The Minnesota Choral Theater is an independent, non-profit organization and was originally formed in 1995 under the baton of Russian-born conductor Dr. Albert Grotell.
The ensemble promotes quality singing of distinctive musical literature. For the past eight years the group produced many unique performances in a variety of musical styles and languages. It has earned a reputation for high musical standards of performance and artistic expressiveness.
Dr. Albert Grotell, Professor of Russian Language and Music, was Music Director and Conductor at the St. Petersburg Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography (Russia). A the same time he was also Chief-Choirmaster and Conductor at the St. Petersburg Theater of Musical Comedy. Since 1980 Dr. Grotell has worked in the United States as a lecturer and conductor for Middlebury College, Columbia University, and Dartmouth College, as well as conducting several Off-Broadway shows in New York. Since 1988, he has been working as a Professor at Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) Music Department where he has conducted "The Rivermen", "The University Singers", "The University Choral Theater."
"Minnesota Choral Theater" has had many iterations along its journey. Starting in 1989, the men's ensemble "Rivermen", under the direction of Dr. Grotell, significantly expanded the group's multicultural focus by singing Russian and Slavic music at the annual festival "Moscow on the Mississippi." In 1995, the tradition of the "Rivermen" continued in the newly formed group "The University Singers". In March 1997, the University Singers were invited by Nankai University, Beijing and Xian. During this tour, participants had an extraordinary opportunity to meet the Chinese and returned to U.S. with a much broader vision of China's role in the world. The group toured Russia and the Czech Republic in May and June of 2001 and 2003. These tours increased awareness about the state of Minnesota and community overall. Our performances are musically rich and evocative, highly entertaining, and always garner an enthusiastic audience response. We are a traveling choir and we welcome anyone with significant musical experience to join our group. Being a member of this group requires dedication, commitment, and a love for music of all kinds.
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