Northern Voices

by Bob McClain

One of the wonderful things about living in the Twin Cities is the amazing selection of talented singers that grace this area. Because of this, it is rare for a fan of choral music to experience a dry spell. Many enthusiasts were saddened recently by the end of the Dale Warland Singers, a popular performing and recording ensemble. This also left a large number of exceptional choral singers at loose ends. Thankfully, some new groups have sprung up to fill the void. One of these new groups is the Ensemble of the North under artistic director Patrick McDonough, a former Warland singer himself.

I recently sat down over dinner with Patrick to find out more about his new group. I asked Patrick what his musical intentions were for the group. He told me that although there is a vast selection of choral music from the last millennia, he feels a “strong pull towards the music of the twentieth century.” He believes he has a responsibility to the many composers out there today who need groups to perform their music. In fact, you will find on their website, www.ensembleofthenorth.com, an invitation to composers to submit works for a Composition Contest. The winner will receive a $2,000 dollar commission for a new work to be performed during the spring 2005 season.

Patrick told me that although he will be looking for new works, he doesn’t plan to move strictly within those waters as the Dale Warland Singers or Philip Brunelle’s VocalEssence does. He feels there’s “a lot of music of the past that gets neglected these days,” and he doesn’t want to be restricted in his music choices. He doesn’t see himself “going much further back than Mozart.” Patrick feels the Rose Ensemble does early music well and he sees no need to duplicate their efforts.

My next question was intended to find out why he decided to move from performing to music direction. To my surprise, he informed me that the move is actually the opposite. Because he’d been singing since he was a small child, singing was intrinsically a part of him and he’d never really thought of it as a career. At the University of Wisconsin-Superior, even though his undergraduate degree was in trumpet performance, he discovered that his real interests lay in church music and conducting. He was given an opportunity to conduct the women’s chorus at his college and was absolutely thrilled by it. Later, he studied for his masters in Choral Conducting at the University of Minnesota.

After college, Patrick had fully intended to start his own group but discovered the reality of cost and complexity and found himself singing in other people’s groups instead. “Even though it coincides with the end of the Warland Singers,” he told me, “I fully intended to start my own group. I simply now find myself in a stable enough financial situation that I can afford to finance the group out of my own pocket.”

Patrick fully intends to do some recording with this new group. He told me that he hopes to “go into the studio” sometime this winter or spring. I asked him if he has a heavy performance schedule planned. He has a small number of future performances planned for spring but decided not to perform during the holiday season because “there are so many groups already doing holiday shows.”

You can find out more about the Ensemble of the North and their future concert schedule by visiting their website. If you are a fan of the local choral music scene, you will recognize most of their roster. Their next performance is October 23rd at 8:00pm at the Saint Cyril Catholic Church at 1315 2nd St NE in northeast Minneapolis. The program is called "Strings and Singers: Evolution of the Mass" with the music of Mozart, Schubert, Vivaldi and Part. In addition to the choral singers, there will be a small but highly experienced orchestra accompanying them. I attended one of their rehearsals and can assure you that if you miss this program, you will be missing something special. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for limited means. For tickets, call 612-387-6328 or email info@ensembleofthenorth.org.

Bob McClain is a local writer with The WaZoo! Show and www.twincitiesdiningguide.com. You can find out more about Bob at www.wordsmithbob.com and he can be reached at info@wordsmithbob.com or 612-226-7667.