Concordia Seminary Concert Series
The annual Concordia Seminary Concert Series celebrates and proclaims our faith through the gift of music, featuring Seminary choirs and musicians, as well as visiting chorale groups and performers of the highest acclaim. All concerts are held in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the campus of Concordia Seminary with the exception of the carillon concerts, which are performed from Luther Tower for the enjoyment of those outdoors on the grounds surrounding the tower.
Concerts are free and open to the public.
2019-20 Schedule
| Date | Time | Concert |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 | 3 p.m. | Opening Weekend Hymn Festival |
| Monday, Sept. 30, 2019 | 9:55 a.m. | After Chapel Concert |
| Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 | 9:55 a.m. | After Chapel Concert |
| Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019 | 9:55 a.m. | After Chapel Concert |
| Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 | 9:55 a.m. | After Chapel Concert |
| Sunday, March 1, 2020 | 7 p.m. | Valparaiso University Chorale Concert |
| Tuesday, March 10, 2020 | 7 p.m. | After Chapel Concert |
| Tuesday, April 14, 2020 | 7 p.m. | After Chapel Concert |
| Sunday, April 26, 2020 | 3 p.m. | Organ and Carillon Concert |
| Tuesday, June 2, 2020 | 3 p.m. | Summer Carillon Concert |
| Tuesday, June 9, 2020 | 3 p.m. | Summer Carillon Concert |
| Tuesday, June 16, 2020 | 3 p.m. | Summer Carillon Concert |
| Tuesday, June 23, 2020 | 3 p.m. | Summer Carillon Concert |
| Tuesday, June 30, 2020 | 3 p.m. | Summer Carillon Concert |
2019-20 Season Details
Opening Weekend Hymn Festival
3 p.m. Aug. 25, 2019
The festival welcomes new and returning students to campus for the 2019-20 academic year! This year's festival marks the first concert of our annual Concordia Seminary Concert Series and will feature guest artist Dr. Jeffrey Blersch, professor of music and university organist at Concordia University, Nebraska, as well as an ensemble choir made up of faculty, staff, students and local congregations.
Bring your family and friends for this celebration in song as we sing our faith and make witnesses to the promises of God in Jesus Christ.
The event is free and open to the public. A freewill offering will be collected. The festival will be available via live stream at csl.edu/live.
To sign up for the ensemble choir, click here. For more information, contact Director of Musical Arts Dr. James Marriott at 314-505-7118 or marriottj@csl.edu.
Valparaiso University Chorale Concert
7 p.m. Sunday, March 1, 2020
Please join us for a performance with the internationally acclaimed Valparaiso University Chorale from Valparaiso University in Indiana.
A selective ensemble, the chorale is recognized as one of the premiere Lutheran collegiate choirs, performing a diverse repertoire of choral literature from all eras. Dedicated to performing works that celebrate the university's Lutheran heritage, the choir has been honored with invitations to perform around the world.
The performance will be directed by Christopher M. Cock, chorale conductor and director of the Bach Institute at Valparaiso University. For additional information, visit valpo.edu/bach. Learn more about the conductor here.
The event is free and open to the public. A freewill offering will be collected.
Organ and Carillon Concert
3 p.m. Sunday, April 26, 2020
You are invited to join us for a two-part organ and carillon performance by acclaimed artist Dr. Laura Ellis, associate professor in the School of Music at the University of Florida.
Ellis has been on the faculty in the School of Music since 2003. Ellis teaches undergraduate and graduate organ, harpsichord and carillon. Active in the American Guild of Organists (AGO), Ellis was elected to three terms as regional councillor for the Southeast. She currently serves as director of the music and publications committee for the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA). A former winner of the Gruenstein Memorial Organ Competition, Ellis is active as a recitalist and clinician. Her CD entitled "Legacy: Laura Ellis Plays the Organ Works of Jeanne Demessieux," was released under the Pro Organo label and her CD "Music for the Testaments Old and New" by the Raven label.
Learn more about the performer here.
This two-part concert will be split between the outside venue of the Seminary campus for the carillon portion of the event and the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus for the organ recital.
The event is free and open to the public. A freewill offering will be collected.
After Chapel Concerts are mini concerts featuring musicians from on and off campus sharing their musical talents on a variety of instruments. Recitals are held in the balcony of the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus directly following morning chapel, from 9:55 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
- Monday, Sept. 30, 2019 - Dr. Scott Hyslop, harpsichord
- Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 - Dr. James Marriott, organ
- Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019 - Christina Schempf, horn
- Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 - Erica Mertz, saxophone
- Tuesday, March 10, 2020 - Laudamus, Concordia Seminary's premiere touring choir
- Tuesday, April 14, 2020 - Ryan Edinger, piano/organ
Featuring national and international carillonneurs, the annual Summer Carillon Concerts are held at 7 p.m. Tuesdays in June. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics and enjoy the music from the Main Quadrangle or on the Seminary grounds near Luther Statue. In the event of rain, guests may gather under the archways and tower on campus.
The carillon at Concordia Seminary is one of only 170 such instruments in North America. The 49 bells have been played atop the 120-foot Luther Tower since 1971, and are dedicated to all pastors who have served The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod).
Other Music & Arts
Laudamus
Laudamus is the premier choir at Concordia Seminary, performing an eclectic mix of the finest choral literature from a variety of musical genres.
Chapel Bands
Our chapel bands complement our instrumental and choral ensembles in musical expressions of our faith.
Bach at the Sem - Legacy
Between 1993 and 2017, the American Kantorei, the performing group of Bach at the Sem, presented more than 100 concerts of the music of premier Lutheran composer Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as music of Schütz, Buxtehude, Mendelssohn and other Lutheran composers.
