Luther College Nordic Choir Concert

Luther College Nordic Choir, one of the top college choirs in the nation, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday, January 30, at Downers Grove First United Methodist Church.

The performance by the 66-member Nordic Choir is open to the public with no charge for admission, with free-will donations accepted.

The 2017 Nordic Choir tour program includes selections from the following: "O Day Full of Grace" arranged by F. Melius Christiansen, "The Road Home" by Stephen Paulus, and "Always Singing" by Dale Warland, as well as hymn-arrangements, spirituals and the traditional Nordic Choir closing piece "O Lord God" by Pavel Chesnokov.

The concert is part of Nordic Choir's 2017 tour of the Midwest. The choir tours annually and has performed around the world, appearing in Norway, England, Ireland, Germany, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Baltic countries, Mexico and the Caribbean. Nordic Choir has also appeared throughout the United States, performing in such well-known concert halls as Lincoln Center in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Most recently, the choir traveled to Italy and performed in Rome, Florence and Venice.

Nordic Choir, founded in 1946, enjoys national and international acclaim as a premier collegiate choral ensemble in the United States. This year's ensemble is directed during January by guest conductor Jeffrey Douma, professor of conducting at Yale University. Douma was preceded by the leadership of Allen Hightower, Craig Arnold and the 57-year tenure of Weston Noble.

Luther is home to one of the largest collegiate music programs in the world with six choirs, three bands, three orchestras, two jazz bands and numerous chamber ensembles, totaling more than 800 student musicians. Luther's students perform in large ensembles, faculty-coached chamber groups, private lessons and master classes. Nearly 275 music majors study music theory/ear training, history, education, composition, church music and performance.