The Bemidji Choir, founded in 1937 by Carl O. Thompson, has gained an international reputation for excellence. They have represented the United States five times at the international choral festival, The Europa Cantat: in France, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain. They have appeared in the Israel Festival and at the Zimriya, World Festival of Choirs in Israel. They have also performed at national and regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educators National Conference. Every three years The Bemidji Choir undertakes a foreign tour. In addition to concerts, tours, and recordings, for the past thirty-six years the choir has produced a series of Madrigal Dinners and Opera Nights in Bemidji and Minneapolis.

Membership in the choir is by audition. The Bemidji Choir, which rehearses daily for fifty minutes, is one of the most active and closely knit student groups on campus. It's purpose is to provide students from the general student body with an aesthetic experience through the medium of choral music as well as to provide audiences with a viable aesthetic experience through listing.