Carl O. Thompson Concert on Oct. 4.

Bemidji State University’s Department of Music will hold its traditional Carl O. Thompson Memorial Concert on Oct. 16 to wrap up a weekend of Homecoming festivities on campus.

The show is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Thompson Recital Hall and the Main Stage Theatre of BSU’s Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and free for students.

In addition to performances by BSU’s major performing ensembles, the concert will feature student performances by this year’s winners of the concert’s namesake scholarships.

The vocal scholarship recipient is Leandra Craigmile, a senior from Thief River Falls, Minn., who is pursuing a double major in music education and music.

The instrumental scholarship recipient is Lynnea Iverson, a senior music education major from Staples, Minn. Iverson will be playing the oboe.

Ensembles performing at the concert are:

• The Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Dwight Jilek, professor of music and director of choral activities. The Chamber Singers is a 16-member ensemble specializing in small-choir pieces such as early English carols, Renaissance madrigals and chansons and selected contemporary works.
• The Bemidji Choir, founded by Thompson, under the direction of Jilek. The Bemidji Choir has gained a national and international reputation for excellence. In addition to concerts, tours and recordings, the choir produces BSU’s annual Madrigal Dinners.
• Blue Ice, directed by Dr. Del Lyren, professor of music. Blue Ice is an auditioned jazz band that tours regionally and has performed in Mexico and Hawaii. Annual performances include the Jingle Jazz Concert and the BSU Jazz Festival.
• Wind Ensemble, directed by Scott Guidry, assistant professor of music and director of bands. The Wind Ensemble is a group focused on contemporary wind band pieces as well as 20th century concert band classics.

Proceeds from the concert help fund the department’s two Carl O. Thompson Scholarships.

Thompson came to Bemidji State in 1937 as an instructor in vocal music and eventually founded the A Cappella Choir, the Bemidji Civic Oratorio Society and the Lutheran Campus Center. He lectured each summer for 20 years at the Paul Christiansen Choral Schools throughout the United States and directed numerous high school music clinics and festivals. He was past president of the Minnesota Music Educators Association, director of the First Lutheran Church Choir for 25 years and chair of Bemidji State’s Department of Music for many years.

Tickets

Tickets for the Carl O. Thompson Memorial Concert are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and free for students. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door.

Contact

• BSU Department of Music, (218) 755-2915

Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota’s lake district, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. A member of the colleges and universities of Minnesota State, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. Bemidji State has an enrollment of approximately 5,000 students and a faculty and staff of more than 550. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global and multi-cultural understanding.

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