Symphony Orchestra
The Luther College Symphony Orchestra, Luther’s largest and oldest orchestral ensemble, maintains an active rehearsal and performance schedule during the academic year, from early September to late May. More than 85 student musicians, representing a variety of academic majors, perform with Symphony Orchestra. Many also play chamber music, sing in a choir, or play in a jazz ensemble.
In addition to regular concerts featuring masterworks of the standard orchestral literature, Symphony Orchestra takes great pride in performing new music on a regular basis: since 2001 the orchestra has been pleased to present four world premieres. Members of the orchestra also perform with the Luther College choirs, in periodic performances of major choral-orchestral works, and in the annual Christmas at Luther festival performances.
Symphony Orchestra tours yearly throughout the United States and maintains a three-week residency in Vienna, Austria every four years, performing in venues such as the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz. Recent domestic tours have included trips to the Pacific Northwest, the Great Plains States, the Southeast, and the Upper Midwest.
The Luther College Symphony Orchestra engages local and regional high school students through several educational opportunities. Each February, Symphony Orchestra hosts more than 200 high school string players at the annual Dorian Orchestra Festival. In cooperation with music specialists for the Decorah (IA) School District, the Symphony Orchestra has presented special programs of music for elementary school children in northeast Iowa.
Four chairs in the Luther College Symphony Orchestra benefit from endowed scholarships generously provided by Luther donors. Scholarship recipients are determined by auditions conducted under the guidance of the orchestra conductor.
Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Daniel Baldwin.
Auditions for Symphony Orchestra are held annually.
Symphony Orchestra rehearses M 4:00 to 5:20 p.m. and TTh 4:15 to 5:45 p.m.
To read more about String Study at Luther, click here.
Recordings
- Russian Masterworks
- Brahms—Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor/Williams—Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
- Luther College Symphony Orchestra
Sample Audio
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| Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 39: IV. Finale Composed by Jean Sibelius |
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