Programs
Concert Choir
(Non-auditioned) Boys with treble voices may participate in this choir until their voices change. The program provides vocal music training in a choral setting with a flexible time commitment for the members. Once a week rehearsals, retreat and recreational activities, a mini-tour and concerts are all part of what should become our largest choir.
Ensemble
(Auditioned) This is our busiest choir with the heaviest performance, tour and rehearsal schedule. Music reading skills, flexible healthy vocal production, independent partnersong/round singing are part of the audition process. This group had a summer camp, tour to Madison, Springfield, St. Louis, Hannibal, and Galena prior years.
'Bass'ically Tenors
(Placement Audition) Regarded as a jewel in our crown, these are young men who wish to be in a touring choir after their voices change. In addition to camp and summer tour these boys are able to work with local men’s choral groups to strengthen their vocal music skills to be leaders in their school, church or community.
Touring
The choir year closes with a bus tour, typically in June.
Some of the recent destinations have included:
- Michigan (Upper Peninsula) and Northern Wisconsin
- Black Hills of South Dakota
- Missouri (Saint Louis and Hannibal) and Illinois (Springfield and Galena)
- Northern Minnesota
History
The Saint Croix Valley Boy Choir was founded in May, 1980, by its first director, Delmar Lohr.
That fall, charter members gathered for the first SCVBC retreat held at West Immanuel Lutheran Church in Osceola, Wisconsin. Camping in the churchyard, a bonfire and swimming in Pine Lake divided rehearsals as the choir prepared to provide music for Sunday morning services.
The choir was split into two units, north and south, which rehearsed once alone and once combined each week while Christmas and Spring concerts marked the year’s progress from boys to boy choir.
Two events signaled the choir’s growth in the second year. A Cadet Choir was added, formed with boys new to the organization, while second year boys became the Concert Choir. Twenty-two performances, including the dedication of Saint Paul’s Landmark Center, prepared the Concert Choir for it’s first tour; visiting boy choirs of LaCrosse and Madison, Wisconsin.
In the third season, the choir gained regional recognition, performing for WCCO-TV in Minneapolis at Christmas and making it’s first recording. In the spring, the choir performed at the Grand Opening of Hudson’s Phipps Center for the Performing Arts.
Delmar Lohr left the SCVBC midway through the fourth season to pursue a doctoral degree. The choir was then given to Michael Rosewall who completed the season. The season ended with the first international tour – a trip to Thunder Bay, Canada. In this same year, Dan Krunnfusz took over the Cadet Choir.
River Falls High School choral directory Roger Tweiten brought the choir into it’s fifth season, continuing the tradition of semi-annual retreats and concerts, and an annual tour. During his tenure, the choir toured eastern and central Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, northern Illinois, South Dakota, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, in addition to performing the National Anthem at Minnesota Twins baseball and Strikers soccer games.
Beginning the twelfth season in the fall of 1991, the choir saw two more changes: a third choir was added creating the Concert, Chorister and Cantorian choirs, and charter member Craig Gustafson became director of the Cantorian choir.
Tom Ferry became artistic director in the fall of 1998. During his tenure, a highlight was the addition of the ‘Bass’ically Tenors group for boys with changed voices. Al Duerkop has served as artistic director of the group since the fall of 2004.