Blauert performs in St. Olaf Christmas Festival

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Joshua Blauert, of Sidney, recently performed in the annual St. Olaf College Christmas Festival.

Blauert is a member of the St. Olaf Chapel Choir and is a music major. He is the son of Arnold Blauert Jr. and Lydia Blauert and a graduate of Sidney High School.

The St. Olaf Christmas Festival is one of the oldest musical celebrations of Christmas in the United States. Started in 1912 by F. Melius Christiansen, founder of the St. Olaf College music department, the festival features more than 500 student musicians who are members of five choirs and the St. Olaf Orchestra.

Participating ensembles include the St. Olaf Choir, Viking Chorus, Chapel Choir, Cantorei, Manitou Singers, and the St. Olaf Orchestra. Each group performs individually and as part of a mass ensemble. The festival, which is regularly broadcast nationwide on public television and radio, has been featured nationally in such publications as TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times.