Knox College Choir
The Knox College Choir is the premier choral ensemble of the College. Members of the choir come from a variety of backgrounds and academic interests. Under the direction of Professor Laura Lane, the choir performs concerts each term and tours annually. Comprised of roughly 55 individuals possessing a wide variety of majors and minors, the choir is an extremely diverse group of students that continuously strive for one goal: to share with others their passion for singing.
The choir tours every year during spring break, with a European tour every three or four years. In March 2011 and 2008 the choir toured Barcelona and the Catalán region of Spain, and in 2006 the choir performed at the famed Paraninfo of the University of Barcelona. In the past few years, the choir has also toured:
- England
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Washington D.C.
- Memphis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York City
The Choir performed at Carnegie Hall in March 2005 and again in March 2013 under the baton of their own Laura Lane. Follow the choir on their journey via their blog.
Photo by Richard Blinkoff
See the choir's full schedule below:
| 2012-2013 Concert Schedule | |
| October 20, 2012 | Homecoming Alumni Choir Kresge Recital Hall, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, Knox College 10:00 a.m. |
| October 28, 2012 | Fall Concert Kresge Recital Hall, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, Knox College 2:00 p.m. |
| March 3, 2013 | Send-Off Concert First Lutheran Church, 364 E. Water Street, Galesburg, IL 3:00 p.m. |
| March 20, 2013 | New York Tour St. Joseph's Yorkville, 484 East 87th Street, New York, New York 7:00 p.m. |
| March 22, 2013 | New York Tour Irvington Presbyterian Church, 25 N. Broadway, Irvington, New York 7:30 p.m. |
| March 25, 2013 | Haydn's "Lord Nelson Mass" Concert Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY 8:00 p.m. |
| March 28, 2013 | Home Tour Concert Kresge Recital Hall, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, Knox College 7:30 p.m. |
| April 20, 2013 | Back From Carnegie Hall Concert Central Congregational Church, Galesburg, IL 7:30 p.m. |
| May 10, 2013 | Spring Concert Kresge Recital Hall, Ford Center for the Fine Arts, Knox College 7:30 p.m. |
All of the choir's concerts present a remarkably broad range of repertoire, including:
- Renaissance motets
- Large choral works by Bach, Mozart, and Brahms
- World music
- Vocal jazz
- Contemporary works by American composers such as Eric Whitacre
The choir has worked with many talented composers and guest conductors, including Rollo Dilworth, Dale Warland, Timothy Stalter, Ruth Watson Henderson, Thea Musgrave and the late Moses Hogan.
Over the past decade, the choir has released several compact discs, including recordings from their 2008 Spain tour, the 2006 Spain tour, their 2005 concert tour, the 2003 Spain tour, the 2002 U.S. tour, the 1999 Vienna, Salzburg and Prague tour, and the 1995 tour of England.
Choir Auditions
Auditions for the Knox College Choir are held every fall during orientation week for first-year students, and in May for returning students. Prospective students interested in singing at Knox are welcome to audition for a vocal scholarship with Dr. Laura Lane. A prepared piece is not required for auditions.