Grinnell Singers will perform during five-city tour during spring break

The Grinnell Singers, a 40-voice choral ensemble from Grinnell College, will present concerts directed by John Rommereim, professor of music, in Chicago, Ann Arbor, Toronto, Montreal, and Boston. These will be the choir's first-ever Canadian tour stops.

The Grinnell Singers will offer a rich variety of distinctive works, from "The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass," by Carol Barnett and the resonant harmonies of the Russian tradition in the works of Rachmaninov and Sviridov, to the intricacies of renaissance music in William Byrd's "Gaudeamus omnes," to melodious contemporary works by Ola Gjeilo, Arvo Pärt, and Eric Whitacre, and soulful settings of Langston Hughes' poetry by William Averitt. The concert will also include works by the ensemble's director and by current students in the choir.

The Singers' tour schedule is as follows:

• Sunday, March 17, 4 p.m.: Joy Faith Knapp Music Center, 38 South Peoria Street, Chicago
• Monday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.: Temple Beth Emeth, 2309 Packard Street, Ann Arbor
• Tuesday, March 19, 7:30 p.m.: Franciscan Church of St. Bonaventure, 1300 Leslie Street, Toronto
• Wednesday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.: Westmount Park United Church, 4695 de Maisonneuve W. Westmount, Quebec
• Friday, March 22, 7:30 p.m.: Marsh Chapel, Boston University, 735 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

In January, the Grinnell Singers released their latest CD, titled "Seeking After that Sweet Golden Clime." The CD is centered on Jonathan Dove's evocative choral cycle, The Passing of the Year and includes distinctive works by Ola Gjeilo, John Taverner, Tarik O'Regan, Alexander Grechaninov, Gyorgii Sviridov, Joseph Jennings, and the ensemble's conductor, John Rommereim.

Known for their innovative and adventurous choral programming, the Grinnell Singers have premiered more than 20 choral works in the past five years, under Rommereim's direction. Rommereim is active as a composer, singer, and scholar whose work is centered in the areas of Russian choral music and early music performance. Each year the choir presents concerts across the U.S., and the group has traveled to Estonia, Finland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. The group has also been invited to perform at two regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association. For more information about Grinnell Singers, visit http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/music/ensembles/singers.

Grinnell College is a nationally recognized, private, four year, liberal arts college located in Grinnell, Iowa. Founded in 1846, Grinnell enrolls 1,600 students from all 50 states and from as many international countries in more than 26 major fields, interdisciplinary concentrations, and pre-professional programs.

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