The Wartburg College Castle Singers, Kammerstreicher

press release: 

The Wartburg College Castle Singers and Kammerstreicher will perform Thursday, March 7, at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 7337 Hubbard Ave.

The 7 p.m. performance is open to the public. A freewill donation will be accepted to support Wartburg’s ensemble tours and music programming. The ensembles also will provide special music for St. Luke’s Ash Wednesday services at 5:30 and 7 p.m. March 6.

The Castle Singers, a chamber vocal ensemble under the direction of Nicki Bakko Toliver, will perform varying selections, such as “Simple Gifts” by René Clausen, “Sourwood Mountain” and “Black Sheep” by John Rutter, and “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin. Contemporary works also will be featured, including “From Now On” from the motion picture “The Greatest Showman” and “All of Us” by Craig Hella Johnson from the oratorio “Considering Matthew Shepard.”

“As musical ambassadors for Wartburg College, we look forward to sharing this unique program with audiences throughout the Midwest. We hope our patrons find our concerts to be meaningful, uplifting and entertaining,” Toliver said.

Kammerstreicher, a chamber orchestra under the direction of Jacob Tews, will perform selections composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn and Antonin Dvorakalongside pop tunes like “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.

“We are excited to bring a concert of incredible variety to Middleton,” Tews said. “There will certainly be something for everyone on this program.”

The Castle Singers have captivated audiences in Iowa and around the world since its inception in 1950, joining the Wartburg Choir and the Wartburg Wind Ensemble as the college’s flagship touring ensembles. In 2016, Kammerstreicher (German for “chamber strings”) accompanied the Castle Singers on tour and a new partnership was born.

“The collaboration between the Castle Singers and Kammerstreicher is a unique offering among collegiate touring ensembles,” said Stephanie Klemetson, Wartburg’s music tour, camp and promotion manager. “It is exciting to witness the innovative programming and synergy they create together. You can see it in the faces of the performers. They love every minute making music together.”