Rose Ensemble leaves for European tour

by Steve Staruch, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Twin Cities vocal group the Rose Ensemble will be off to Europe not once or twice, but three times, this summer. The group has been invited to participate in four music festivals in Italy and France.

The Rose Ensemble's linguistic and musical abilities will be on display as the group takes several different programs to Europe.

Audiences there have requested performances of the traditional Hawaiian chant from the Rose Ensemble's most recent recording, plus American hymnody from the Sacred Harp tradition and the Latin, Spanish and Church Slavonic anthems from centuries ago.

The Rose Ensemble's singers and instrumentalists joined MPR classical music host Steve Staruch in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio for some music-making and conversation about the busy summer ahead.