Nordic Choir
Encyclopedia
The Nordic Choir is a 64-voice a cappella
choir
of highly select mixed voices from Luther College
in Decorah, Iowa
.
In 1948, just two years after its founding by Dr. Sigvart Steen, a young Weston Noble
began a 57-year tenure as music director and conductor. Together, Noble and The Nordic Choir cultivated one of the most honored choral traditions in the United States.
Eventually six choirs were added to the music program to accommodate the growing interest in choral music and voice at Luther. In 2005, Luther College named Dr. Craig Arnold to the position of Director of Choral Activities and conductor of the Nordic Choir following Noble’s retirement. Arnold held the position from 2005-2010. Dr. Allen Hightower was appointed conductor effective Fall 2010.
The Nordic Choir tours annually throughout the United States and has appeared at many of the major concert halls and music centers in America, including Lincoln Center, New York City; the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.; Orchestra Hall, Chicago; Orchestra Hall and the Historic State Theatre, Minneapolis; the Ordway Music Theatre, St. Paul, Minn.; Walt Disney Concert Hall
, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Crystal Cathedral
, Los Angeles; and the historic Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City.
The choir has also been featured in three international television broadcasts of The Hour of Power
and on four national convention programs of the American Choral Directors Association
. The choir was also featured for the soundtrack of Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed
.
Every third year the choir tours internationally. The Nordic Choir has made numerous concert tours of Europe
, the Caribbean
, Mexico
, Russia
, and Eastern Europe
. During its 1994 tour of Russia
and Eastern Europe
, the Nordic Choir performed in Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow
, and the Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest
, and shared a concert in St. Petersburg’s Philharmonic Hall with the St. Petersburg Conservatory Choir. The Nordic Choir returned to Russia
and Eastern Europe
in 1997 on a tour that included performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. In 2000 and 2003, the choir honored the college’s roots with tours to Norway
and Scandinavia
. In 2006, the Nordic Choir toured Europe
with concerts in Italy
, Austria
, Germany
and the Czech Republic
. In May and June 2009, the Nordic Choir returned to Europe with concerts in Italy
, France
, and Spain
.
Closer to home, the choir appears frequently on campus in concerts, worship services and at Christmas at Luther, the college's annual Christmas concerts, alongside the Luther College Symphony Orchestra and the other Luther choirs.
In the fall of 2006, the Nordic Choir released its first CD under the direction of Dr. Craig Arnold, The Road Home, that joined the extensive library of recordings highlighting the Noble choral legacy. The choir's most recent release, Sing With Joy, was released in October 2010.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
of highly select mixed voices from Luther College
Luther College (Iowa)
Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...
in Decorah, Iowa
Decorah, Iowa
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S...
.
In 1948, just two years after its founding by Dr. Sigvart Steen, a young Weston Noble
Weston Noble
Weston Noble is a highly accomplished and honored American music educator and conductor.Currently guest conductor of the Augustana Choir at Augustana College in...
began a 57-year tenure as music director and conductor. Together, Noble and The Nordic Choir cultivated one of the most honored choral traditions in the United States.
Eventually six choirs were added to the music program to accommodate the growing interest in choral music and voice at Luther. In 2005, Luther College named Dr. Craig Arnold to the position of Director of Choral Activities and conductor of the Nordic Choir following Noble’s retirement. Arnold held the position from 2005-2010. Dr. Allen Hightower was appointed conductor effective Fall 2010.
The Nordic Choir tours annually throughout the United States and has appeared at many of the major concert halls and music centers in America, including Lincoln Center, New York City; the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.; Orchestra Hall, Chicago; Orchestra Hall and the Historic State Theatre, Minneapolis; the Ordway Music Theatre, St. Paul, Minn.; Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Crystal Cathedral
Crystal Cathedral
The Crystal Cathedral is a Protestant Christian church building in the city of Garden Grove, in Orange County, California, United States. It is the headquarters and principal place of worship for Crystal Cathedral Ministries, a church founded in 1955 by Robert H. Schuller and affiliated with the...
, Los Angeles; and the historic Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City.
The choir has also been featured in three international television broadcasts of The Hour of Power
The Hour of Power
Hour of Power is a weekly American Christian television program currently hosted by Sheila Schuller Coleman. It was previously hosted by her brother, Robert A. Schuller, and her father, Robert H. Schuller, who founded the program. It is broadcast from the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove,...
and on four national convention programs of the American Choral Directors Association
American Choral Directors Association
The American Choral Directors Association , headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music...
. The choir was also featured for the soundtrack of Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed
Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed
Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed is the twelfth episode in the VeggieTales animated series, and the second installment of the LarryBoy adventures. It was released in July 1999 on VHS formats and January 28, 2003 on DVD formats...
.
Every third year the choir tours internationally. The Nordic Choir has made numerous concert tours of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. During its 1994 tour of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, the Nordic Choir performed in Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and the Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, and shared a concert in St. Petersburg’s Philharmonic Hall with the St. Petersburg Conservatory Choir. The Nordic Choir returned to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
in 1997 on a tour that included performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. In 2000 and 2003, the choir honored the college’s roots with tours to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. In 2006, the Nordic Choir toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with concerts in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. In May and June 2009, the Nordic Choir returned to Europe with concerts in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Closer to home, the choir appears frequently on campus in concerts, worship services and at Christmas at Luther, the college's annual Christmas concerts, alongside the Luther College Symphony Orchestra and the other Luther choirs.
In the fall of 2006, the Nordic Choir released its first CD under the direction of Dr. Craig Arnold, The Road Home, that joined the extensive library of recordings highlighting the Noble choral legacy. The choir's most recent release, Sing With Joy, was released in October 2010.