The Missouri State University Chorale has released a new album, “The Cardinal and the Roller,” a collaboration with the University of Pretoria Camerata from South Africa.

It is now available on multiple streaming services, including Spotify. Apple Music has also included one of the tracks on its curated playlist, “The Classical Voice.” 

Featuring eight South African tracks and eight American tracks, the album is the final product of a long-held dream for Dr. Cameron LaBarr and Camerata conductor Michael Barrett. It marks the fourth time the Chorale has worked with Grammy Award-winning producer Dirk Sobotka and the team at SoundMirror, LaBarr said.

Throughout their long friendship, the two often imagined how beautiful an album featuring both of their choirs would be.

When the Camerata received an invitation to perform in the United States as the headline choir at the National American Directors Association Conference, LaBarr and Barrett saw their chance. The door for the Chorale and Camerata to take flight together had opened.

Check out more Chorale music

Title song symbolic of partnership

The title song, “The Cardinal and the Roller,” symbolizes the union between the Chorale and the Camerata ensembles. In the piece, a lilac-breasted roller, a South African bird, and a cardinal, an American bird, take flight together. Composer Susan LaBarr wrote the music, and lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri wrote the words.

“’The Cardinal and the Roller’ album was the project of a lifetime,” said LaBarr, director of choral studies and Clif and Gail Smart Professor of Music. “Combining the Chorale and Camerata for this work created one of the most beautiful musical experiences of my career. This album will forever serve as a reminder that the gift of singing can unite us all.”

Emotions abound with surprise early release

The song “The Cardinal and the Roller” was part of an early release event near the end of September. Even so, its release caught several Chorale members off guard.

Roughly two weeks before the full album’s Oct. 16 release, several Chorale members had gathered at a friend’s house to listen to music and enjoy some quality time together.

When an all-too-familiar song appeared on the YouTube suggested video playlist, however, they were overcome with emotion.

The suggested song? “The Cardinal and the Roller.”

The group played the video and experienced the finished product for the first time. Their immediate reactions to the early release reveal the power and meaning of the album for them.

“I cried,” Chorale senior Ellie Bley said. “It was bringing back all the memories of the times that we sang together with TUKS Camerata.”

Senior Zac Woodard experienced similar emotions. “As soon as the piano played, I was about to start crying,” he said.

The camaraderie between the two groups played a substantial role in creating that deep meaning, Woodard added. “When we both sang this together, it just, everything just clicked. We got along so well.”

Collaboration carries deeper message

The song’s metaphor has also come to describe for Chorale members just how well they collaborated with the Camerata group when they recorded the album in March 2025.

Even though the two ensembles are located thousands of miles apart, their immediate chemistry fascinated graduate student and fifth-year Chorale member Marian Bennion. “It’s so interesting how closely you can feel with somebody whom you have never met before,” she said.

Indeed, the unique project led to a special connection between the two choirs. Whether it was sharing laughter, munching on cookies during recording breaks or creating a group chat that the two choirs still use, the choirs gelled.

They also sang: “Voices joined from separate skies. Their song is peace in brilliant harmony.”

Bennion hopes the album communicates this connection.

“The impact of this album really shows that we are all just people, and, though we have different backgrounds and experiences, we share the same love and the same heart,” she said. “That is something to be celebrated, no matter where you are.”

News written by Maddux Radosevic and edited by the Reynolds College Communications Team. Radosevic is a second year graduate student in the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film and is studying communication. He is also a third year member of the Missouri State Chorale.

Reynolds College blog posts are human researched, written and reviewed unless otherwise indicated.