The 2022 Gustavus Choir West Coast tour began on May 19 and ended with the group’s final performance on May 28. The tour began with a home concert in Christ Chapel on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus in Saint Peter, Minnesota, continued with several performances in Washington and Oregon, and ended in California.
“After a few years of adapting to the world around us and putting travel on hold, the Gustavus Choir tour of the West Coast was a wonderful culmination of our academic year.” says Dr. Brandon Dean, the director of the Gustavus Choir.
The final concert was held at Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Hawthorne, California, where Gustavus alumni, Rev. Kevin Bergeson ‘02, welcomed the choir with embracing arms.
Bergeson is the Senior Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church and School, and was actively involved with choir and theatre during his time on the hill. Bergeson was eager to host the choir since it brought nostalgic memories from when he was in the students’ shoes.
“Hosting the choir took me back to my own tours–including the same West Coast experience–and the churches that hosted us. I am so grateful for the hospitality I experienced on tour and so, we wanted their stop at Trinity to be powerfully memorable,” says Bergeson.
The final performance was described as “extremely bittersweet,” by Gustavus Choir member Thomas Sullivan ‘23. Sullivan said there were plenty of tears and hugging throughout the concert. While emotions were running high, Sullivan says that everyone was grateful for Bergeson’s accommodations and the welcome they received from his congregation. Following the concert, Bergeson gifted every person on the tour with a miniature compass along with an anecdote about his time at Gustavus. Sullivan said that Bergeson “encouraged us to look into our time together.”
Bergeson says the final performance was full of “artistry and connections with the audience.” Attendees enjoyed being together to experience the talents of 75 Gustie singers and Dr. Brandon Dean, who serves as the Anita Thomsen Young Distinguished Endowed Chair in Music and Conductor of the Gustavus Choir in Music – Ensembles. As an alumnus, Bergeson is proud of what the choir has accomplished and says “it’s inspiring to see the choir continuing to evolve.”
Dean adds: “some of our favorite moments from the tour included our concert in beautiful St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, our collaboration with composer Sydney Guillaume in Portland, and connecting with Pastor Kevin Bergeson and his congregation at Trinity Lutheran Church in Los Angeles.”
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