Nordic Choir earns performance spot at choral music professionals national conference

Luther College is proud to announce that its Nordic Choir is one of only 13 collegiate ensembles selected to perform at the upcoming American Choral Directors Association National Conference.

“A choir’s selection for any conference sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) is an extraordinary honor. A performance at the national conference is truly humbling,” said Andrew Last, director of Nordic Choir.

Approximately 6,000 people are expected to attend the 2025 ACDA National Conference on March 18-22 in Dallas. ACDA Director of Development Karen Kegelman described the conference as “the premier gathering for choral music professionals–from legends in the field to emerging professionals.”

Luther College is proud to announce that its Nordic Choir is one of only 13 collegiate ensembles selected to perform at the upcoming American Choral Directors Association National Conference.

“The conference attracts vocalists, educators, conductors, composers, and choral industry partners from around the world,” Kegelman said.

Luther’s Nordic Choir will perform twice, at two different Dallas locations, on March 20. Their first performance starts at 10:45 a.m. at the Meyerson Symphony Center. The second show is at 3 p.m. at the Winspear Opera House.

The conference’s competitive performance process started nearly a year ago. Vocal ensembles submitted three years of audio recordings before the audition deadline in April 2024. Then, through a blind screening process where the identity of the performers is concealed from the judges, committee members evaluated choirs for exemplary musicianship.

Kegelman explained that 190 choirs auditioned for the opportunity to perform and only 32 auditioned choirs were selected for the national conference.

“Performing at the national conference is formal recognition of exceptional skill and artistry, plus an opportunity to inspire the broader choral community. It is an honor to be recognized on a national stage by choral music professionals at an exceptionally high level of expertise and to perform for peers,” Kegelman said.

The last Luther choir chosen to perform at the ACDA national conference was Collegiate Chorale in 2017. Other Luther vocal ensembles including Aurora, Collegiate Chorale and Nordic Choir have performed at regional ACDA conferences in recent years.

“Luther College has been blessed over the years to have representation from all of its choral ensembles at the regional and national events,” Last said. “Nordic Choir is honored to continue that tradition of excellence.”