I Cantori of Walla Walla University, a 36-member choir conducted by Kraig Scott, professor of music, will perform “A Colony of Heaven in the Country of Death” on tour throughout North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, Friday, March 17, through Saturday, March 25. (See complete tour schedule below.) 

The tour title, “A Colony of Heaven in the Country of Death” is a phrase from a commentary written by Eugene Peterson on the biblical book of Ephesians. The imagery of this phrase has captured the imagination of I Cantori this year. Each piece they perform on this tour speaks to one of the three components of the phrase “a colony of heaven in the country of death.”

“We hope that this music may motivate our listeners to seek unity, community, and growth even while still inhabiting this world of death,” says Scott.

I Cantori (Italian for “the singers”) is an auditioned group chosen from the approximately 1,900 students at WWU. The ensemble has traveled extensively on the West Coast, as well as in Canada, Russia, and Romania. Their repertoire focuses on classical music but includes a wide variety of mostly sacred styles. The choir regularly performs for the 2,000-member Walla Walla University Church of Seventh-day Adventists and offers a major concert each quarter on campus.

“I love working with I Cantori of Walla Walla University because of the group’s vibrant, energized sound, because the choir consists of such smart musicians, and perhaps even more, because this choir cares for and loves each other,” says Scott. “I Cantori changes the lives of its members; through our singing we seek to change the lives of listeners.”

Scott has directed the WWU choral ensembles since 2009. His appearances as a guest conductor include leading the festival chorus of Central Lutheran Church in Eugene, Oregon, and conducting the 500-voice choir of the Seventh-day Adventist International Choral Congress in Bucha, Ukraine. Scott also teaches organ and harpsichord at WWU, and serves as organist and minister of music at the University Church. He has an associate degree from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and a bachelor’s degree from Walla Walla University. His advanced degrees include a master of music degree from the University of Oregon, a master of arts degree and a doctor of musical arts degree from the Eastman School of Music, and postgraduate choral conducting training at Michigan State University.

Founded in 1892, Walla Walla University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution of higher education. This Christian university seeks to cultivate excellence in thought, generosity in service, beauty in expression, and faith in God. The WWU Department of Music enjoys a reputation for technical excellence and aesthetic accomplishment. Its performing ensembles include two choirs (I Cantori and University Singers), a symphony orchestra, wind symphony, steel band, big band, string quartet, and other chamber ensembles.

Tour schedule

Friday, March 17
• 11:15 a.m.—Fletcher Adventist Academy, Fletcher, N.C.
• 7:30 p.m.—Mt. Pisgah Academy, Candler, N.C.

Saturday, March 18
• 11:45 a.m.—Fletcher SDA Church, Fletcher, N.C.

Sunday, March 19
• 10:55 a.m.—Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Ga.

Monday, March 20
• 9 a.m.—Carman Adventist School, Marietta, Ga.
• 12 p.m.—Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy, Atlanta, Ga.

Tuesday, March 21
• 8:30 a.m.—Atlanta Adventist Academy, Duluth, Ga.
• 7 p.m.—Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga.

Wednesday, March 22
• 4 p.m.—Choir Exchange, Concert Choir of Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.
• 7 p.m.—Berean SDA Church, Atlanta, Ga.

Friday, March 24
• 11:30 a.m.—Forest Lake Academy, Apopka, Fla.

Saturday, March 25
• 10:30 a.m.—Avon Park SDA Church, Avon Park, Fla.
• 5 p.m.—Forest Lake SDA Church, Apopka, Fla.

Posted March 17, 2017