Luther College alumni travel from coasts to reconnect at first Dorian Orchestra Reunion

Nearly 90 Luther College alumni returned to campus on July 12–13 for the opportunity to play classical music together under the direction of Dan Baldwin, longtime conductor of the Luther College Symphony Orchestra.

This is the first time that Luther College has hosted a reunion for Symphony Orchestra alumni. Assistant director of music outreach and Dorian coordinator Nicholas Drilling ’23 said the weekend was a resounding success.

Nearly 90 Luther College alumni attended the college’s first Dorian Orchestra Reunion on July 12–13, 2025.

“We are so pleased with how the reunion turned out. Alumni came from as far as Portland, Ore., and Boston, ready to rehearse, ready to reconnect with old friends and excited to make music with new friends,” Drilling said.

The reunion served two purposes. Firstly, the Luther Music Department wanted a reunion for orchestra musicians, similar to the Dorian All-Band and Choir reunions. These alumni musician reunions are held annually, rotating between the band and the choir alumni.

“Now, Symphony Orchestra will have regular reunions too,” Drilling said.

Secondly, this weekend marked the end of an era for the Luther College Symphony Orchestra with the recent retirement of Baldwin, who served as the director of orchestral activities since 1997. The Board of Regents approved Baldwin’s status as professor emeritus in May 2025.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Dr. Baldwin and Luther’s long-standing orchestra program than with a reunion. As soon as we opened registration, alumni made plans to attend and told us that they wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to honor Dr. Baldwin and his contributions to Luther College,” Drilling said.

Violinist Ehler Orngard ’09, a support engineer at a software company in Oakland, Calif., rarely plays classical music anymore, but Orngard didn’t hesitate to rehearse for a weekend in the Center for Faith and Life.

“I have many fond memories from Luther College, and all of them involve Dan Baldwin and the symphony orchestra. I learned a lot as a college musician under Baldwin,” Orngard said. “This reunion is a special moment and a rare opportunity to play under Baldwin again.”

For former Dorian Summer Camp counselor and Luther Symphony Orchestra cellist Macaulley Whitlock ’13, this reunion provided a reason to return to northeast Iowa. Whitlock is an orchestra and band teacher living in Boston.

“I missed my 10-year Luther class reunion, so when I heard about this reunion, I said to myself, ‘I am not going to miss this.’ The opportunity to play under Dr. Baldwin is too special to be missed,” Whitlock said.

Denver resident and double bass player Josh Kail ’01 last visited campus in 2002. A Salesforce application director at DaVita Kidney Care, Kail had not played in an ensemble this large since college, but he wasn’t concerned about feeling out of place.

“This reunion is exactly what I was hoping it would be — I’m catching up with friends. I’m meeting new people and we’re making music together,” Kail said. “I’ve only been here for 30 minutes and I already know it was worth my time to drive here. It feels great to be back on campus. It feels like Luther.”

The Dorian Orchestra Reunion marked the end of an era for the Luther College Symphony Orchestra with the recent retirement of Dan Baldwin, who served as the director of orchestral activities since 1997.

Tyné Rieck ’03 actively plays her bassoon with local groups in Davenport, but it’s not her full-time job. Rieck is the business and IT manager at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. For Rieck, the reunion was filled with “small world” moments and professional connections.

“My special moment at the reunion was realizing that the two other bassoon players felt like long-lost friends,” Rieck said. “We were from three different orchestra generations, meaning we didn’t cross over during any of our years, yet we all spoke the same language. We had similar experiences and many shared emotions. They knew what it was like to play bassoon in a Dr. Baldwin ensemble, to perform in a Luther College Symphony Orchestra tour, a Vienna trip, and had experienced the difficulty of balancing being a double reed player with being a good student.”

Rieck also praised the long-term impact of Baldwin.

“Dr. Baldwin had an immense impact on me as a college student. I respected him so much; I never wanted to disappoint him or waste his time. Although he was supportive, he kept pushing us to be better,” Rieck said. “He also had some musical words of wisdom that made a big impact and I continue to follow. The ones that have stuck with me are about settling for mediocre playing, such as ‘mediocrity kills ensembles’ and ‘mediocrity means you are going backward.'”

Baldwin earned his bachelor of music (cello) degree from Furman University, and master of music (cello) and doctor of musical arts (orchestral conducting) degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to his arrival at Luther, Baldwin served as director of orchestral activities at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.

About Symphony Orchestra

The Luther College Symphony Orchestra is Luther’s largest and oldest orchestral ensemble. Student musicians performing with Symphony Orchestra represent a variety of academic disciplines. Many are also involved in chamber music, choir, band or a jazz ensemble.

The orchestra tours regularly in the United States, and every four years, it spends a month studying, rehearsing and performing in Vienna, Austria. The orchestra also collaborates with Luther College choirs for the annual Christmas at Luther performances.

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