The Saint Clement Choir has a distinguished history of presenting concert performances that have been consistently hailed for their precision and vigor as well as their musical maturity.  The choir brings this same level of musicianship to its singing of the great choral treasures of the church, from Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony through the most contemporary repertoire of the new millennium, which it presents weekly for liturgies at Saint Clement Church in Chicago.  The choir has toured Europe twice under the direction of Randall Swanson, most recently presenting concerts throughout France, with performances at Notre Dame Cathedral and the St. Sulpice Church in Paris, Chartres Cathedral, Mont-St-Michel Abbey in Normandy, and the St. Sernin Basilica in Toulouse as part of the 1999 Toulouse les Orgues International Organ Festival.  The choir is comprised mostly of non-professional singers, the majority of whom are active Saint Clement parishioners.  Choir members maintain a rigorous schedule of midweek and Sunday morning rehearsals from September through early June, and in addition to an expansive repertoire, they are provided regular training in vocal techniques, sight reading, and solfège.

Randall Swanson

Randall Swanson received his Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Peformance cum laude from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he was a student of Miriam Clapp Duncan.  Graduate degrees include a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, where he was a student of Charles S. Brown, and a Doctor of Music degree in Sacred Music and Conducting from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he was a student of Wolfgang Rübsam. 

Dr. Swanson has been Director of Music and Principal Organist at Saint Clement Church in Chicago since 1989.  Prior to his appointment at Saint Clement, he served as Assistant Organist and Choirmaster under Richard Proulx at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.  In recent years Dr. Swanson has conducted the Choir and Orchestra of Saint Clement in performances of the Requiem of Gabriel Fauré, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Magnificat, The Creation by Joseph Haydn, concert music in honor of the Virgin Mary, music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, including the Requiem, Coronation Mass, Exsultate jubilate, and various concertos with orchestra, plus over 60 complete performances of Handel’s Messiah.  He has conducted concerts in many of the musical centers of Europe, including Paris, Florence, and Rome. 

Dr. Swanson is one of the few American artists chosen to perform for the highly prestigious annual Toulouse les Orgues international organ festival in southern France, conducting the Saint Clement Choir in concert there in 1999.  His 1995 CD recording of Mozart’s Requiem with the Choir and Orchestra of Saint Clement was released world-wide on the Amadis label and is featured in 1998’s critically acclaimed film Happiness.  He is featured as organist on “The Last Song of Summer,” a CD of quiet music for organ and cello recorded with Chicago Symphony Orchestra cellist Donald Moline and released on the former Dorian classical label.  In 2005 Dr. Swanson served as Director of Music for the National Convention of the Knights of Columbus, which was held in Chicago, and for which the Saint Clement Choir served as principal ensemble.

* Mr. Cabena’s composition is winner of the AGO/ECS Publishing Award In Choral Composition.