Past Concerts

Music in the Air

7:30 pm, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, Cooksville Lutheran Church

The Stoughton Chamber Singers, under the direction of John Beutel, presented their annual fall concert, “Music in the Air,” at 7:30 pm on Friday, November 18, 2022 at Christ Lutheran Church in Stoughton.  The concert included a variety of music.  Sacred music offerings included “Sing Unto God”, “Jesu Dulcis Memoria”, “The Glory of the Father”, and “O Magnify the Lord with Me”.  Two pieces by composer Morten Lauridsen were perfomed: “O Nata Lux” and “Dirait-on”.  Prose from the 20th century poet, E.E. Cummings, was presented in “I Thank You God” and “maggie and milly and molly and may”.  Intermission selections were performed by the five-man group, Deliberate Vibration. The program closed with the well-known “Hallalujah” by Leonard Cohen.


Sing A New Song

7:30 pm, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, Cooksville Lutheran Church
4:00 pm, Sunday, June 12, 2022, Stoughton Opera House

"Sing A New Song" was the title of the Spring Concert presented by the Stoughton Chamber Singers under the direction of John Beutel.  The hour-long concert was performed on two dates. The first concert was held on June 8th at 7:30 pm at the Cooksville Lutheran Church in Cooksville, WI. The second concert took place on Sunday, June 12th at 4:00 pm at the Stoughton Opera House.  The Singers performed a wide variety of music.  The program began with several anthems and madrigals representing music from the early years of choral music.  It included music from several different cultures, "Three Hungarian Folksongs", a Scottish Folk song, and a traditional spiritual.  In closing, "All Good Gifts" from the musical "Godspell", "Hernando's Hideaway" from the musical "Pajama Game" and two Paul Simon hits, "The Sound of Silence" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" were performed.  Margo Martens was the piano accompanist for the choir.

A Concert of Christmas Music

4:00 pm, Sunday, December 5, 2021, Stoughton Opera House

The Stoughton Chamber Singers, under the direction of John Beutel, presented a variety of choral music for the holiday season. The program featured choral music from various composers and various musical periods.  This program was special to the group because it was dedicated to longtime member Liz Nelson, who passed away in 2020.  Proceeds from the concert were donated to the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers and to First Lutheran Church in her honor.

How Can I Keep From Singing

2:00 pm, November 17, 2019, Christ Lutheran Church, Stoughton

The first half of the concert will consist of compositions by the 20th Century American composer, Randall Thompson (1899-1984). While he composed in many genres, he is best known for his choral compositions.  The program will open with a very American theme entitled "Frostiana" with all of the texts used being written by the great 20th Century American poet, Robert Frost. Among the selections will be "The Road Not Taken", "The Pasture", "Come In" and "Choose Something Like A Star". The first half of the concert will close with Thompson's masterpiece, "Alleluia".

The second half of the concert will open with the beloved title song "How Can I Keep From Singing" and two selections by the composer Z. Randall Stroope.  The spiritual is one of the great gifts of music in America.  The choir will close with three spirituals, "There Is A Balm In Gilead", "Give Me Jesus" and "Set Down Servant". 

Summer is A'Comin' In

7:30 pm, May 31, 2019, Stoughton Opera House

7:30 pm, June 5, 2019 at the Cooksville Lutheran Church

The selections on the program consisted of music about summer or inspired by summer. The program included a piece titled "Summer Is A-comin' in" the title of this concert.  This selection was composed around 1249 and is the first 6 part choral composition known to exist.  There were several Madrigals, Part Songs, and music of Elgar, Holst, and Mendelssohn.  Closing the program of more current music  included "Summertime" by George Gershwin and a couple other surprise pieces.

Cole Porter & Friends

7:30 PM, November 15, 2018 & November 16, 2018, Stoughton Village Players

The 20s, 30s, and 40s offered up a treasure trove of wonderful American Popular Music. Several scholars and musicians have put together a number of publications that included what they thought were the 100 greatest popular tunes of the times. Of course the collections by various editors differed slightly, but the general lists were pretty much the same. These listed selections are usually entitled "The Great American Song Book" or "The American Song Bag" etc. Cole Porter, an American composer and songwriter, is widely considered as one of the greatest song writers among these selections. Of the more than 800 songs he produced during his life, dozens have become standards and are featured in “The Great American Song Book”. This concert features selections not only composed by Cole Porter, but from other composers such as Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, George Gershwin, and Fats Waller arranged for choir. Most of them will be very familiar to you all.

Springtime Serenade: Four Centuries of Choral Music

June 1, 2018, 7:30 PM, Stoughton Opera House & June 6, 2018, 7:00 PM, Cooksville Historic Church

The Stoughton Chamber Singers, under the direction of John Beutel and accompanied by Margo Martens, presented their spring concert on Friday, June 1, at the Stoughton Opera House in Stoughton, and on Wednesday, June 6 at the Restored Church in Cooksville. The concert, "Springtime Serenade: Four Centuries of Choral Music" included a wide variety of choral music. It began with examples of Gregorian Chant and will featured sacred and secular composition by Hans Leo Hassler, George Frederic Handel, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Franz Schubert. 

An Autumn Concert: With Music of Brahms and Folksongs

November 17, 2017, 7:30 PM, Christ Lutheran Church, Stoughton

The 2017 Stoughton Chamber Singers, under the direction of John Beutel presented their annual Fall Concert entitled, “An Autumn Concert: With Music of Brahms and Folksongs” on Friday November 17th at 7:30pm at Christ Lutheran Church in Stoughton. The concert opened with an “Alleluia” by Tchaikovsky followed by several masterpieces by Brahms including “How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place” and "3 Liebeslieder (Love Song) Waltzes." Closing the concert, the group sung some familiar songs: “Johnny I hardly Knew Ye,” Aura Lee,” and “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” SCS hosted special choir guest, Jeffery Rowley, who performed several organ selections.

America Sings: 200 Years of American Music

June 2, 2017, 7:30 PM, Stoughton Opera House & June 7, 2017, 7:00 PM, Cooksville 

The Stoughton Chamber Singers under the direction of John Beutel presented their annual Spring Concerts entitled "America Sings:  200 Years of American Music" on Friday, June 2 at 7:30 pm at the Stoughton Opera House and on Wednesday, June 7 at 7:00 pm at the Cooksville restored Congregational Church.  The theme of the concert was in honor of Cooksville's celebration of the 175th Anniversary of its founding thus giving an historical context of the music performed. The opening section featured hymn tunes, anthems and fuging tunes of Colonial America by William Billings and Justin Morgan.  Songs by Stephen Foster and Billy Joel were performed along with several other compositions including an arrangement of "Shenandoah" and the spiritual "Ain'a That Good News".

A Musical Potpourri

Friday, November 11, 2016, 7:30 PM, Christ Lutheran Church, Stoughton

The Stoughton Chamber Singers under the direction of John Beutel presented a fall concert entitled "A Musical Potpourri" on Friday, November 11 at 7:30 PM.  The concert was held at Christ Lutheran Church in Stoughton. A wide variety of choral music was performed.

On Wings of Song

Friday, June 3, 2016, 7:30 PM, Stoughton Opera House & Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 7:00 PM, Cooksville Historic Church

Mendelssohn was a child prodigy and a great composer of the first half of the 19th century.  He was very popular and well know for his choral music, especially his oratorios.  The Chamber Singers performed several of the famous choruses from several of these oratorios in addition to some of his lighter part songs which were composed for informal, recreational use. The group accompanist was Margo Martens, with soloists Cindi Birch, Angie Kettner, Lance Carmichael, Sid Boersma, Liz Nelson, and Alex Rosenberg. Also performing were the Stoughton String Quartet, with Mark Hoskins, Kaylie Taplick, Tracy Becker, and Maria Flory.  

Gershwin and Friends

November 12 & 13, 2015, 7:00 pm, Stoughton Village Players Theatre

The Stoughton Chamber Singers under the direction of John Beutel will presented their Fall Concert "Gershwin and Friends" at 7:00 PM on Thursday, November 12, and Friday, November 13 in the Stoughton Village Players Theatre on Main Street.  Also joining the Chamber Singers were the Madison based acapella choir, The Other Option.

The performances featured popular music from the 1920s thru the 1940s from "The American Song Book" which is a collection of music from the great composers of that time. Among them, George and Ira Gershwin who  blended popular song to classical traditions and wrote many great songs such as "Embraceable You", "I've Got Rhythm", "Someone To Watch Over Me", and many others that are familiar to many.  The second part of the program will feature acapella music by the Madison based group, The Other Option, who will perform several selections from their repertoire.  Closing the concert will be the Chamber Singers performing such songs as "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (Duke Ellington"), "Georgia On My Mind" (Hoagy Carmichael), "Over the Rainbow" (Harold Arlen), "St. Louis Blues" (WC Handy) and others. 

The World of Music

June 5, 2015, 8:00 pm, Stoughton Opera House 

The Stoughton Chamber Singers under the direction of John Beutel will presented their spring concert entitled "A World of Music" at 8:00 PM, Friday, June 5 at the Stoughton Opera  House and at 7:00 PM, Wednesday, June 10 at the Restored Church in Cooksville. The program included a wide variety of choral music from the Renaissance to the present.  Special guest artist, SHS alumnus and pianist, Eric Hopper, also performed some blues and other popular music (for the Opera House Concert only).

Pastorale

November 14th, 2014, 7:30 pm, Stoughton Opera House

The Stoughton Chamber Singers and the Bel Canto String Ensemble under the direction of John Beutel, presented the Fall Concert at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 14 at the Stoughton Opera House.  

The concert reflected the definition of that word: "rural, rustic, simple, idyllic, natural".  Featured by the Chamber Singers were two Pastorales by the Colorado composer, Cecil Effinger and two Shaker Tunes, "Simple Gifts" and "Ye Followers of the Lamb".  Works by Aaron Copland, John Rutter, John Farmer, and Norman Luboff were also performed.  The Bel Canto String Ensemble performed Vivaldi's "Concert alla rustica,", The theme from the movie "Our Town" by Aaron Copland, "Gabriel's Oboe" by Enio Marricone, and "Shepherd's Hey" by Percy Grainger. 

Sing Me A Song And Play Me A Song

June 1st, 2014, 7:00 pm, Stoughton Opera House

The Stoughton Chamber Singers and the Bel Canto String Ensemble under the direction of John Beutel presented their 7th annual spring concert entitled "Sing Me A Song, Play Me A Tune" on Sunday, June 1 at 7:00 PM in Stoughton Opera House and Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00 PM at the restored church in Cooksville. 

 The Chamber Singers sang a wide variety of music including some music by Kenneth Jennings, Rene Clausen, Vincenzo Bellini, and Morten Lauridsen.  "Ride the Chariot", a lively spiritual arranged by Andre Thomas and a Sephardic Folk song arranged by Michael Jacobsen will also be featured.  Opening the second half of the program will be the concert title song "Sing Me A Song" a madrigal by the Renaissance Italian composer, Orazio Vecchil.  Closing the concert will be selections by Cole Porter and Pete Seeger.

 The 12 members of the Bel Canto String Ensemble included "Lullaby" by the American composer, George Gershwin and a suite of  rollicking dances from Henry Purcell's Opera, "The Old Bachelor".

Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind, 

December 8th, 2013, 2:00 pm, Stoughton Opera House

The varied program opened with "Psallite" a lively motet by the German composer, Praetorius. and was followed by the beautiful contemporary motet, "O Nata Lux" by Morton Lauridsen. Edward Elgar's beautiful composition, "Snow" along with two choruses by John Rutter, the concert title song, "Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind," and "Good Ale". The Bel Canto String Ensemble performed the beautiful "Intermezzo" from Cavaleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and a lively Concerto by the Italian composer, Albinoni. The Singers closed the program with such familiar carols, as "In The Bleak Midwinter", "Mary Had A Baby", "Still, Still, Still" and "Good King Wenceslas".

Music and the Human Experience

June 7th, 2013, 7:30 pm, Stoughton Opera House & June 12th, 7:00 pm, restored church in Cooksville

All music is rooted in Human Experience but some music has a very strong connection to the everyday lives of people, whether it be a song of freedom that becomes a rallying cry for a nation, a song of lament for a loved one lost at sea, or a text dealing with everyday events in one's life.  The Stoughton Chamber Singers, under the direction of John Beutel, will feature music that is drawn from or is drawn to the human experiences of all people. The Bel Canto String Ensemble will also participate in the program.

Annual Victorian Holiday Concert

December 2nd, 2012, 2:00 pm, Stoughton Opera House

The program will open with two Renaissance seasonal motets reflecting the style of early church music. Six madrigals will be sung that tell a love story including works by Gastoldi, Ravenscroft, Ford, Hassler, and Passereau that tell of all the pleasure and pain of falling in love which were popular subjects for the genre. The Chamber String Ensemble will present the beautiful "Pastoral Symphony" from Handel's "Messiah" that reflects the Italian influence in Handel's music. The strings will also include a Suite of delightful Renaissance dances. Closing the concert will be Four Spanish Christmas Carols. These folk carols have a real immediacy and simplicity that are reflective of their humble origins. 

Music For the Night

June 2nd, 2012, 7:00 pm, Stoughton Opera House & June 10th, 7:00 pm, Cooksville Historic Church

The elements and the mysteries of the evening and night have long been the source for creative inspiration for poets, artists and musicians. The Music For The Night program will open with a section called "Of Vespers and Vigils " that will include music composed for Vespers by Rathgeber, Rachmaninoff and Bortianiansky. The Vespers have been evening worship services since the Sixth Century. They have evolved in our current Vespers, Vigils, and Evensong. 

Some of our the most mysterious and beloved creatures are those that reign over the night. "Due Nachtigal", Felix Mendelssohn; "Sweet Suffolk Owl", Thomas Vautor; "Hotaru Koi" (The Fire Fly), a Japanese Children's Song, arranged by Ogaru"; "The Cricket" by Jean Berger will reflect on these creatures. Some of the most famous music for the night is Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nacht Musik". Excerpts will be performed by a special Stoughton String Ensemble.  The mother's lullaby is always associated with the evening. The women of the choir will perform the well know "Wiegenlied", by Brahms and a Yiddish Lullaby by Allan Kaplan. The lights are bright and shining at night on Broadway. The closing section of the concert will feature the title song from Kurt Weill's "Lost In The Stars", along with "Fly Me To The Moon", "In The Still Of The Night" (Cole Porter) and "The Lullaby of Broadway".

Dancing and Singing

December 4th, 2011, 2:00 pm, Stoughton Opera House

The music is based on the theme "Dancing and Singing", which will feature singing, dance music, music in dance forms, and music about dancing.

Opening the concert will be two Renaissance motets by Victoria and Hassler illustrating the singing in the title.  The pavanne is a slow, graceful, elegant dance ot the16th and 17th century.  The singers will perform three pavannes.  The first is a Renaissance French Chanson that will be followed by pavannes by Gabriel Faure and Maurice Ravel.  A set of instrumental dances including a waltz, a galliard, and a courant will be performed on mandolin, piano, guitar and by a string quartet.  Two madrigals about dancing will follow.  The word carol originally meant a song to be sung and danced to.  The singers will perform three carols including:  "The Sans Day Carol" a Welsh Carol arr. by John Rutter; "A Catalonian Carol" arr. by Dale Warland; and "Touro, Louro. Louro" an old carol from Provence by Nicola Saboloy.

 America Sings!

 May 22, 2011, 7:00 pm, Stoughton Opera House & May 25, 2011, 7:00 pm Cooksville Historic Churc

From the original anthems of William Billings during the American Revolution to the 20th Century's George Gershwin, the United States has given rise to its own unique style of music. Come join the singers to listen, to learn about, and to celebrate our American musical heritage.