For 20 years, Canticum Novum has brought together WELS musicians from across the Midwest and beyond for a unique kind of musical ministry. Singers spend weeks preparing repertoire independently before gathering for one intensive week of rehearsals, fellowship, and performances during the summer. The model requires both musical preparation and commitment, but it allows musicians with careers, families, and other responsibilities—even those who travel long distances to participate—to continue pursuing excellence in sacred choral music.

“We were a group of singers who just could never sing enough. We never could have imagined what fun we would have in those 20 years since we began,” says Kari Hahm, one of the original members of Canticum Novum. “Canticum Novum has filled up my vessel with the most rewarding music that Christians have come together to write in all of history. But the very best part of singing with this group is singing with Christian believers of the same faith.”

The idea began in 2005, when musicians met at the WELS National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts and envisioned a different kind of choir within WELS, incorporating a framework that prioritized flexibility, skill, and a shared mission. Sixteen singers gathered for the first season in 2006, rehearsing at Peace, Hartford, Wis., before presenting concerts at Peace and Grace, Milwaukee.

Twenty years later, the choir has grown to around 40 singers and has performed roughly 130 choral works in about 40 venues. Its history includes four appearances at the WELS National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts; a performance of Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass with full orchestra; the commissioning of Dr. Rich Freese’s Breath of the Almighty for the group’s 10th anniversary; and its first full-length concert work, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, in 2024. Jonathan Laabs has served as artistic director for 15 of the ensemble’s 20 summer concert series.

This year’s anniversary program offered a small reminder of how much can change without losing the thread. The entire program was drawn from pieces Canticum Novum has sung throughout its history. Among them was “The Lord is the Everlasting God,” a piece from the first season, conducted by the group’s founding artistic director Mike Marquardt, who remains a member of the ensemble.

Much has changed in 20 years. The number of singers has grown, the repertoire has expanded, and the organization itself has evolved. But the reason remains the same. There is still music to make: music that proclaims the name of Christ through choral art and encourages God’s people toward excellence in their own musical journeys.

Learn more about Canticum Novum.

Author: Erin Laabs
Volume 113, Number 10
Issue: October 2026