A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Happy summer to choral music fans, and welcome to The Summer Singers 2024 Spotlight concerts!
After a thrilling first season with the organization in 2023, I found myself reflecting on the stories to be told surrounding “summer” and “music” – rather obvious in hindsight, but at least I got there. I was intrigued by the idea of the Summer Solstice as a mostly universal celebration of the changing seasons. Further research revealed that the two largest Summer Solstice festivals in the world (by attendance and, I would argue, cultural import) are “Midsommar” in Sweden; and the First Nations Indigenous Solstice Festival in Ottawa, Canada. Music is a primary component during festival time in both the Scandinavian and North American Indigenous cultures, and blending these two musical expressions feels vital and an authentic reflection of our Minnesota melting pot. Perhaps well-known but lightly performed is the deep well of short-form Swedish choral music by late Romantic composers Hugo Alfvén, Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, and others. Less familiar to our ears but certainly enjoying new audiences in a broader exploration of native and indigenous classical music is the work of living composers Sherryl Sewepagaham, Andrew Balfour, and more, particularly in their native Canada. Today’s concert is an amalgam of these uniquely ‘summer-y’ Solstice sounds from two distinct points on the globe.
As The Summer Singers look toward our upcoming 30th anniversary season in the 2026, it is natural for a new modus operandi to surface. This season, we have endeavored to spread the “sounds of summer” further more broadly with a professional Ensemble of 20 voices performing more Outreach and Family concerts than ever before. To properly embrace the institutional core of TSS, we’ve invited back Alumni (and some new faces) to add 30 more voices to this expanded Summer Singers experience. Frankly, I’m tickled to hear all these voices on this exquisite repertoire from around the world, and I know you will feel and hear the joy, warmth, and passion of The Summer Singers in this new model.
In my experience, everything glorious in choral music is due to people working well together. Certainly true for our fabulous singers, but equally so for the TSS Board of Directors working diligently behind the scenes. Major thanks to Jessi McKinnon, Adam Irving, and the rest of Board for jumping aboard this new artistic vision with gusto and resolve. Similar thanks to artistic partners Laura Clapp, Shaun Halland, and Christiana Howell for continuing to push us forward. Lastly, a big tip of the cap to Dana Skoglund for establishing the goals and resources to materialize our shared vision.
Glad sommar, and miyonîpin (Swedish and Northern Cree for happy summer!) We hope you enjoy the concert.
Sincerely,
Adam Reinwald, Artistic Director