National Lutheran Choir – Minneapolis/St. Paul | celebrating the art and culture of sacred choral music

Chorus America has awarded the 2007 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence to the National Lutheran Choir. Robert Harris, a member of the Chorus America Board of Directors, presented the award to the National Lutheran Choir and David Cherwien at a June 9, 2007 ceremony in Los Angeles.

This award honors the memory of Margaret Hillis, founder of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and its conductor for 37 years, for her more than 40 years of professional achievement and outstanding contributions to the choral art. This award is presented annually to a member ensemble that demonstrates artistic excellence, a strong organizational structure, and a commitment to outreach, education, and/or culturally diverse activities.

“This is a tremendous honor for the National Lutheran Choir, and it is wonderful for our singers to have their hard work recognized in this way,” said David Cherwien, Music Director. “Chorus America represents the finest choirs across the country—volunteer community choirs, professional ensembles, youth choirs, and symphonic groups. Here in the Twin Cities, we are in the ‘land of 10,000 choirs,’ so it is really something to be the recipients of this national award.”

Eligibility for the award rotates through a three-year cycle: adult volunteer choruses (2007), children/youth choruses (2008), professional and professional-core choruses (2009). A chorus may win this award only once. The winner is selected by a panel consisting of the following: the chairman of Chorus America's board, the successor to Margaret Hillis at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus, two board members of Chorus America to be selected by the chairman, and a conductor or singer of a Chorus America organizational member who is not currently serving on the board.

Previous national winners of the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence include Chanticleer, Conspirare, the Dale Warland Singers, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Rose Ensemble, and VocalEssence.

The National Lutheran Choir, under the direction of Dr. David Cherwien, seeks to strengthen, renew and preserve the Lutheran heritage of choral music through the highest standards of performance and literature. Founded by Dr. Larry Fleming in 1986, the choir performs literature from the entire spectrum of sacred choral music, with and without instrumental accompaniment. The choir's rich and diverse repertoire ranges from early chant to new compositions and from simple folk anthems to complex orchestral masterworks.

Members of the National Lutheran Choir are drawn from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and beyond for weekly rehearsals and local and national performances. The ensemble presents a wide range of choral works in concert and worship settings, leads workshops in choral techniques, hymnody and liturgy, commissions and publishes new compositions, and broadcasts and records extensively.

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embedded photo (l-r):
Bjorn Arneson, Dale Warland, David Cherwien, Debby Harrer, Clarance Smith

Photo credit: Lee Salem