State University in Tallahassee, his M.M. in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in East Lansing, and his B.M. in Voice Performance from St. Olaf. Christopher has served on the faculties of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. At St. Olaf, Aspaas conducts the Viking Chorus, an 88-voice ensemble of first-year student men, and also leads the Saint Olaf Chapel Choir, a 120-voice ensemble specializing in the performance of oratorio and larger multi-movement works. Most recently, Aspaas led the Chapel Choir and St. Olaf Orchestra in a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s monumental oratorio, Elijah. In addition to conducting, he teaches choral literature, choral conducting, and private applied voice. In 2008, Aspaas was appointed as the Music Director and Conductor for Magnum Chorum, a Twin Cities choral ensemble who is “Transforming Audiences through Artistry and Spirit.”

“We hold the Schola Cantorum as a way of serving the church at large,” commented Rev. Henry V. Gerike, choral director at Concordia Seminary. “By attending, choir members and directors will learn and rehearse new choral music that can be used in their own churches. They will also learn better the art of singing. Each of our clinicians provides great insights into singing the praises of our Lord.”

A Choral Reading Session will be held Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. In the session, Aspaas will guide participants through an evening of choral and instrumental song in which he will preview new and current titles of music. The session is open to all, but is especially designed for choir directors. There is no charge to attend but registration is required.

The cost for the Schola Cantorum is $60 per individual or $110 per congregation ($70 or $125 after Jan. 8, 2010). For the congregation fee, a choir can send as many members as it desires. Lunch and the choral music are not included in the fee. For more information or registration forms, call 314-505-7486 or e-mail ce@csl.edu.