Luther College Music Department

Name: Luther College Music Department
Address: 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA, 52101, US
Telephone: (563) 387-1208
Price range: $$

Home
United States
Decorah, IA
Luther College Music Department

Luther College’s Music Department proudly supports five choirs, three orchestras, two bands, two jazz bands, and 600 student musicians!

At Luther College, our campus is alive with the sounds of five choirs, three orchestras, two bands, two jazz bands, and over 600 student musicians. Our student musicians actively participate in large ensembles, faculty-coached chamber groups, private lessons, master classes, and many other enriching opportunities. Over 160 music majors study music theory/ear training, history, education, compositi

on, church music, and performance. It all adds up to one of the largest collegiate music programs in the world where students are challenged to learn actively, live purposefully, and lead courageously! Learn more about our monumental program here: https://www.luther.edu/music/

05/21/2026

Spend your Saturday afternoon enjoying one of Luther’s pre-Commencement traditions with music from the Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Orchestra! 🎶

Join us on May 23 at 1:30 p.m. in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall for the Saturday Showcase Concert featuring the Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dennis Friesen-Carper, and the Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Tony Guzmán ’90.

05/20/2026

Join us for a pre-Commencement tradition: an evening with Luther’s Nordic Choir and Concert Band! 🎶

As part of Commencement weekend, the Friday Showcase Concert will take place on May 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall with Nordic Choir, conducted by Dr. Andrew Last ’97, and Concert Band, conducted by Dr. Cory Near.

05/13/2026

Join us on Thursday, May 14, at 7:15 p.m. in Marty’s for an interactive evening celebrating our graduating music education majors! The night begins with a senior project poster session, followed by a shortened JamFest 2025, and finishing with Ukepalooza, a ukulele play-along session with a karaoke mic.🎤

05/11/2026

Join us for an evening of presentations by graduating music majors sharing their senior Ppojects on Tuesday, May 12! These works highlight original research, performance insight, and creative inquiry across a range of musical topics.

The second photo features Tara Rajanesan, whose work examines the space between notation and realization, understanding a piece of music as a narrative system shaped through interpretation and lived performance experience.

Congratulations to all of our graduating music majors!💙

05/07/2026

Luther College's Norskkor joins Decorah’s Luren Singing Society, Decorah High School Bass Clef Ensembles, and Decorah Middle School Viking Voices at Decorah Lutheran Church on Sunday, May 10 at 7:00 pm for a special Mother's Day concert!🎶

05/05/2026

Luther College Opera Theater is proud to present a double bill on May 8, 2026, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM in the CFL! 🎭

The program opens with The Miller’s Daughter, a tragic opera composed by Jodi Goble with a libretto by Victoria Erickson. The second half of the evening features Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, a comic opera in the tradition of opera buffa.

Tickets are available at https://www.luther.edu/offices/programming/tickets/performing-arts. General admission is $15, and admission is free for Luther College faculty and students.

05/04/2026

Luther College has announced the appointment of Charles Baldwin as assistant professor of music and director of orchestral activities beginning this fall.

The son of longtime director of orchestral activities Dan Baldwin, Charles will return to campus to lead the Luther College Symphony Orchestra. Bringing experience as a conductor, educator, and artistic director, he shares, “I’m deeply honored and grateful to the committee and Provost Bacon for this opportunity to join a school, a department, and a program I love very much. It’s impossible to fully express my affection for Luther, my belief in its vision, my commitment to its bright future, and my excitement to be part of the great learning and musicmaking that goes on here.”

Join us in welcoming him! See more at www.luther.edu/news/charles-baldwin-named-director-of-orchestral-activities

05/02/2026

Need an excuse to spend some time outside this weekend? Join the Luther College Symphonic Band on May 3 at 1:00 p.m. for a relaxed afternoon of music, featuring classic band repertoire and familiar favorites from the stage and screen.😎🎵

Bring the whole family! The Decorah Public Library will be there with a children’s book reading, and Luther students will host an "Instrument Petting Zoo," led by Luther College students, to learn more about the instruments of the band.

Photos by Decorah Public Library.

05/01/2026

On Saturday, May 2, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Luther will host the 11th Annual Iowa Musicology Day in the Choir Room and Orchestra Room of Jenson-Noble Hall. This will be the first time the conference is held on campus. Scholars from across Iowa will present on topics ranging from medieval and global music to film and video game scores.

These photos highlight a few of the presenters: (1) Prof. Jaime Webb, alumni guest lecturer in voice, will give a lecture recital on her developing opera "A Bridge Between" from 10–10:30 a.m. in the Choir Room, with Dr. Nicholas Shaneyfelt collaborating. (2) Sophie Klein ’26 will present on Enrique Granados’s Goyescas piano suite during the 1:30–3:00 p.m. session in the Orchestra Room. (3) Dr. Andi Beckendorf will lead a pedagogy workshop on music information literacy from 11:35 a.m.–12:20 p.m. in the Choir Room. In the photo, she is on the right, alongside collaborator Anna Grau Schmidt (left).

The event is free and open to the public. Attend a session or stay for the full day! See more at https://www.luther.edu/event/iowa-musicology-day.

04/30/2026

Join Luther College’s Philharmonia and Cello Choir for an afternoon of beautiful music on May 2 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Noble Recital Hall! If you can’t make it in person, you can still catch the livestream on the Music Department YouTube channel.

04/29/2026

The Luther College Jazz Band will perform in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall on Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy a night of remarkable music!🎷

Address

700 College Drive
Decorah, IA
52101

Telephone

(563) 387-1208

Website

https://linktr.ee/musicatluther

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Luther College Music Department posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Event/venue in Decorah?