The Valparaiso University Chorale will perform Thursday at Grace Lutheran Church in Albert Lea as part of a tour of nine Midwestern states this spring.

The choir will perform at 7 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public; an offering will be received. For more information, call the church at 373-6496.

The concert will feature an array of classical and contemporary choral works, including a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of G.F. Handel’s death with Coronation Anthem III (“The King Shall Rejoice”), composed for the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline in 1727 and a popular work ever since. Other works to be performed are Vaughan Williams’ motet “Lord, Thou hast been our refuge,” Einojuhani Rautavarra’s “Suite” de Lorca, Josquin des Prez’s “Gaude Virgo, Mater Christi,” Eric Whitacre’s “A Boy and a Girl” and J.S. Bach’s Sanctus in C and Sanctus in D.

The ensemble will also perform at churches in Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Des Moines, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Lincoln, Neb., and Grand Rapids, Mich., during its annual spring tour, followed by an appearance at New York’s Carnegie Hall on March 30.

The 50-voice ensemble is conducted by Christopher M. Cock, Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg chair of Lutheran music, and sustains its mission of excellence through campus performances, recording and annual tours throughout the United States and overseas. The group is noted for performing works representing the University’s Lutheran heritage as well as contemporary works expressing multicultural perspectives.

In December, the Chorale was featured on a broadcast of Valparaiso’s 2007 Christmas Concert that was aired by public television stations throughout the country.

During a 2007 tour of German churches, the choir reprised its status as the only vocal ensemble from the United States to serve a residency at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where J.S. Bach worked and composed many of his most famous works. In spring 2008, the Chorale performed in churches throughout California and Arizona as well as at the American Choral Directors Association’s Central Division Convention during its spring tour.

The sixth CD the Chorale has recorded under Cock’s direction, “Amazing Day,” was released in 2008 by Valpo ArtsMedia (valpoarts.com) and captures highlights from the ensemble’s tour of historic German churches the previous year.

The Chorale also is one of three ensembles featured on a Valparaiso Christmas Concert DVD that was released last year.