# Nordic Choir > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Nordic_Choir > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Nordic_Choir.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_Choir > Source revision: 1353237553 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) The Luther College **Nordic Choir** is an [a cappella](/source/A_cappella) [choir](/source/Choir) ensemble based at [Luther College](/source/Luther_College_(Iowa)) in [Decorah, Iowa](/source/Decorah,_Iowa). ## History The Luther College Nordic Choir was established by Sigvart Steen, an alumnus of the college, in 1946. Just two years after its founding, [Weston Noble](/source/Weston_Noble) began a 57-year tenure as the choir's music director and conductor.[1] During this time, Noble continued to cultivate the Lutheran collegiate choral traditions in the United States. Additional choirs were created in order to accommodate the growing interest in choral music and voice at Luther College. Following Noble's retirement in 2005, Craig Arnold became the Director of Choral Activities and conductor of the Nordic Choir. Arnold held this position until 2010, when he was succeeded by Allen Hightower, who led the ensemble until 2016. The current conductor is Dr. Andrew Last, Luther College graduate and former student-President of the Nordic Choir. ## Tours The Nordic Choir tours annually throughout the United States and has appeared at many of the major concert halls and music centers in the United States, including [Lincoln Center](/source/Lincoln_Center), New York City; the [Kennedy Center](/source/Kennedy_Center), Washington, D.C.; [Orchestra Hall, Chicago](/source/Orchestra_Hall,_Chicago); Orchestra Hall and the Historic State Theater, Minneapolis; the [Ordway Music Theater](/source/Ordway_Music_Theater), St. Paul, Minnesota; [Walt Disney Concert Hall](/source/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall), Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the [Crystal Cathedral](/source/Crystal_Cathedral), Los Angeles; and the historic [Mormon Tabernacle](/source/Mormon_Tabernacle), Salt Lake City. The choir also has been featured in three international television broadcasts of *[The Hour of Power](/source/The_Hour_of_Power)* and on four national convention programs of the [American Choral Directors Association](/source/American_Choral_Directors_Association). Every third year the choir tours internationally. The Nordic Choir has made numerous concert tours of [Europe](/source/Europe), the [Caribbean](/source/Caribbean), [Mexico](/source/Mexico), [Russia](/source/Russia), and [Eastern Europe](/source/Eastern_Europe). During its 1994 tour of [Russia](/source/Russia) and [Eastern Europe](/source/Eastern_Europe), the Nordic Choir performed in Tchaikovsky Hall, [Moscow](/source/Moscow), and the [Franz Liszt Academy](/source/Franz_Liszt_Academy), [Budapest](/source/Budapest), and shared a concert in St. Petersburg’s Philharmonic Hall with the [St. Petersburg](/source/St._Petersburg) Conservatory Choir. The Nordic Choir returned to [Russia](/source/Russia) and [Eastern Europe](/source/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](/source/Norway) and [Scandinavia](/source/Scandinavia). In 2006, the Nordic Choir toured [Europe](/source/Europe) with concerts in [Italy](/source/Italy), [Austria](/source/Austria), [Germany](/source/Germany) and the [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic), including performances at St Peter's Basilica and St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. In May and June 2009, the Nordic Choir returned to Europe with concerts in [Italy](/source/Italy), [France](/source/France), and [Spain](/source/Spain), and in May 2012, the choir toured the [British Isles](/source/British_Isles). In 2015, the choir toured [Italy](/source/Italy), and in 2018 returned to [Germany](/source/Germany) to see the sites of the college's namesake [Martin Luther](/source/Martin_Luther). The choir planned to travel to [South Africa](/source/South_Africa) in 2021, but the tour was cancelled to due the [COVID-19 Pandemic](/source/COVID-19_Pandemic). Most recently in 2024, as a celebration of the 200 year anniversary of Norwegian immigration to the [United States](/source/United_States), the choir took their international touring schedule back to Norway. The choir plans to return to Norway in 2027 to strengthen connections there. Closer to home, the choir appears frequently on campus in concerts, worship services and at "Christmas at Luther," the college's annual, nationally-televised and Emmy Award winning Christmas concert series, alongside the Luther College Symphony Orchestra and five other Luther choirs. In the fall of 2006, the Nordic Choir released its first CD under the direction of Craig Arnold, *The Road Home,* that joined the extensive library of recordings highlighting the Noble choral legacy. The choir's album *Prayer,* under the direction of Allen Hightower, was released in 2014.[citation needed] ## References 1. ["A Capella Choirs in the Scandinavian-American Lutheran Colleges"](http://www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume32/vol32_12.htm). Norwegian-American Historical Association. Retrieved 2013-02-06. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nordic Choir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_Choir) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_Choir?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.