On Jan. 24, over 180 people participated in the 12th Annual Schola Cantorum, a choir member workshop held on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Dr. Eldon Balko, emeritus associate professor of music at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., served as this year's clinician.

The Schola Cantorum was open to all choir members and choir directors. The schedule for the day included rehearsal sessions along with Morning and Closing Prayer services, at which the participants performed some of the music learned that day.

"We are very pleased with the attendance at this year's Schola Cantorum," commented Rev. Henry Gerike, director of choirs at Concordia Seminary. "The choir members in attendance not only learned some new music, but they also gained new choral skills and renewed ones they already knew. Dr. Balko communicated all of this with humor and great insight."

Prior to his retirement, Balko was director of choral activities at Valparaiso University. Previously, he spent 15 years in Milwaukee, where he taught at Milwaukee Lutheran High School, Concordia University Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. While a resident of Milwaukee, he also conducted the Milwaukee Lutheran A cappella Choir and the Schola Cantorum, a choir school for children. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Wisconsin - Superior and graduate work at Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Since his retirement, he has remained active in choral performance, working with parish choirs, community choirs and as a workshop clinician. His undergraduate alma mater recently awarded him a distinguished alumnus award "for outstanding service and contribution in the choral arts."

Next year's choir workshop will be held on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2005, and will feature Dr. Donald Busarow, professor of music at Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, as clinician. Busarow also will hold a workshop for choir directors on Friday, Jan. 21, 2005, in The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the Seminary campus. The choir director workshop is sponsored by Concordia Publishing House.

For more information about the Schola Cantorum workshop, contact the Office of Continuing Education at (314) 505-7123 or [email protected].