Be Enlightened

To challenge and deepen people’s understanding of complicated issues, the St. Paul Vocal Forum has been “singing for peace and understanding” for three seasons under artistic director David Ryan Moberg. The eclectic concerts are organized around a theme; this month’s is immigration. “The idea for the Vocal Forum came from a long history with choral music,” says Moberg, a Minnesota-trained singer and conductor.

Similar to Advent lessons-and-carols services, the forums alternate music selections with what Moberg calls “microlectures”—spoken pieces drawn from poetry, the news, and other sources. “I wanted to try to hit that concept, but not in a sacred context.” Previous themes include the Middle East, the environment, freedom, and war and peace. The group lightened things up this past January with a forum on humor. “We felt it might be nice to take a break from the more academic stuff,” Moberg says.

April’s immigration forum is anchored by choral pieces by and about immigrants. Selections range from Leonard Bernstein’s “America” from West Side Story to Irving Berlin’s “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor” and African-American spirituals. But immigration is not interpreted solely through the American experience. Stephen Hatfield’s “All Too Soon” articulates the Irish experience of those left behind, and Peter Louis Van Dijk’s “Horizons” traces the European emigration to Africa.

Moberg acknowledges struggling with this program. “I can find a lot of music by Europeans who’ve come to America, but not so much from recent immigrants,” he says. He hopes to resolve that by inviting recent immigrants to tell their stories. April 28–29. St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, 2323 Como Ave., St. Paul; Westwood Lutheran Church, 9001 Cedar Lake Rd., St. Louis Park, 612-270-0990