(00:00:00) Good afternoon with news from Minnesota Public Radio. I'm William wilcoxon. The University of Minnesota has an interim president on a unanimous vote the Board of Regents today named Robert bruininks as interim president bruininks has been the University's Executive Vice President and Provost for the past five years fewer minnesotans claimed filed claims for unemployment benefits in May than in the same month a year earlier that marks the first year to year drop in more than two years. The state says more than 22,000 initial claims were filed in May. That's an eight percent decline from a year ago. But it's also 78 percent higher than the 12,000 filed in May of the previous year research director J. Mosa of the Minnesota Department of Economic Security says Minnesota appears to be emerging from the recession along with the rest of the nation Minnesota's first lady Terry Ventura says in many ways. She's hoping the governor decides not to seek a second term Jesse Ventura who embarks on a trade mission to China today says he will make a decision on another run for office when Returns in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio Terry Ventura said some days she thinks her husband has spent enough time in public (00:01:06) service. I understand his reasons for wanting to continue and I know that if he had another four years, he could really make some real changes. But you know, he served four years in the Navy served four years as a mayor. He served four years as a governor and I just think he should rest and let somebody else beat Superman for a while and save the (00:01:28) world but first lady Terry of Interest as there are other days when she thinks her husband Jesse Ventura should continue working as an elected official showers and thunderstorms scattered across central and southern Minnesota today highs from 70 degrees near Lake Superior to the lower 80s in southern counties in the Twin Cities partly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Hi, Ron 84 that's news from Minnesota Public Radio. I'm William wilcoxen. Welcome back to midday. I'm Mike Mulcahy sitting in this week for Gary eichten, Minnesota host to Blockbuster world-class music events this summer in a special edition of our voices of Minnesota interview series. We hear from two of the people involved Alexander baginski and Anton Armstrong and we'll hear some music Armstrong talks about the world Symposium on choral music in Minneapolis. This August baginski explains why he started the international piano e competition which is brought 60 of the world's best young pianist to Minneapolis this week. Here's Minnesota public radio's Dan Olsen. Alexander baginski has lived in Minnesota longer than most of his University of Minnesota piano students his decision to give up a life of privilege 30 years ago in the former Soviet Union turned his existence upside (00:02:46) down. We had to attend meetings where we weren't announced and threatened with jail where we were accused of being American spies things like this (00:02:56) Anton Armstrong's lower middle-class upbringing in a New York suburb didn't have many of the trappings of material privilege, but brought him into contact at an early age with people devoted to teaching children how to sing (00:03:07) you are not defined by the color of your skin or how much money your parents had to your social status. But by who the content really what Martin Luther King jr. Said Years Ago by the content of your character (00:03:20) this our conversation and music with Alexander baginski and Anton Armstrong. (00:03:32) That's the least a lot. And if I am not happy with something. What I can do is for (00:03:42) example, Alexander begin skis face beams like a child with a new toy. Let's (00:03:47) see do we like it a lot faster and I press on this button and it goes up up up up up up up up up. It takes a little time (00:03:56) there. (00:04:00) It is. Really and I (00:04:01) hate to use this word, but it is a space-age player (00:04:05) piano (00:04:07) yet is yamaha's new disc Lavere this clavier uses laser and digital technology to reproduce a human piano performance for this first International piano e competition begin ski plans to use the internet to link two discs Lavere pianos one here one in Japan. Most of the judges will hear the performances in However, the schedules of to yefim bronfman and Emanuel ax didn't allow them to be in Minnesota for the competition. So baginski will use the internet to beam them the performance (00:04:40) and so our two judges will get their image on a very high quality video stream through internet and they will get their sound through a disc Lavere. Our participants are finalists will play here. The piano will reproduce in that room where it will be positioned for our judges to hear it why the high quality video stream wouldn't it be enough for the judge to just hear the piano? Why does the judge need to see the performer? It is extremely important because what we are doing we're judging a performance. We're not judging a recording so performance consist as much of personal magnetism and Cover that appearance total appearance as it is just of (00:05:31) sound University of Minnesota professor of Music Alexander baginski is a trim man of medium height with smiling eyes. There are only a few strands of gray running through his thick wavy brown hair and just a dash more gray in his well trimmed beard his office at Ferguson hall on the University of Minnesota's West Bank campus is nearly completely filled with two Baby Grand pianos parked side by side for instruction of his students sitting in between is a little Black Box about the size of a CD player inside. The box is the new digital disk Lavere technology Brigance key uses disc Lavere to teach his (00:06:10) students. You can see everything you can hear everything. You can slow it down in the same key to hear things more clearly to demonstrate things. You can speed it up if you want to check it in a different speed it. There is no comparison with these verses audiotape. Let's say or even video there is no loss of quality. It's the same instrument in the same acoustic at the same time. There are other applications you can with younger students. You can make them record their own left hand of a piece and play right hand with it recorded without pedal and use different pedals. It plays unlimited (00:06:56) unlimited Alexander baginski as his richly inflected English indicates was not born in Minnesota. He is a native of Russia when it was the former Soviet Union will hear how he came to this country and found his way to Minnesota a bit later first the story of why he created the first International piano e (00:07:16) competition (00:07:29) In Russia begin skeet was a music educator and a concert pianist here. He plays a passage from a Shostakovich (00:07:36) composition. (00:07:55) Because of his musical expertise Alexander baginski has also been a judge at piano competitions and has not been happy with what he has seen who would have thought that the cultured and refined world of high-level piano competition is Afflicted with the same level of intrigue favoritism and politics as the Olympics. That's what baginski is aiming to (00:08:16) correct. One thing that I did not care much for was that in many competitions. Even the the biggest one the most thought the oldest one the most important ones judges are allowed to bring their students to compete. For example, I cannot vouch for the Number but one of the I don't remember if it was the latest Queen Elizabeth competition in Brussels, which is one of the oldest and most respected competitions in the world of the 12 finalists. I think 11 were students of the eleven judges conflict eventually, you know, it is a conflict of interest or or it could be perceived as such anything that can be perceived as a conflict should be eliminated and that will be eliminated. How with this. Well I can tell you what other competitions did they are prohibited judges. They require judges who have a student in a competition to refrain from voting to ease the pressure on this jury. We simply prohibit any student of the juror from competing or for that matter any Steve of that of that judge. So this just simply is it's not to say that we don't trust our judges. It just makes their job (00:09:51) easier. The other major piano competitions are the Van Cliburn in Fort Worth Tchaikovsky and Moscow Queen Elizabeth in Brussels Marguerite long in Paris leads in England and the Rubenstein competition in Tel Aviv, Alexander baginski says the players at the Minnesota competition are at the same level of (00:10:09) skill, who are these people the range is very wide you see another thing there is there's another element to our competition is that we want to so to speak flash out some undiscovered genius, which is what everybody wants. Right. We don't know how old this genius is. We have to keep the upper limit on the age because otherwise you will have you know, some Very very mature to put it this way PN is coming to compete so we put an upper lead at 32 years, which is a pretty much standard but I decided to do away with a lower limit. Look we go to the Olympics. We see those fifteen fourteen eleven. How old was not a community when she was 11. You know, how old was great Jascha Heifetz when he played Beethoven concerto, he was six I think horses we are so so a genius has no limit if we find a genius let them be as old as they want or as young as they want. So are some of the competitors very young indeed. I think the youngest we have is Turning 17 and actually have to tell you the youngest are among the best. Why do you suppose that is well, there are a couple of reasons. I think well, I think one reason is that when people are that good, they enter International competition as soon as they are allowed to which is 18. Usually they entered 18 and they are great. They're phenomenal they win and then they don't go to competitions anymore. So we want to be the first to hear them that is one reason. Another is some. Oh, I don't know. Maybe they have an enthusiasm. Maybe they're just unspoiled. They are enjoying what they're doing even more. So every tape that I heard coming from Young contestants with was outstanding what kind of lives of these competitors lived that they have arrived at such a very high level of key. Proficiency, well, they lead no life from the average person point of view from a non professional point of view. But for them, it's the only life they want they have to practice just like an athlete. What kind of Life do you think figure skater has we solve this documentaries with Michelle Kwan, you know and heard a being regimented in 5 minute intervals. Our life is easier. No PN is this product that I know of practices more than eight hours a day according to that documentary. She was in practiced except for the bedtime. So it's the same thing as with (00:13:19) Outlets. (00:13:29) University of Minnesota professor of Music Alexander burtynsky, you're listening to voices of Minnesota on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Dan (00:13:38) Olson. (00:13:52) Alexander baginski says playing Franz Schubert Sonata separates the very good piano players of the world from everyone else. Here's an example the legendary Lily Kraus playing Schubert. International piano e competitors Brigance key says will perform a range of Music. However, he says the range won't be nearly as wide as some of the other contests (00:14:55) another problem. I had with competitions in general is that they test a sort of an overall. Deleted to play in a way. They are glorified entrance examinations. You are expected to play some bar and some classical and some romantic and some contemporary. Maybe some required work this decent that I tried to minimize it as much as I could. So to start with of course, you need certain things just to be able to select. So I we require classical Sonata on tape and one virtuoso attitude those who get admitted to that preliminary round where 24 people play will be asked to perform a recital 65 to 75 minutes in length. And this is all that is in the requirement. They can play anything they want and I see some programs dedicated completely to the contemporary music I Is somebody playing Scarlatti most of the time but just think think of some great ones like Glenn Gould. I mean, why would I want to judge Glenn Gould on how well he plays Chopin? He was the greatest bass player. So if there is another Glenn Gould please come in but when the six of them are admitted to the finals they do have to show their ability to serve to function in the contemporary music world and that requires being able to play very good chamber music. So one of the requirements there is a piano quintet. We give a choice of dwarves yuck Schumann bronzers just a college and one thing that everybody is required to play is any of the Schubert sonatas because I think that when things are more or less equal Schubert will show the judges what depth the musicianship This particular contestant can be and the second the last stage is a concerto by the way, what why does Schubert music do that? Why does music by Schubert do that? Because it is so deep because it is so refined and because it requires a sensitive so to speak Soul sensitive musical soul and understanding of style Schubert style is unique in that it combines qualities of the classical and qualities of the (00:17:37) romantic music (00:17:39) and the one who can express it and satisfy our judges some of whom are great Schubert players will certainly deserve to be a (00:17:48) winner the winner of the first International piano e competition will walk away with quite a basket of goodies and the runners-up don't do too badly. Either first prize is $25,000 a Lincoln Center concert a commercial CD recording and Brand new Yamaha disclosure grand piano second and third place received 15 and 10 thousand dollars respectively. Now how Alexander baginski found his way to Minnesota, he and his wife Elena Romanova and accomplished concert cellist enjoyed the good life in the former Soviet Union for many years baginski was born and raised in downtown Moscow. Do I guess correctly that you came from a very cultured background which valued the (00:18:41) classical piano performance (00:18:43) and Fraulein. Oh classical education. (00:18:47) Well, it's true. I do come from a musical background. My grandmother was a very educated professional pianist. She got her education in Kiev Conservatory with some he lost his teachers at that time. My mother was what is called a child prodigy. She was discovered when she was very young and she was brought to Moscow at the age of 13 and she was she was Shows of showered with with the goodies that that Soviet state provided for its talents. And so it was It was kind of natural that the children will follow in his footsteps. My brother is a very good concert violinist and professor in the conservatory in Brussels. And so a number of family members made it made it out of Russia the Soviet Union at the time. Well my entire family made it out sort of I was the instigator of it but they made it out and they have they have very fulfilling lives. You left why I part everybody had different reasons. Mine was clearly a political. It was a political reason at that time. Russia was what it was characterized as of later as it was. Evil Empire and I didn't want to be a part of it had you been persecuted personally. Well, no, I have not been persecuted personally until I applied for immigration. Of course, then bad things started happening. What started happening? Well my wife and I immediately lost our jobs were fired from everywhere. We had to undergo something that you are familiar with reading about revolutionary cultural revolution in China. We had to attend meetings where we word announced and threatened with jail where we were accused of being American spies things like this. How did you cope with that? How did you come to them when you grow up in Russia, you are pretty tough. You know, I was 10 when Stalin died. So we were growing up in a very tough environment and you just if you it's like with everything else you get tempered. What finally pushed you personally at 27 over the line in terms of making the decision? It's really a very good question because there was a single event that pushed me over that Brink and it was invasion of Czechoslovakia. I was so shocked that I spent three days in bed. I was shaken by it and then I decided that I cannot take it any longer you had friends in Czechoslovakia not I had no friends in Czechoslovakia, but it was such an act of violence. It was such a rape that you felt guilty by association. Our check friends. Well not friends, but our Czech students at the Moscow Conservatory stopped talking to us and that was I understood them. I understood them. I am not a sporting fan, but at that time I remember sitting in a kitchen at night watching I think it was world championship game or Olympics where the two hockey teams met Soviet and check screaming my head off rooting for checks to win. So that was that was the event that was a watershed where I told my parents. Basically I told them listen. There are two choices we have either we immigrated or I take a banner and I go to the Red Square. What did they say? Well, they were very upset and they were very shocked but they believed me and my mother knew that if we don't do it, then I will join open protest and the she knew where I'm going to end up that would have been very nearly fatal potentially fatal. Well, it would send me to prison most definitely. Yeah, so she knew what the risks were. (00:23:09) However, even so even with the denouncing Xin the meetings you were allowed to (00:23:13) emigrate. Yes. It was it was a very new thing at that time and unfortunately at the time of immigration my wife and I were separated because her father got very ill and we knew that he was dying but one of us had to go because if we both stayed we would lose our right to immigrate. So I immigrated first and almost immediately the door slams shot because Soviet Authority started demanding a ransom for emigration, which of course we could not meet how much so in her case. It would have been twelve thousand rubles given our monthly salary combined and that was a very high salary by Russian standards of 300 rubles a month to get 12,000 to ass impossible. She had to stay behind she stayed behind for a few months and then a great historic event took place and that was visit of President Nixon and Kissinger to Moscow and one of the things that they negotiated with the release of that these people who were held back some dozens or hundreds or maybe thousands at that time. It was just hundreds. It was the beginning of immigration. Did you have to cut sever contact with your Homeland or were you able (00:24:45) to keep up friendly ties with family (00:24:47) friends? Well, I'll just give you one example to illustrate it they were trying to intimidate you in every possible way. So just because I before just before I stepped over that line at the airport, which would sort of move me into that international territory. Security officer looked at me and he said Just remember when you cross this line you cut off your ties with your country. You will never be back. You will never see your friends. This is the end of it. Well and so I did I did cut all the ties. And of course later on I was fortunate to re-establish ties with my friends after the perestroika, but I still 30 years later. I cannot bring myself to going back because when they told me to cut it off I did you have not been back. I have not been back. There may be certainly there are friends. There may be family back. There are certainly friends. There is little family left, but I have been back in sort of a musical spirit because somebody sent to me are clipping from Moscow newspaper from its section where the radio program is printed and I saw at certain time slot. It was an hour and a half program that was called Alexander Bergin skis rustic ovitch and somebody got hold of my CD was just a college music and they played it and they discussed it and it was very touching I have to say, what does that experience leave you with in terms of what it told you about human nature Human Experience. It taught me to appreciate what I have. I really learned to enjoy life to enjoy life in America in many. SLI and I may be appreciated more than people who are born to it because I had to fight for it. I did not get it by virtue of my birth. By the way why Minnesota for heaven's sakes there are many places in the country with more temperate climates. Good question. I could reply by quoting Garrison killer who said that his ancestors just landed on the east coast and walked until they found places Miserable as the one they left so that could be a part of it. But there was a better there was there is a better explanation. My mother-in-law had that time Married An American who lived in st. Paul and my wife and I who resided in Cambridge in England at that time, we were fellows of Churchill college and we came to visit her. and we stayed but Professor baginski. Thank you so much for your time. What a pleasure to talk to you and thank you. (00:28:04) Alexander baginski University of Minnesota professor of music and the president and artistic director of the first International piano e competition here's a portion of his CD recording of Shostakovich a recording played on Russian radio after the breakup of the Soviet (00:28:20) Union. (00:29:17) You're listening to voices of Minnesota on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Dan (00:29:21) Olson. (00:29:46) The Croatian National folk dance Ensemble chorus there one of the groups coming to Minneapolis in August to perform at the sixth World Symposium on choral music Anton Armstrong and a handful of other Coral experts selected. The group's invited to the event Armstrong is director of the st. Olaf College Choir. One of the country's top choral groups. He talked recently about the people who'll be at the Symposium beginning August 3rd in (00:30:11) Minneapolis. We are expecting somewhere in the area of 2,000 to 2,500 delegate and even more singers who will come from over 20 22 countries, I believe. Adding the globe representing young children through professional singers bringing the coral art alive in the United States and way in which we've never had it before these choirs have gone through very rigorous audition process and represent really some of the finest choral singing that one can hear (00:30:43) today (00:31:10) the Croatian folk dance Ensemble chorus shows something that Anton Armstrong says is fading away in American culture tunes that describe life and death jobs. And of course romance, lots of commercial American Music covers all that ground and more. What we're losing Armstrong says is the tradition of communal singing (00:31:31) We need United States often struggle with this area of choral music. We've it's become so segmented at times in our society and the more that one travels around the world one sees that that communal singing is part of everyday life in so many parts of the world. Unfortunately in the United States. We've been barred been bombarded by the whole world of popular music and I I mean by that often commercial music that surrounds us music that hits Us in every way and so often we don't make music anymore and what I find as I travel the world and as I encounter other cultures is that music Still Remains, very functional part of everyday life people sing as they were people sing to celebrate occasions. And and so this Gathering of of great lovers of song which really this is This this whole conference represent will show us I think the many facets in many ways that people throughout the world continue to make music a daily part of their their their everyday experience will we (00:32:37) see any Trends from this Gathering of these folks? Will there be obvious to all of us more emphasis on Art the classical music more emphasis on traditional music with Community Roots as you (00:32:51) described. Well, I think we've encouraged those as the groups were selected to participate in this event. We've encouraged them to not only feature the art music of their of their cultures, but also the music of the people the folk music I would expect that in every group you would see representation from living composers. So that that they can demonstrate in many ways that the music of today is still a vital part of their cultures, but we're also hoping that they go back and they will share with us the music that that has from people expressing themselves in song (00:33:30) the st. Olaf College Choir and several other Minnesota groups will perform in August at the world Symposium on choral music the coral Tradition at st. Olaf is 90 years old there have been only four directors in that time Anton Armstrong the most recent. He's held the post for 12 years. (00:33:47) You are a Boy Choir kid you grew up in a pretty pretty rich Coral tradition. I was fortunate actually goes back to my home Church, believe it or not. I grew up as a Lutheran Church out in Long Island suburbs in New York City, but my early teachers were graduates of the Westminster choir college and they brought with them a great love and a desire that that people be singing their faith from literally from the crib to the grave and so they came and created this wonderful grated choir program and as a youngster around the age of 11 or 12, they took me to hear a group that was Called Columbus boys choir that most of your listeners would now know as the American Boy Choir and I had the joy of singing that group for a couple of years as a boy. And that really was the group that showed me what I mean excellence in choral music could be about provided, you know, a young kid from basically lower middle class background with opportunities to sing throughout the world sing for sitting Pope for sitting president sing with some of the great symphony orchestras of North America. And since then I've had the opportunity to return part of that that that great gift to me and serving that organization running a summer program for a number of years and sitting on his Board of Trustees, but it was that experience singing with kids from all throughout the United States and especially at a time. When as a young African-American, you know your race off in to find you you were brought in that place and you were not defined by the color of your skin or how much money your parents had to your social status, but by who the content really what Martin Luther Junior said Years Ago by the content of your character and how hard you were willing to (00:35:33) work? (00:36:08) For years the st. Olaf College Choir saying mostly Sacred Music influenced by northern European cultures under Armstrong, the group sings pieces representing cultures from every continent including a Sarah Hopkins song inspired by Aboriginal music from (00:36:23) Australia. We did a piece from Australia past like Melodies which (00:36:44) incorporates harmonic overtone singing and I first encountered that during a trip to Australia 1995 when I met the composer had an opportunity to work with the choir for whom she had written the piece and this is actually my my third attempt at performance working last eight years. And and I think each time I come with a heightened awareness of what she was attempting to express and a deeper at least respect if not indeed understanding for the Aboriginal culture that she is trying to to to represent her piece. For instance. I have an Australian student who is able has an able to play the didgeridoo which Is a Native Instrument of the Aboriginal Australian and he is a he is a young man of European descent, but he's able to bring certain insights and in just hearing that instrument it it allow the choir to hear many ways with Sarah was hearing her own ears as she (00:37:42) recreated the work. (00:38:17) You're listening to voices of Minnesota with st. Olaf College Choir Director Anton Armstrong on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Danielson African-American music is part of the world Coral Symposium. Gospel tunes and spirituals are sung by From all racial and ethnic backgrounds spirituals arranged by the legendary Tuskegee College choral director the late William Dawson are among the most popular. It's a mark of how much has changed at the predominantly white Northfield college that Anton Armstrong's st. Olaf choir recorded a CD devoted to Dawson's music Armstrong's admonition is singing other people's music requires knowing something about the group's culture. (00:39:15) I'm very very proud of that recording and I think it shows also that once people hear that if they forget their initial implications that yes, this is a choir that has its origins in a northern European culture, but listened to music that when I think presented with great care and great respect has a global Has universality about it, the the music of the of the African American slaves is a music that really does speak to I think all people who find themselves at different points and in maybe literally imprisoned but often most of us are imprisoned somehow in our own emotional life in our psychological existence and this music speaks to people who saw beyond the confines of those pains and looked for a better life and I think we did I'm very proud and the response that we've gotten from from critics, especially African-American musicians and and and and reviewers have been most laudatory and the work that we did in that (00:40:25) report. First of all over Jordan River it's just the party but not the sort but one train this train runs to her. (00:42:04) They'll be plenty of Sacred Music composed by Europeans at the sixth World Symposium on Chrome music the 22 choirs coming to Minneapolis and August include three who reflect Minnesota's main ethnic groups Germany Sweden and Norway the group from Sweden the st. Jacob's choir is from a Stockholm church here. They sing a standard more Easter of lays will be Curry toss. St. Jacobs choir from Stockholm Sweden Anton Armstrong and the five other Symposium advisors invited choral groups from around the world to the August gathering in Minneapolis besides Europe. They'll be Youth and adult groups from China, Japan Israel, Australia Cuba and Russia, there will be all kinds of music sacred secular folk even pop (00:45:02) loss of those (00:45:02) Brazil's garganta profunda performs various Styles and sounds very much at home with popular. Music Here's their Koko to Koko. (00:45:20) Lala (00:45:51) few Coral purists have a short attention span for popular vocal music Anton Armstrong says it's an important part of the music (00:45:59) tradition. I still have a great Passion outside of the realm of of choral music. I I'm a great lover of the R&B of more classical jazz. I mean some of them, you know, they're the the great great singers such as you know Dinah, Washington, Lena Horne Billie Holiday. The great blues singers and and and and and later times, you know Gladys Knight. I'm showing my age right now, you know, but down, you know, I think these are people who've understood a sort of human essence of expressing. I think the one thing that that the singers who came out of a jazz tradition and R&B tradition. Our people are trying to express themselves in the conditions of the world. But you know, you go back and you listen to some of the great great singers of the 60s and 70s, especially Joan Baez and people who were and maybe even a more raw voice. But an honest voice I can are lower Peak 03, you know, these are people who are trying to express the world around them and not just trying to make music for commercial (00:47:10) gain. This is heroin. (00:47:27) There'll be plenty of contemporary choral music at the world Symposium new works by minnesotans Libby Larson Stephen paulus and Dominick Argento will be premiered a piece by Chinese composer. Changi will have its first performance by the Toronto Canada based Elmer Eisler singers. The late Elmer Eisler was considered by many the dean of Canadian choral (00:47:47) conductors. (00:47:59) The Heisler singers reflect Canada's bilingual culture here. They are with a piece called Drummer Boy. No, not the familiar Christmas tune, and it's not about a lad leading troops into battle. It's a story about a protective father a spurned Suitor and a Mist marital opportunity Minnesota public radio's Vaughn arm Seth explains in English the French lyrics written by Harry (00:48:22) Summers. My Lord my king I've come to take your daughter. Tell me drummer. Where are all your riches. Here is my wealth my trusty drum my drumsticks go get the gun. You cannot have my daughter (00:48:42) three ships have I Full Sail upon the ocean ones filled with gold (00:48:47) another with gorgeous finery. And the fairest of All Is to carry my loved one. Come you back drummer. I will give you my daughter. (00:48:57) I laugh at you and your daughter from whence I come the maids are far Lovelier. Tell me drummer. Who is your father. He is King (00:49:08) The King of England. (00:50:15) There are lots of free events all around the Twin Cities as part of the world Symposium on choral music one of the first Sunday August 4th at Harriet Island in st. Paul features the boys choir of Harlem and the Croatian National folk dance Ensemble chorus Anton Armstrong also recommends trying to catch the August 7th performance by composer and vocalist Bobby McFerrin who lived in Minnesota for a time (00:50:58) during the course of the Symposium. Not only will we hear these wonderful choirs from over 20 some-odd different nations, but I think I I think a very high point for the Twin Cities Community will be that in the midweek. We have a breakout day and that evening someone who I think this Twin Cities has adopted Even though he's just now left arm itches is Bobby McFerrin? I had the joy of sharing controversy McFerrin last year the Oregon Bach Festival where I'm also on staff and this is one of the most incredible gifted human beings. I have ever encountered. He'll be doing a concert that will be open to the public and will certainly first of all have the out of the participants and supposedly will have an opportunity to hear this but he will be there not only doing solo work, but with his own Ensemble voices strong (00:52:10) We can be so hard on things. (00:52:46) I think it's going to be a highlight of the entire entire session. So I hope people will make note of that and be present in the at these concerts that will happen August 3rd through the 10th 2002. After Antone Armstrong. Thanks so much for your time. Thank you, Dad. Anton Armstrong is director of (00:53:05) the st. Olaf College Choir in Northfield and one of the six people who selected participants for the sixth World Symposium on choral music being held in Minneapolis. The first part of August for more information go to the Symposium website at World Coral Symposium 6, that's the number six and it's all one word world Coral Symposium 6 dot-org you've been listening to voices of Minnesota on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Danielson. (00:54:04) No. (00:54:32) Midday is produced by Sarah Mayer Rob Schmitz is the assistant producer the technical directors. This week have been Clifford Bentley and Steve Griffith. I'm Mike Mulcahy. Gary. Eichten will be back next week programming a Minnesota.