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No strangers to life on the road, the members of the Wittenberg Choir headed to Cleveland, Ohio, for a unique opportunity to perform a Lutheran Hymnfest in the famed Severance Hall, Nov. 4, for the Festival of All Saints.

The choir, under the direction of Professor of Music and University Organist Donald Busarow, performed a festival of hymns titled “Sing With All the Company of Heaven.” Several choral works were also performed. The choir from Cleveland’s Lutheran West High School assisted in the concert, with two works presented by the combined choirs.

The event, which attracted more than 1,200 people, supported an organization called Building Hope in the City, a Cleveland charity dedicated to “planting new urban congregations and helping revitalize existing center-city ministries.”

The Wittenberg Choir, with a repertoire that ranges from Renaissance to contemporary music and includes selections in several languages, was formed in 1930. At the time, a reporter predicted in a review that the new group would go on to earn “a national, even international, reputation.”

That review turned out to be prophetic. The 54-voice group is one of the most traveled college choral groups in the world, having earned rave reviews from critics across the United States and in Canada, Latin America, Europe and Russia. The choir’s 26th tour under Busarow’s direction is scheduled for Feb. 28-March 8 in California and Arizona.

The choir is comprised of student performers from a wide variety of majors and disciplines, representing every academic department on campus. Earning a position for one year is no guarantee of a permanent position as annual auditions are held, and selections are based on voice quality, ability to sing in tune and ability to read music, among other qualifications.