About the Choir

The Pacific Lutheran University Choral Union is considered one of the outstanding community choruses in the United States. The choir was established in 1984 to create an ensemble for the university that would bring together singers from the surrounding community, PLU faculty and staff, alumni and students. Since that time the choir has grown to a full membership of 60-70 singers, with a touring ensemble of approximately 30-40 singers. Members are selected by annual audition, and the choir meets one evening each week for rehearsal during the academic year. The choir performs three or four concerts each season: programs comprised of shorter choral works, or those that focus on major choral literature with orchestra or chamber instrumentation. The choir often collaborates with university, community and professional musical organizations, including Seattle’s 5 th Avenue Theater and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

 

Choral Union has appeared at many prestigious conference and festival events, including the 2001 American Choral Directors Association National Conference, the ACDA Northwest Division Conference (2002 and 2014). The Choral Union Tour Ensemble has traveled to Europe on five occasions and has also toured Scandinavia. The choir has performed at the World Harp Congress (Geneva, 2002), the Cambridge (UK) Summer Music Festival (2005), and Festival Bled (Slovenia, 2008). In 2014 the choir toured Italy and won the large mixed chorus and sacred music categories at the Florence International Choral Festival. Choral Union has recorded three compact discs. The choir’s 25 th Anniversary Album (2011) received the coveted “American Prize” for outstanding recorded performance by a community chorus.