UMN Campuses Unite Through Song
Choirs from four University of Minnesota campuses will combine for the first time in an inspiring event on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at 2:30 PM. The performance will take place in the historic Cathedral of St. Paul, a space well known for its incredible choral acoustics and grand nature. Choirs from the University of Minnesota Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Twin Cities (UMN Twin Cities) will be featured.
"We are delighted to welcome our musical colleagues from across the state to the Twin Cities for this incredible, collaborative concert,” says Patrick Warfield, Director of the School of Music in UMN Twin Cities. “I especially want to thank Prof. Matthew Mehaffey for organizing this event and for bringing all together in song.”
In this historic event, each choir will perform individually and come together to form a massive super-choir. The combined choirs kick off the show, with Andrew Balfour's Vision Chant and Louis Vierne's Kyrie from Messe Solennelle, Op. 16, and will conclude the afternoon with Craig Hella Johnson's Song of Gratitude and a rousing rendition of T.E. Rickard's classic Hail Minnesota.
"Singing in a space like the Cathedral changes how you approach the music—it's not just a venue, it's an instrument in itself," says UMN Twin Cities Director of Choral Activities Matthew Mehaffey. "We’ve chosen a program that actually works with that six-second delay, from the thunderous Vierne Kyrie with the pipe organ to the more rhythmic textures of Andrew Balfour’s Vision Chant in Ojibwe. We are also thrilled to present the world premiere of a new work by celebrated Minnesota composer David Dickau, a piece written specifically to celebrate this spirit of statewide unity."
UMN Twin Cities choirs recently performed in this space on March 1, giving an opportunity for the University Treble Chorus (composed of soprano and alto voices) and Campus Singers (open to all UMN Twin Cities students) to learn from the specialized acoustics of the building.
This School of Music event is free and open to the public.
