Laufgrønstr (Old Norse Rune)

for SSA choir and percussion

The ferocity and fire channeled in “Laufgrønstr” will bring out every singer’s inner viking. The primal drum, compound meter, hand claps, extended vocal techniques, and colossal divisi conjure a scene from another time. A time of dragons, viking ships, crackling hearths, and legends. For advanced treble voices, “Laufgrønstr” will thrill audiences. “Heyi!!!”

Linda Kachelmeier (b. 1965, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA) is a composer, conductor, and professional singer with a special passion for choral music and art song for their capacity for conveying emotion through the human voice. Her music has been described as having “luscious counterpoint, deliberate dissonances, and assertive vocal interaction.” She has received numerous grants and commissions and in 2017 she was awarded the prestigious McKnight Fellowship for Composition. Linda’s music has been performed by professional ensembles such as VocalEssence and Cantus, as well as many school and church choirs across the United States and Europe. She is the founder and artistic director of the women’s vocal quartet LUMINA. Since 1991 she has been the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church in South St. Paul. Her vast experience as a singer and conductor has helped make her a uniquely sensitive and gifted composer when writing for the voice, from children’s choirs to professional singers and all levels in between.