Sing with the Alumni Choir!
Alumni Spotlight: Beau Hansen
Beau Hansen (1988-1992 SJBC Alum)
Alums of the SJBC do great things in the world! We chatted with one of them about the SJBC, what he’s up to now, and how SJBC impacted him.
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Tell us about yourself! I live with my wife and three sons in Monticello, MN and am a computer programmer during the day, but my passion is for the marching arts. I founded River City Rhythm in 2009, which started off as a competitive indoor drumline and has since expanded into eight different ensembles. While my singing career ended with SJBC, I’m still very active in music and performance art, a passion that was first stirred at SJBC that I carried into my high school career and well beyond.
Do you remember why you chose to audition? Auditioning was actually not my choice… my mom went to college with Br. Paul, and as she was also a choir director, my fate was more or less written, though I am definitely grateful that she made me try it!
What are a few of the lessons you learned as a chorister that impact you today? Being in the SJBC was foundational for me. Br. Paul was one of the most influential people in my life that helped shape my caree
r in the marching arts. I learned many important qualities at such a young age that I carry with me to this day – punctuality, professionalism, responsibility, teamwork, and more. It was because of what I experienced so long ago that I urged my sons to join, and in fact two of them did: Brendan graduated in 2024, and Tyler spent two years with the choir.
Tell us about the places you visited on tour, and why you think it’s valuable for SJBC to tour. I did four tours with SJBC – twice around the Midwest (1989, 1991), Germany/Austria/Italy (1990) Bahamas (1991-1992). Aside from touring just being plain fun, they provide truly unique life experiences to the boys that are very likely unavailable to them otherwise. In both Europe and the Bahamas we stayed with host families, and I was fascinated learning about the day to day lives of regular Germans, Austrians and Bahamians, seeing how different they were from my own.
What do you hope for the future of SJBC? My hope for current and future boys that pass through is that on some level, they are able to experience what I did (performing and singing for crowds or locations big and small, touring outside the US), but hopefully are able to continue to evolve, to be challenged in new ways – performing in new venues, singing a truly eclectic repertoire, some songs perhaps in different languages. Most importantly, I hope the boys enjoy their time in SJBC, but also receive the kind of education – both in music and in life – that I did.
What advice would 
you have for current choristers and/or choristers just beginning their SJBC experience? The advice I’d offer is this: it can be scary or intimidating. It can seem like a lot. There will be plenty of days where you don’t want to go. At that age it’s so much harder to understand the long-term benefits of a program like SJBC, and while I too still remember dreading the next Monday or Thursday evening, I now look back on my time with fondness. I graduated from the choir 35 years ago, and I still employ many of the lessons I first learned at SJBC. Someday the boys who choose to see it through will hopefully feel the same way about their experience that I did with mine.
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Alumni Testimonials
“Being a part of the St. John’s Boys’ Choir was an extremely rewarding and life-changing experience for me at such a young age. It taught me
to appreciate music, work hard, collaborate as a group for a common goal and balance all that life has to offer. My favorite memories were Christmas at Saint John’s, staying with host families during tours, singing the national anthem at a Kansas City Royals game, and touring the East coast. I stay connected with many SJBC alumni and staff in various professional and personal roles and feel honored to still give back to the choir in various ways.”
Phone
(320) 363-2558
Address
Boys’ Choir Dept. Box 8850
2746 Sexton Drive
Collegeville, MN 56321
United States Of America