Vocal Ensembles

Amata Women’s Chorale

Conducted by Melody Johnson, Amata Women’s Chorale is open by audition to female students from every class and academic discipline. The largest music ensemble on the University of Northwestern campus, Amata Women’s Chorale performs high-quality, challenging, repertoire that inspires singers and audiences alike, promotes fellowship, and upholds the mission of UNW.

The choir performs several times on campus each year and tours in-state or regionally. Amata Women’s Chorale has performed at state and division conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and the Minnesota Music Educators Association, as well as with the Minnesota Orchestra. Amata Women’s Chorale regularly participates in the ACDA-Minnesota Men’s/Women’s Choir Festival, Christmas at Northwestern, and Still I Rise, a collaborative women’s choir concert involving several other colleges/universities and fundraising for an area women’s charity.

Con Brio Men’s Chorus

Conducted by Timothy Sawyer, Con Brio Men’s Chorus is comprised of 40–50 mostly first-year male students, an enthusiastic and elegant “singing fraternity” whose repertoire ranges from glee club to sacred classics for men’s voices. Spiritual formation, fun, laughter and energetic camaraderie are important elements in the life of this group. It’s definitely “a guy thing to do!” Con Brio Men’s Chorus brings its vitality and uplifting music to churches, schools, and other concert venues throughout Minneapolis-St. Paul, greater Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas. In addition, the men are featured on campus in a fall concert with other ensembles, Christmas at Northwestern, and tours annually around the region each spring, bringing the joy of music wherever they go!

“Men of integrity, singing from the heart to the glory of God.”

Northwestern Choir

Conducted by Timothy Sawyer, the Northwestern Choir is an auditioned mixed ensemble of 50–75 upper division student voices. The choir performs primarily sacred a cappella music of all style periods and occasionally presents major choral works with the UNW Orchestra.

Devoted to the highest level of choral performance, Northwestern Choir seeks to sing from the heart and to glorify God in every aspect of their music and life together in Christian community. Our mission is to bring the light of Christ through God-honoring, dynamic, choral music. Our performances span cozy hometown venues to the greatest cathedrals in Europe.

In the Northwestern choral program, we believe we are called to glorify God, to be united in the love of Christ, and to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we sing, we seek to grow together unified in song, ultimately impacting our community and world.

Opera Workshop

UNW Opera Workshop offers a curricular production experience in acting, singing, accompanying, and producing opera, designed to enhance and advance the development of singers and actors. Spring semester culminates in the performance of an opera or operatic scenes in Knight Performance Hall.

Northwestern students gain a wealth of experience and training from Opera Workshop, as well as through UNW’s outstanding voice program, which offers private voice lessons and vocal master classes by noted artist-teachers. Students and graduates of Northwestern have received scholarships and acceptance to graduate schools and study programs such as Rice University, Royal Academy of Music in London, Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY), Austrian American Mozart Academy in Salzburg, Austria, and Oberlin in Italy opera program in Arezzo, Italy (through the Oberlin Conservatory of Music). Graduates of Northwestern’s vocal program grace stages from Minneapolis (Guthrie Theater and Chanhassen Dinner Theatre) to performance halls in London, England, and Houston, Texas.

In April 2008, Opera Workshop premiered the opera Ruth with the UNW Orchestra and Northwestern Choir. Faculty composer Dr. Barbara Rogers expressly wrote the work for Northwestern. In April 2018, Opera Workshop took their performance to the next level with Die Fledermaus (“The Bat”), a favorite comic German operetta (sung in English) with music by Johann Strauss II. Complete with impressive singing, beautiful costumes, and elegant staging, the 80+ members of the cast, crew, and full orchestra made this operetta come to life! Opera Workshop presented The Pirates of Penzance in collaboration with UNW Orchestra in March 2026.