The Musical Trip of a Lifetime
In spring 2024, Luther’s Jazz Orchestra and Nordic Choir embarked on significant international tours that built cultural bridges, elevated student learning and performance, and created lifelong memories.
Jazz Orchestra’s tour of Brazil (May 20–June 5) was its first in eight years, since the Covid-19 pandemic scuttled its 2020 tour. The group performed concerts and participated in workshops with prominent musicians, dancers, and artists. They explored cities like Salvador, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.
A stop on Jazz Orchestra's tour of Brazil
In São Paulo, Jazz Orchestra performed with students at the Tatuà Conservatory of Music and, as part of a service project, led a workshop at Santa Marcelina University, another music conservatory. In Rio de Janeiro, Luther students took a drumming workshop and performed a concert in the city’s botanical gardens.
“It was so much fun to tour with Jazz Orchestra!” says trumpeter Austin Efflandt ’24. “I have so much respect for this group of people. Getting to know everyone and make music with them in such beautiful places was an experience I’ll never forget! I really enjoyed playing for packed audiences who always cheered for encores! Getting to meet the music students there was such a fun experience; playing with and learning from them was so valuable as a performer.”
A stop on Nordic Choir's tour of Norway
Nordic Choir’s tour of Norway (May 20–June 3) celebrated Luther’s Norwegian roots and its distinction as the first college in the US founded by Norwegian immigrants. Since 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of Norwegian immigration to the US, the choir performed musical selections celebrating the theme of homecoming. The choir also had the pleasure of 59 Luther alumni, friends, and parents in Norway on a companion tour, attending choir performances and sightseeing.
Watch some highlights from Nordic Choir's 2024 tour of Norway.
On the tour, Nordic Choir performed at churches and concert halls in historic villages and cities like Lillehammer, Stavanger, and Kristiansand, as well as during a church service at the Bergen Cathedral. The choir finished their tour with a performance in Oslo at Uranienborg Kirke, a church located behind the Royal Palace.
Nordic Choir baritone Tyler Belanger ’25 summed up the feeling among Luther students who toured internationally this spring, saying, “This has been the trip of a lifetime. It brings me so much joy, but simultaneously so much melancholy. I got to spend two weeks making music with some of my best friends, making so many memories, and seeing such incredible sights. I know that I will never get to experience that again with those same people. It fills my heart but also breaks it.”
Donor Support
Generous donor support made these tours possible for all students.
Nordic Choir Norway Tour
Carol J. Birkland Scholarship
Bruce and Amy Wrightsman Scholarship
Friends of International Touring Scholarship
Curtis Reiso International Music Touring and Jenson-Noble Hall of Music Endowment
Jazz Orchestra Brazil Tour
Friends of International Touring Scholarship
Interested in setting up an endowed fund to support our students’ journeys? Contact us to learn more!
development@luther.edu | 800-225-8664