Author: Luther College News

Luther College’s Center for Ethics and Public Engagement (CEPE) invites the public to “One Evening in Area X,” a conversation with New York Times bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, in the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall. The lecture is a free event, but tickets are required. Seating is limited.

“Whether you’re an avid reader of speculative fiction or environmental nonfiction, a keen birder, an outdoors explorer, or a climate advocate, this Earth Day event will engage and enliven you,” said Andy Hageman, the CEPE director and professor of English at Luther.

VanderMeer will discuss the social roles of fiction in uncertain times, the critical need for biology and ecological thinking, the ethics of rewilding yards, the ecstasies of birding, and more during the “One Evening in Area X” conversation. Hageman is facilitating the dialogue with VanderMeer. Following an audience Q&A session, VanderMeer’s books will be available to purchase and have signed.

“One Evening in Area X” is a rare chance to encounter Jeff VanderMeer in person in the Midwest.

VanderMeer is best known for his Southern Reach series, four novels that explore themes related to the environment and our future. The Southern Reach is a secret government agency that manages expeditions into Area X, a weird coastal zone where something has happened that totally changed its ecology. The series’ first novel, “Annihilation” (2014), focuses on four women (an anthropologist, a surveyor, a psychologist and a biologist) on an expedition to record their observations of Area X. In their efforts to understand the terrain and avoid being contaminated by Area X, the expedition members discover a topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding.

“Annihilation” won both the Nebula Award and Shirley Jackson Award in 2014. The novel was made into a film released by Paramount in 2018. The fourth book in the series, “Absolution,” was published in 2024 and named a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist. “Annihilation” and “Absolution” are available for purchase at the Luther College Book Shop.

Called “the weird Thoreau” by the New Yorker, VanderMeer has lived in Florida since he was in middle school, attending the University of Florida in Gainesville before moving to Tallahassee in 1992. He has given lectures related to climate change and storytelling at Vanderbilt University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Key West Literary Seminar, Yale University and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

“One Evening in Area X” is a rare chance to encounter VanderMeer in person in the Midwest.

“The fact that Jeff VanderMeer will be in Decorah to interact with Luther students and the broader community is an honor and a real thrill,” Hageman said.

Reserve your seat for the April 22 lecture at tickets.luther.edu or at the Luther Ticket Office in the Center for Faith and Life. Contact the ticket office at tickets@luther.edu or 563-387-1357 for more information. For those who can’t attend in person, the lecture will be livestreamed.

Master musician, storyteller and Taos Pueblo elder Robert Mirabal teams up with the New York-based string quartet ETHEL to perform “The Red Willow” in Luther College’s 2024–25 Center Stage Series at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11, in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall.

In this unique expression of 13 years of friendship and collaboration, master musician, actor, artist, and storyteller Robert Mirabal, an elder of the Taos Pueblo, teams with the New York-based string quartet ETHEL.

“Collaboration is central to Robert Mirabal and ETHEL, and with ‘The Red Willow,’ their signature mastery transcends geographical boundaries. Music and storytelling blend in an ambitious program that will leave you reinvigorated,” said Susan Potvin, director of programming and outreach. “You don’t want to miss this performance.”

Mirabal is a renowned Native American flute player and flute maker from Taos Pueblo in New Mexico. He is a two-time Grammy Award winner and was twice named the Native American Music Awards’ Artist of the Year. His performance in PBS’s musical production “Spirit: A Journey in Dance, Drum, and Song” remains a benchmark of Native American traditional and rock fusion.

Established in New York City in 1998, ETHEL sets the standard for contemporary concert music. The quartet is made up of Ralph Farris (viola), Kip Jones (violin), Dorothy Lawson (cello), and Corin Lee (violin). Since the group’s inception, ETHEL has released nine feature recordings and performed as guests on more than 50 albums. The group won a Grammy Award with jazz vocalist Kurt Elling.

Before the performance, enjoy a gourmet three-course dinner in the Peace Dining Room at Dahl Centennial Union. The menu features shaved asparagus with roasted walnuts, roasted salmon served with lemon braised artichokes, baby Yukon potatoes, and fried leeks. Dessert is a lemon-blueberry tart. Dietary accommodations are available upon request.

Buy tickets for the April 11 performance and for the pre-show dinner at tickets.luther.edu or at the Luther Ticket Office in the Center for Faith and Life. Contact the ticket office at tickets@luther.edu or 563-387-1357 for more information.

Ine Eriksen Søreide, the first woman to serve as Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, will give the 2025 commencement address at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 25, at Luther College’s Carlson Stadium.

Ine Eriksen Søreide

“As we enter into a year of commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the first organized Norwegian migration to America, we are excited to welcome a veteran member of the Norwegian government to speak to our graduates,” said Luther College President Brad Chamberlain. “Ine Eriksen Søreide brings to us a unique perspective on the value of community on the world stage from her time in roles as Norway’s Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

Eriksen Søreide is the chair of the Norwegian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense. She served as Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021.

Prior to that position, Eriksen Søreide was the Minister of Defense from 2013 to 2017. She chaired the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense from 2009 to 2013 and the Standing Committee on Education, Research and Church Affairs from 2005 to 2009.

Born in Strømmen, Norway, Eriksen Søreide received her law degree from the University of Tromsø. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 2001.

No tickets are required for the outdoor commencement ceremony. The event will be livestreamed. More information is available at commencement.luther.edu.

Luther College is thrilled to announce that its Concert Band is one of seven small college ensembles selected for the small band program showcase on Saturday, March 29, at the national conference of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Luther College Concert Band was formed in 1878, laying the foundation for the college’s long-standing tradition of musical excellence.

Directed by associate professor of music Cory Near, Concert Band’s recording of “Bright Shadow Fanfare,” composed by Nicole Piunno, was selected out of hundreds of applicants through a blind, peer-reviewed process.

“When choosing repertoire, I try to find pieces that will resonate with the students,” Near said. “I felt this piece was a perfect opportunity to remind students to allow grace, both to others and ourselves.”

While the band will not perform at the national conference, Near will give a presentation and the attendees will hear the band’s recording of “Bright Shadow Fanfare” captured during a live performance on Nov. 24, 2024, in the Center for Faith and Life.

“Luther students do outstanding work and I can’t wait to share their talents with conference attendees,” Near said.

CBDNA National Conference organizers recently added a small band program showcase as “a great way to recognize the great music being created in our profession that might otherwise go unnoticed,” according to the event organizers. Other small college band ensembles selected for this year’s showcase included Dordt University, located in Sioux Center, Iowa; Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin; and Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.

While Near has attended the conference several times as a graduate student, this is his first time attending the event as a collegiate band director.

“The opportunity to represent Luther College is a truly special moment for me,” Near said.

The Concert Band will perform “Bright Shadow Fanfare” during its upcoming international tour to Japan on May 28-June 9.

Local audiences will have the opportunity to hear “Bright Shadow Fanfare” during a concert scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 23 in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall.

President Brad Chamberlain

The Luther College Board of Regents announced that the inauguration of President Brad Chamberlain will take place as part of an expanded chapel service at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall. An outdoor reception will be held on Bentdahl Commons following the chapel service. Both events are free and open to the public.

“We are excited about combining the inauguration with Homecoming weekend,” said J. Robert Paulson ’78, chair of Luther’s Board of Regents. “This combination allows the maximum number of alumni and friends to join this celebration.”

Luther’s Homecoming is scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 3–5. Additional inauguration events will be announced later this year.

“It is fitting that this signature event will take place as part of an expanded chapel service in the Center for Faith and Life, which mirrors the day we announced President Chamberlain’s unanimous selection by the board in the fall of 2024, and is in keeping with Brad’s approach to his opening weeks as president. Since stepping into the role at the start of the spring semester, President Chamberlain has led Luther with deep caring about our students, faculty, and staff,” Paulson said.

After unanimous votes from the Board of Regents, Chamberlain was appointed president-elect in October 2024. He began his duties as the 12th president of Luther College on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

Chamberlain is the first president to be promoted from within the college in more than a century. Luther’s third president, Oscar L. Olson, was a faculty member before becoming president in 1921.

With a career of over two decades at Luther, Chamberlain began as an instructor in chemistry in 2001, and has risen through the academic and administrative ranks. Chamberlain’s most recent position was provost, a role he held since December 2022.

Luther College’s music department presents the biennial spring oratorio concert, featuring Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s monumental masterpiece, Requiem in D minor, KV 626, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall located on the Luther campus. In addition to the performance in Decorah, the same program will take place at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Road, in Mahtomedi, Minnesota.

In this file photo, Luther College’s music department presents the biennial spring oratorio featuring Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” on March 17, 2019, in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall.

The performances feature Luther’s Nordic Choir conducted by Andrew Last, director of choral activities and associate professor of music, and the college’s Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Baldwin, professor of music. Baldwin serves as director of orchestral activities at Luther.

Tickets may be purchased online at tickets.luther.edu or by calling the Luther College Ticket Office at (563) 387-1357.

Five Luther alumni are returning as soloists for the 2025 spring oratorio: Emily Secor, class of 2016, soprano; Jill Phillips, class of 2010, former voice instructor at Luther, mezzo-soprano; Andrew Stenson, class of 2008, tenor; Zachary Owen, class of 2010, bass-baritone; and Laura Krumm, class of 2009, mezzo-soprano.

Phillips described the spring oratorio as a cherished experience.

“I’ve had the opportunity to experience Luther as a student and as a faculty member, and I feel grateful for the chance to return to a place that I associate with many fond memories,” she said. “Being able to come back and reconnect with some of those people in person, as well as getting to share the stage with fellow alumni and colleagues, will be a cherished experience.”

Owen echoed Phillips’ sentiments.

“I am honored to return to Luther for the Mozart Requiem, and delighted to share the stage with so many exceptional musicians,” he said. “Luther College is truly a special place and my time there motivated me to become not only a better musician but a better human being. I hope this performance serves in carrying on Luther’s tradition of nurturing young talent and inspiring the future of classical music.”

Performing an oratorio is part of a long tradition at Luther College. In the spring semester of alternating years, the orchestra, choral and vocal areas collaborate in the presentation of a major work. Recent performances have included Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms,” Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass,” William Walton’s “Belshazzar’s Feast,” Bach’s “St. John Passion” and a commissioned work, “Luther Mass” by Stephen Paulus.

Luther College raised more than $1,206,800 during the college’s tenth annual Giving Day on Thursday, March 6. The money raised will support and enhance the Luther experience at the college through the Luther Fund, Luther’s unrestricted current fund that supports all students, faculty, staff and community endeavors on campus.

“For the tenth year in a row, the Luther College community has shown the strength of our commitment to each other and to the value of Luther’s ongoing impact on their lives,” said Luther President Brad Chamberlain. “Once again, friends and alumni from all 50 states and 17 countries around the world contributed to a record-setting Giving Day. We are grateful to all who participated, either through sharing their Luther story or making a contribution.”

Giving Day capped off “Luther Gives,” a weeklong campus event celebrating the generosity of Luther alumni, donors and campus community. Students wrote thank you notes to donors who funded their scholarships, sent Norse Notes Valentines to anyone on campus who made a difference in their lives, and posted reasons they love Luther on the walls of the Dahl Centennial Union.

“I want to also thank the entire team of Gnome-fluencers who worked behind the scenes to make Giving Day a success,” Chamberlain said.

This year’s Giving Day also included Luther Day at The Landing Market, where 100% of all sales made at Justin’s, the Buzz and Tandem on March 6 was matched by an additional gift to the Luther Fund.

Mark your calendars for next year, as Giving Day returns on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

Luther College Says Thank You

Thank you for celebrating Giving Day’s 10th birthday with us.