2025 Holiday Concert

Linda Kunz, the director for this concert, has selected something new, something old, something borrowed and all pieces that will make it another special concert. From our files is “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” with a few handbells, “Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain”, “Caroling, Caroling” and the classic “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” set by F. Melius Christiansen for TTBB. Borrowed is “Let Our Gladness Have No End” an upbeat setting of a little used 15th century Bohemian carol and new is “Tomorrow Shall Be Our Dancing Day” set for SSA.

Rehearsals begin October 19th at 4pm at Christ Lutheran Church. 

We will share our concert with the Stoughton City Band at 4:00 on December 7th at The Stoughton Opera House. We ask each singer to pay $5 to partly cover the cost of the new music or the music we need to purchase to supplement what is on our files. Invite a friend to join us!

Please let me know if you have any questions. Looking forward to seeing (and hearing!) you in October!

2025 Spring Concert

2025 SPRING CONCERT—”Sing a New Song”

Our spring concert is set for Sunday, March 16, at 4:00 p.m. at the Stoughton Opera House. Beginning January 12, we’ll rehearse from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays at Covenant Lutheran Church (1525 N. Van Buren). Michelle Bolstad will be our pianist.

The concert theme is “Sing a New Song,” and director Beth Gardner has chosen a variety of sacred and secular music with lyrics that refer to music or singing. We’ll reprise several favorites from past concerts, including “River in Judea,” the Norwegian folk hymn “My Heart Is Longing,” “From a Distance,” and “Sing of the Lord’s Goodness” (inspired by Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”).

New selections include “You Can’t Stop the Beat” (from the Broadway musical Hairspray) and “As Long As I’m Singing” (a big band number featuring a small jazz combo). Tenors and basses will take the stage for “10,000 Reasons,” and sopranos and altos will have their chance to shine on the heartfelt “Music in My Mother’s House.”

Please plan to join us for the spring concert, and please pass this information on to friends who might enjoy singing with us! There are no auditions, and all voices are welcome. Each participant is asked to contribute $15.00 toward the cost of music.

Spring 2024

Yes! Spring will come this year and we are going to be prepared with “Let the People Sing!”  We will start rehearsing on Sunday, February 18 at Christ Lutheran Church, 700 County Hwy B, Stoughton, WI from 4:00pm-5:30pm.  The performance will be April 14th with a venue to be determined. 

Leo Endres and Linda Kunz will be co-directing and have selected some favorites from programs done sometime during our 35 years of singing together.  

Zion’s Walls from Aaron Copland’s “Promise of Living”; Ain-a-That Good News William Dawson’s arrangement of the timeless spiritual; Kansas Boys a fun and challenging folk song arranged my Kirke Mechem for SSAA voices; Kumbaya by Paul Sjolund; Frog Went a-Courtin’ arranged for The King’s Singers by A.P.Jackman and Ching-A-Ring Chaw by Aaron Copland and arranged by Irving Fine.

New to the choir for this concert will be Witness a Traditional Spiritual arranged by Jack Halloran; Wayfaring-Stranger a well-known American folk melody arranged by Craig Courtney; Hard Times Come Again No More by Stephen Foster arranged by Gerald Custer; Fergus and Molly From Celtic Songs by Vijay Singh in a TTBB version.

Each participant is asked to contribute $15.00 toward the cost of music.

No audition is required! Bring a friend and enjoy the fun!

Contact us at stoughtonwifestivalchoir@gmail.com with any questions.

December 2023 Concert

Please join us for this year’s December concert!

Rehearsals start on Sunday, October 15th at Covenant Lutheran Church. Meghann Proper will be directing and has picked a variety of music for us to perform.

Enjoy the familiar tunes of “The First Noel” and “Sing We Now of Christmas,” along with a beautiful new setting of “Silent Night” in “Love’s Pure Light.” 

We will celebrate the new year with “We Toast the Days” and even get a little silly with “That Time of Year” from Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. 

We will continue the tradition of performing at The Stoughton Opera House with the City Band on Sunday, December 10th at 4:00PM.

Rehearsals are Sundays from 4 to 5:30 at Covenant Lutheran Church, beginning on October 15th. Each participant is asked to contribute $15.00 toward the cost of music.

No audition is required! Bring a friend and enjoy the fun!

Contact us at stoughtonwifestivalchoir@gmail.com with any questions.

We Need a Little Christmas

Stoughton Festival Choir 2022 Christmas Concert
Rehearsals begin October 16 at 4pm at Christ Lutheran Church
Directed by Linda Kunz

Music will include pieces we have sung before:

We Need a Little Christmas
Gloria
Past Three O’Clock
Glory, Glory, Glory
I Wonder as I Wonder
Calypso Christmas

Two new pieces Wexford Carol, a lovely arrangement of a traditional Irish carol, and I Will Light Candles This Christmas, a composition by the Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen using the words by Howard Thurman.

Each participant is asked to contribute $10.00 toward the cost of music.

Hope you plan to join us. Please share this information with friends who might enjoy singing with us!

If you have questions, email stoughtonwifestivalchoir@ gmail.com.

Spring 2020

2020 SPRING CONCERT

“Songs of Stage and Screen”
Sunday, April 26, 4:00 p.m.
Covenant Lutheran Church

Despite Jimmy the Groundhog’s prediction that winter will hold on for a few more weeks, it’s time to start preparing for our annual spring concert! Beginning February 16, we’ll rehearse from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays at Covenant Lutheran Church (1525 N. Van Buren). Our concert theme is “Songs of Stage and Screen,” and the performance will take place at Covenant Lutheran at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 26.

Director Beth Gardner has chosen a wide variety of music from Broadway shows and movies. We’ll reprise several favorites from past concerts, including “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” (from Gypsy), medleys from Oklahoma and South Pacific, and “Unchained Melody” (from Ghost).

New selections include “Seasons of Love” (from Rent), “Hernando’s Hideaway” (from The Pajama Game), “Happiness” (from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown), “When She Loved Me” (from Toy Story 2), and “A Tribute to Queen” (a medley of four songs featured in the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody). Michelle Bolstad will be our pianist, and an instrumental combo will also accompany some of the numbers. Each participant is asked to contribute $15.00 toward the cost of music.

Please plan to join us for the spring concert, and please pass this information on to friends who might enjoy singing with us! If you have questions, feel free to email stoughtonwifestivalchoir@gmail.com.

Christmas Concert 2019

Join us for preparations for the 2019 Christmas concert.  Rehearsals will be at Christ Lutheran Church, starting October 20 at 4:00pm and continuing each Sunday at 4:00pm through December 1.

The performance will be December 8 at 4:00pm with the Stoughton City Band at the Stoughton Opera House.

This year Linda Kunz is directing the choir and has selected many old favorites, including:

We Need a Little Christmas
Still, Still, Still
Believe (from the movie The Polar Express)
King of Kings
Throw the Yule Log On, Uncle John
Salvation Is Created

New this year is are the beautiful “Sweeter Still” and a fun arrangement of “Sleigh Ride” with a jazz band accompaniment.

Each participant is asked to contribute $15.00 toward the cost of music.

Hope you plan to join us in celebrating the sounds of the season. Please share this information with friends who might enjoy singing with us!

If you have questions, email stoughtonwifestivalchoir@ gmail.com.

SPRING CONCERT 2019

Sunday, April 14th, 4:00 p.m. • Covenant Lutheran Church

The Stoughton Festival Choir will hold its spring concert at Covenant Lutheran Church on Sunday, April 14th at 4:00pm.

Festival Choir will rehearse from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays, beginning February 10th, at Covenant Lutheran Church, 1525 N. Van Buren, Stoughton.

Director Meghann Proper has chosen a wide variety of music for our spring concert. The challenging and exciting “Baby Yetu” features a fantastic tenor solo. Joseph Martin’s “The Awakening” and Daniel Gawthrop’s “Sing Me to Heaven” will move the audience as we consider what music truly means to us as performers and listeners. We’ll also present Eric Whitacre’s new setting of the popular children’s book “Goodnight Moon.”

“River in Judea” is always fun to sing and everyone loves the sound of the trumpet with “One Faith, One Hope, One Lord.” We’ll round out the program with “Elijah Rock” and “Omnia Sol” (which sounds difficult but is very approachable and singable).

Some of the selections are challenging, but Meghann has practice tracks ready to go for the difficult songs. Each participant is asked to contribute $15.00 toward the cost of music.

Please plan to join us and invite friends who might enjoy singing with us as well! If you have questions, feel free to email Meghann at meghann_foug@yahoo.com or email stoughtonwifestivalchoir@gmail.com.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT 2018

Sunday, December 9, 4:00 p.m.
Stoughton Opera House

The Stoughton Festival Choir and Stoughton City Band will return to the Opera House for this year’s holiday concert.

Festival Choir will rehearse from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays, beginning October 7, at Covenant Lutheran Church, 1525 N. Van Buren, Stoughton. Our December 2 rehearsal will be held at the Opera House.

Director Beth Gardner has chosen a wide variety of Christmas music for our portion of the concert. We’ll revisit a couple of favorites from past performances, singing the Latin words of “Boar’s Head Carol” and the Latin rhythms of “Pat-a-Pan Salsa.” We’ll also reprise Mary McDonald’s spirited “Rise Up and See the King.”

New music includes “And Sweet Singing in the Choir” (a rhythmic setting of “The Holly and the Ivy”), Howard Helvey’s arrangement of “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella” (featuring four-hand piano accompaniment), and the gently reflective “There’s Still My Joy.” We’ll round out the program with some big band swing, when a small jazz combo joins us on “Gettin’ in the Mood (for Christmas).”

The pieces selected for this concert will provide a challenge, but Beth promises they will also supply lots of fun. Each participant is asked to contribute $15.00 toward the cost of music.

Please plan to join us in celebrating the sounds of the season, and please pass this information on to friends who might enjoy singing with us! If you have questions, feel free to email stoughtonwifestivalchoir@ gmail.com.

Spring 2018

Mark your calendars!  Rehearsals for the Spring 2018 Festival Choir Concert is starting soon.  Leo Endres will be directing and has selected some beautiful, yet challenging, music. We will be learning some classics as well as a few newer compositions.

You will want to join us for a program that will include:  “Zion’s Walls” by Aaron Copland, “Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal” arranged by Alice Parker, “Last Words of David” by Randall Thompson, “All That Hath Life and Breath Praise Ye the Lord” by Rene Clausen, “Prayer of the Children” Kurt Bestor and arranged by Andrea Klouse, “The Ground” by Ola Gjeilo and “And Can It Be?” by Dan Forrest as well as a piece for SSAA “I’ll Fly Away” and a TTBB “I Will Rise” both by Craig Courtney.

Invite friends and come join us.  Rehearsals start, January 21 from 4:00pm to 5:30pm at Christ Lutheran Church, 700 County Hwy B, Stoughton. No auditions and all welcome to come and sing.  Once again, we ask for $15.00 to help cover the cost of the new music.

The performance will be April 22 at 4pm at the Stoughton Opera House.

If you have questions please email stoughtonwifestivalchoir@gmail.com. Bookmark this webpage for updated information or like us at Stoughton Festival Choir Facebook.