St. Michael – Albertville High School Vocal Music

By Joe Osowski

The St. Michael-Albertville High School Choral Program is all about bringing students together to provide a place where students can feel safe, accepted, and given the opportunity to grow into contributing members of society. Our mission is to provide access to a myriad of world class educational opportunities that support holistic growth in all students. As a school district, our motto is “A Tradition of Excellence”. Our program strives to accomplish this motto through a commitment to musical excellence, world class collaboration experiences, and exceptional performance opportunities.

A commitment to excellence

At STMA, we are committed to excellence, not just in music but in personal growth and community involvement. During my tenure at STMA our program has grown from 65 students to nearly 400 students. These students are members of our six choirs that meet daily for 62 to 68 minutes. I have the pleasure of sharing this program with two incredible colleagues in Paige Armstrong and Emma Silvestri who inspire me and our fortunate students to improve as musicians and people everyday.

Beyond musical skill, the STMA Choral Program fosters a culture of discipline, responsibility, and teamwork, ensuring that students grow as individuals as well as musicians. We are deeply invested in each student’s development, offering personalized guidance while maintaining high expectations. Through rehearsals, performances, and collaboration with other programs, students learn the value of hard work, persistence, and working together toward a common goal. This commitment to excellence is not just about achieving musical recognition—it’s about building confidence, leadership, and a lifelong passion for music. Whether performing for a crowd or working behind the scenes, students are constantly encouraged to strive for their best, both on and off the stage.

STMA Superintendent Dr. Ann-Marie Foucault has stated the following about music education in our district:

“Music is an ESSENTIAL component of a balanced education. Especially during these turbulent times we all need the arts —-they inspire, produce happiness, improve our well-being, and provide us with hope for a better tomorrow.”

World class collaboration experiences

A hallmark of the STMA choral program has become our collaborations with local, regional, national and international choral ensembles. The philosophy behind these collaborations is to provide an opportunity for any interested choristers to be “shoulder to shoulder” with world class educators and musicians in a non-competitive environment where experiential learning will provide a meaningful learning opportunity. I have opened these opportunities to any interested choral singer and work with directors to eliminate any fiscal barriers that might limit opportunities for participation. This is possible through the generosity of the STMA Music Boosters, local individual and corporate donors and various granting organizations. Since 2019, our choral festivals have featured numerous ensembles such as Conspirare, Voces8, Cantus, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, Lyyra, See Change Treble Choir, Chanticleer, The Aeolians of Oakwood University, and The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers.

Our work to build this program was recently featured in a write up by YourClassical MPR. (https://www.yourclassical.org/story/2022/01/06/joe-osowski-st-michael-albertville-choir)

Exceptional performance opportunities

At STMA High School, two of our six choirs tour annually sharing their work through regional collaboration performances. As a school district, we feel that these opportunities serve as an extension of our classroom and provide a platform for our choir members to serve as ambassadors for our school district and community. This year’s touring choirs traveled to Centennial High School, St. Scholastica University, St. Olaf College, Wartburg College, and Luther College. STMA has also toured nationally on numerous occasions, most recently performing with noted composer Eric Whitacre at Carnegie Hall. The STMA Concert Choir and Vivace Treble Choir have also performed at the MMEA Midwinter Conference, ACDA Fall Conference and the Regional ACDA Conference.

A goal of our choral program is to share our musical story and the story of others through the commissioning of new works and performing recently written works. STMA has recently commissioned composers Tim Takach, Jocelyn Hagen, and Blake Morgan.

Concert Choir

Looking Ahead

With a rich history, a dedicated group of students, and a supportive community, the STMA High School Choral Program is always looking to the future. It’s a place where students can discover their love of music, challenge themselves, and form friendships that last well beyond graduation. And who knows—one day, you might just see a former STMA choir member performing on a big stage!

About the St. Michael – Albertville School District…

St. Michael-Albertville District 885 is known for having exciting opportunities in what feels like a small-town atmosphere. Just a short drive from the metro, we have exceptional educational opportunities, highly qualified, extraordinary and caring staff, and are proud to be the center of our community. We are proud to be the largest employer in Wright County with over 850 highly trained staff members serving our eight buildings. More than anything, we are committed to putting students first and encouraging excellence on a daily basis throughout our schools. We are the home of the Knights, and we focus on the needs of our students and our community, providing support to students who need it, and ways to go even further to prepare our students for success.

About the St. Michael – Albertville High School Music Program…

As the flagship organization for ISD #885, the STMA High School Music program prides itself on excellence and inclusion for the over 500 students that it serves. The STMA Concert Choir is one of 15 performing ensembles offered at STMA High School. Recent performance highlights include invitational performances with American Public Media, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Minnesota Music Educators Association. STMA has enjoyed collaborative performances with numerous high schools, collegiate ensembles and professional ensembles including Cantus, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, VOCES8, Apollo5, The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, and Chanticleer. Upcoming highlights for the 2024-2025 Concert Season include performances with Voces8, Lyyra, See Change Treble Choir, The University of Minnesota Treble Choir, The St. Olaf Choir, Luther College Nordic Choir, The University of Iowa, Tactus, and Conspirare.

About The Directors…

Paige Armstrong is an accomplished conductor, teacher, and singer. In 2019, she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting and received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Luther College in 2012.

In addition to her teaching, she serves as the Artistic Director of the Edina Chorale. She has been a member of The Singers-MN Choral Artists since 2012 and the soprano section leader since 2019. In 2022, Paige was a finalist in the EGS-MN (Edvard Grieg Society of MN) Advanced Artist voice competition and in 2015 she was awarded first place in the graduate division of the NATS-MN competition and the divisional MTNA Young Artists vocal competition. In 2013, Paige won first place in the National ACDA Undergraduate Conducting Competition.

In addition to her current teaching position, she has also taught elementary, middle, and high school vocal and general music in public schools throughout the greater twin cities. She lives in Plymouth with her wonderful husband, Josh, and her fur babies Barry (the one-eyed dog) and Dexter (the cranky, orange cat).

Emma Silvestri serves as a choir teacher at St. Michael-Albertville High School, and St. Michael-Albertville Middle School East. At the High School level, she co-teaches 9-12th grade choirs with Mr. Joe Osowski and Ms. Paige Armstrong, and at the Middle School level, she co-teaches 5-6th grade choirs with Miss Ansley Cameron. She also sings as a cantor on Sundays at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Plymouth.

Emma grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, where her love for music was ignited singing in the Lawrence Children’s Choir Choristers. Emma holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Music Education from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. During her 4 years at St. Olaf College, she sang with the Manitou Singers, The St. Olaf Chamber Singers, Agnes A Cappella, and The St. Olaf Choir, where she also proudly served as President in her senior year. Emma also enjoys singing with Magnum Chorum as an Alto.

Previously, Emma has taught music at First English Lutheran Church in Faribault, as well as private voice lessons. She is involved as a member of the American Choral Directors’ Association, where she was nominated as a Student Conductor in the 2024 Summer Dialogue Conference. During her time at St. Olaf, she served as the Secretary, and later President of the Student ACDA Chapter.

In the little free time she enjoys as a new teacher, Emma enjoys reading a good book out on the patio, cooking yummy foods, and watching movies or playing games with her friends.

About The Author…

Joe Osowski is the Director of Vocal Music Education at St. Michael – Albertville High School. He holds a Masters of Music Degree in Music Education from North Dakota State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Vocal Music Education from the same institution.

At STMA High School, Osowski directs three curricular ensembles and one co-curricular ensemble. Mr. Osowski is also the conductor of Bring the Sing, a community singing initiative sponsored by Classical Minnesota Public Radio, Choral Director of the Minnesota Ambassadors of Music and Director of the Central Choir at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Previously, Osowski served as Choral Director in the Worthington and Anoka – Hennepin School Districts. He also has served as Choral Director at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka, Minnesota, First United Methodist Church in Worthington, Minnesota, Artistic Director of the East Central Minnesota Chorale and the Worthington Chamber Singers. He was a staff member of the René Clausen Choral School and a Board Member for The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists.

Osowski is in demand as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator. He has served in these roles throughout the Midwest and Central America. Osowski is an active member of the Minnesota Music Educators Association and the American Choral Directors Association, most recently serving as the Northeast District Chair for ACDA-MN. Choirs under his direction have performed at numerous invitational festivals and state and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and Minnesota Music Educators Association.

Joe Osowski was nominated as a Minnesota Teacher of the Year Semifinalist in 2016 and 2024 by Education Minnesota and was selected as a conducting delegate representing the United States for the 2017 International Conductors Exchange Program sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association. Joseph lives in Albertville with his Wife, Erin, a fellow Choral Music Educator and their two cats, Gus and Joey.

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