Luther College announces the 2024-25 Center Stage Series, with a theme of migration

Luther College is proud to announce the 2024-25 Center Stage Series, which annually presents outstanding performances to uplift, inspire and expand your world. Season tickets are available now for six exciting performances by international artists from September 2024 through April 2025. Individual ticket sales start Aug. 19. 

About the 2024-25 Center Stage Series season

The 2024-25 season performances are:

• Venezuelan jazz singer Nella on Fri., Sept. 27
• Grammy Award-winning quintet Imani Winds on Thurs., Oct. 10
• Internationally beloved The King’s Singers on Tues., Nov. 12
• Premier touring dance company Ailey II on Fri., Feb. 14
• Renowned Irish ensemble Danú on Fri., March 14
• String quartet ETHEL with Native American storyteller and musician Robert Mirabal on Fri., April 11

All Center Stage Series performances are held in Luther’s Center for Faith and Life at 7:30 p.m. 

Tying the season’s diverse programs together is the theme of migration and the commemoration of the first organized migration from Norway to North America 200 years ago. Luther is the first U.S. college founded by Norwegian immigrants. 

“This commemorative year gives us a chance to honor the strength it takes to leave home for the unknown and to better understand the migration of people that continues today,” said Kristen Underwood, director of campus programming. “Whether immersing yourself in the rollicking sounds of Venezuela or Ireland, the colors and perspectives of the American Southwest, or the artistry of the Ailey II dancers, we hope you will find moments of joy and awe.” 

Tickets for shows and dinner series

Tickets and more information about each of the performances can be found at tickets.luther.edu. 

The Center Stage Dinner Series offers a gourmet three-course dinner before each show in the Peace Dining Room, overlooking lower campus and the Upper Iowa River. Beer and wine are available for purchase. Information for the dinner series can also be found at tickets.luther.edu, with menus posted two weeks before the corresponding event. Luther chefs can easily accommodate dietary restrictions when notified in advance.

Discount for season subscribers 

Season subscribers may choose five or six performances, as well as five or six Center Stage Dinners, before September 27 to waive any ticketing fees and receive 15% off. 

Center Stage student matinees

The Center Stage Series also offers matinees for school groups and families. 

• Charlotte’s Web, presented by TheatreWorks USA, is recommended for grades K-5 but open to all, on Wed., Oct. 16, at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. 
• JazzReach presents Hangin’ with the Giants (K-4) and Get Hip! (grades 3-6) on Thurs., March 20, at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

To reserve tickets for a matinee performance, contact Bradley Phillips at phillibr@luther.edu or 563-387-1293. Financial support is available for school group tickets and transportation; additional community members are welcome as space allows. To request financial support for school groups, email programming@luther.edu.

Sponsors make the series possible

The Center Stage Series is made possible by the generous support of major season sponsors, including Emplify Health, WinnMed, Decorah Bank and Trust, Minnesota Public Radio, John W. Kurtich Foundation, and Luther College Music, with support for student matinees from Dragonfly Books.

Center Stage Series Performers in 2024-25

Nella performs on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Born in Venezuela, Nella won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist. Her style is a warm, rich blend of her native country's folklore, the sounds of her generation, and influences from Spain's Andalusia region.

Imani Winds performs Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. They won a Grammy in 2024. They have led a revolution of the wind ensemble through masterful playing, adventurous programming, and imaginative collaborations.

The King's Singers perform a program entitled "The New World" on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. This renowned ensemble has represented the gold standard in a capella singing on the world's stages since 1968, when six choral scholars from King's College, Cambridge, gave their first concert in London.

Ailey II performs on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Ailey II combines the energy and athleticism of the best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's outstanding choreographers.

Danú performs on Friday, March 14. Danú presents a musical journey across their native Ireland on flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accordion, bouzouki, and vocals in both Irish and English.

ETHEL and Robert Mirabal perform on Friday, Apr. 11, 2025. Multiple Grammy-winning musician, artist, and storyteller Robert Mirabal, an elder of the Taos Pueblo, teams with the New York-based quartet ETHEL to weave a gorgeous tapestry with colors from Native America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.