Founded by James Rodde in fall of 2000, The Iowa Statesmen is the university’s only male choir. The Statesmen will showcase this semester’s repertoire at 1:30 p.m. March 9 in Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall.

“The Statesmen have a really diverse song lineup this year, and we’re very excited to perform it,” said Alex Tinguely, senior in physics and fourth-year Statesmen member. 

The ensemble will be singing a variety of pieces ranging from classical and spiritual to a favorite from “The Lion King.”

“Most students haven’t attended choir concerts before, at least not at the collegiate level, so they might be hesitant to go,” Tinguely said. “But I think students would be really impressed with the quality of our and most concerts.” 

The 130-voice Statesmen rehearse for at least three hours each week with members from all different fields of study across Iowa State. Under the direction of Dr. Rodde, these students come together to present a concert their audience will not be able to forget. The choir participates in various performances throughout the year in which specialize in traditional and contemporary literature.

In 2006 The Statesmen performed at the Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses’ National Seminar in Eau Claire, Wis. This is just one of the many musical journeys that the Statesmen have embarked on. On April 20, the choir, joined with students from other ISU choirs, will journey to Carnegie Hall in New York City to present material that will be performed at the annual Masterworks concert April 26.

The Masterworks concert brings all students from the choir department together to sing works that will leave its audience in awe. The headlined piece, “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Vaughan Williams, is a 68-page score accompanied with an orchestra. The ISU choir department is excited to come together and present this piece along with other works to the ISU community.

Cantamus, another one of the four major choral ensembles at Iowa State, is an all-women choir selected by audition. Directed by Kathleen Rodde, the ensemble received many opportunities to present solo performances for many North Central American Choral Directors Association conferences. 

Cantamus will also have an opportunity to showcase their material 4:30 p.m. March 9 in Martha Ellen Tye Recital Hall. The audience will hear the calming sounds of “Northern Lights” by Eriks Esenvalds and upbeat tempo of “Spirituals” by Stacey Gibbs. 

Tickets for both Statesmen and Cantamus concerts are $5 for the public and $3 for students. Tickets for the annual Masterworks concert on April 26 have yet to be announced.