The internationally known German choral ensemble, Ensemble Vocapella Limburg, will be in Springfield Sept. 7-8 as part of their larger U.S. tour. The tour is sponsored by the Goethe Insitut.

The choir will perform at Christ Episcopal Church Sept. 7 at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. After the performance, audience members will have the opportunity to meet the singers, according to Dr. Erin Plisco, associate director of choral studies in the Department of Music.

Plisco coordinated Ensemble Vocapella Limburg’s visit to the Springfield area with the group’s director, Tristan Meister.

“The conductor of the group reached out to me last spring and initiated a conversation about bringing his choir to Springfield as part of their U.S. tour,” she said. “He and I know each other through an international choral exchange that took place a few years ago.”

Creating connections through music

During their visit to Springfield, Ensemble Vocapella Limburg will also participate in a rehearsal session with Missouri State’s Chorale and Women’s Chorus, Plisco said.

“We will take time to perform for each other and share a musical experience,” she explained. The exchange, which is not open to the public, will take place Sept. 8 during regularly scheduled rehearsals in the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.

Plisco described the exchange as “an opportunity for the German singers to interact with our choral students and to create connections through music.”

Missouri State’s Dr. Cameron LaBarr, Director of Choral Studies and Clif and Gail Smart Professor of Music, will also participate in the exchange.

About Ensemble Vocapella Limburg

According to the ensemble’s website, Ensemble Vocapella Limburg was founded in 2007 and is comprised of young men from Germany’s Limburg region. Members of the ensemble have common musical roots in the Limburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir.

The group has toured internationally and won numerous awards and prizes. Their repertoire includes sacred and secular male choir literature from all eras. Music selections range from works from the Renaissance to premieres of contemporary musical settings. The latter are regularly commissioned from renowned composers.