Dr. Dale Kruse, tenor, holds degrees from Luther College (B.A.), Drake University (M.M.), and the University of Minnesota (D.M.A.). He is in his eleventh year of teaching at St Olaf College where he is an Associate Professor of Practice in Voice and Director of the Lyric Theater program. Previously he conducted the Augsburg College Cedar Singers Men’s Choir, taught choral music at Armstrong High School (Plymouth, MN) and Wayzata High School and before that, served on the voice faculty of Gustavus Adolphus College. For 12 years, he was the Music Director for the Minnesota Opera: Project Opera voice training program, a nationally recognized program he founded. Other duties at Minnesota Opera included leading their Summer Opera Camp and being the Children’s Chorus Master for main stage productions. He was named the winner of the 2016-17 American Prize for Conducting – opera/musical theater, community division for the world premiere of Memory Boy with Project Opera. In January 2018, Dr. Kruse served as a jurist for “Opera for All Voices”, an exciting new initiative bringing stories with purpose to all audiences that was commissioned by a consortium of companies led by Santa Fe Opera in association with San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Seattle Opera. For Minnesota NATS, he has served as Auditions Chair, President, Past President/Membership Chair and District Governor. He has sung with the Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Prairie Home Companion, Berkshire Opera, Oregon Bach Festival, and Lyra Concert Baroque Orchestra. His students have gone on to sing with the Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera and Houston Grand Opera, among others.