ON LUTHER'S MUSIC & ORCHESTRA

Teacher Elsa Mees (who would eventually become Elsa Schneider) established Luther’s Conservatory of Music in its very first year. Although students in the music program could earn different levels of certification, the courses did not count for academic credit. Alongside Mees, two or three additional instructors typically provided private lessons. The conservatory, which remained active into the 1940s, served as the central hub for musical activities, including glee clubs, choir, and orchestra. These groups were not continuous throughout the year but were formed as needed for specific performances. Each month, the conservatory organized recitals that showcased either group performances or student soloists. Pre-seminary students were expected to participate in music, with lessons offered to them at no cost.

In the 1930s, a college orchestra was established, initially led by Carl Behrens and later by Paul Liefeld. Many staff members also contributed by offering private music instruction based on their availability and expertise.

In the late 1990s, a significant donation and pledge from Hertha Pfeifer enabled the creation of the Pfeifer Memorial Director of Music position, honoring her parents and ensuring dedicated leadership for the college’s music program. By the early 2000s, a chapel band had been formed to support contemporary worship services.

Today, in addition to its strong choral tradition, Luther College provides a variety of musical opportunities, including a jam club, jazz band, and string ensemble.

ON LUTHER'S CHOIR

In March 1927, Luther’s music faculty performed live on the Canadian National Railway radio network, which later became the CBC.  That same spring, the Boys’ Glee Club performed its own live radio broadcast, followed by a performance from the Luther Orchestra on another local station.  When Christ Lutheran Church opened next door in 1930, many Luther students joined its choir.

Radio continued to play a role in campus life, including occasional live broadcasts of chapel services.  The Luther College Choir was created in 1936 to provide music for these broadcasts, first under the direction of Professor Behrens and then Mr. Liefeld a year later.

When the new gym was opened in 1951, the Christmas Candlelight service was able to take its current form, moving from the chapel to accommodate its growing audience. Mrs. Schneider shaped the service over many years, introducing its traditional candlelit setting, processional entrance, and quiet, reflective tone. Pastor Tiefenbach read scripture between musical pieces, and in later years, music director Carl Cherland incorporated the structured lessons-and-carols format.

Morris Anderson (past President of Luther) wrote:

One of my aims as president was to establish a full-fledged choral program.  Among other reasons, a choral program feeds into instrumental programs and musicals – there are all sorts of spin-offs if you can get a good choral program going. And the tradition in our Lutheran Church and Lutheran College is the choral.  It is the basis for strength elsewhere in the music program.

When Carl Cherland was hired in the mid-1970s, he added the handbell choir, followed by a Junior Choir and a Girls’ Chorus (directed by Gail Fry) in the 1980s.

 

For more information about Luther’s choral history, see Richard Hordern’s The Luther College Story: 1913-2013: A Century of Faithfulness in Education.