Luren, 2008 and on …. !
- 2008: Luren sings at Sangerfest in Fargo and at the Hjemkomst Festival in Moorhead in June. Engagements include rural Spring Grove (Black Hammer), rural Eitzen, MN (Mt. Hope Presbyterian), Decorah Lutheran, Highland, Tomah, WI (Gloria Dei), and the Miller-Jefferson wedding at Decorah (First Lutheran).
The Luren family celebrates 140 years of song, fun and fellowship with a banquet and anniversary program at the Pyramid in Decorah.
Current Luren membership at the time of the 140th Anniversary celebration – 70. Notes through 1968 are taken from the Centennial History written by Dr. J R. Christianson. Italics and quotation marks indicate direct quotes taken from Dr. Christianson‘s history.
Notes from 1968-2008 from various materials in the archives, the secretary‘s minutes of business meetings, and member’s recollections
The following descriptions of Luren’s activities were compiled by our Historian, Mike Fitzgerald.
- 2009: Concerts were held at FLC (Rock Island, IL), Bishop Hill Methodist (IL) and The Grand Theatre in Keokuk as part of a three day bus tour. Another site was Gloria Dei Lutheran (Tomah, WI), in addition to our annual Luther College Norsemen, Nordic Fest and Christmas concerts. Add our usual funeral and Lenten service participation and Christmas caroling at our local Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and Aase Haugen Home, Wellington Place and Eastern Star to complete our schedule.
- 2010: The Biennial Sangerfest was held at the Overture Center in Madison, WI for three days in June. Concert sites included Rushford (MN) Lutheran, St. John’s Lutheran (Sumner), St. John’s Lutheran (Richland Center, WI), and Washington Prairie Lutheran in rural Decorah which also hosted our Luren family Christmas party.
- 2011: Three funerals, two Lenten services and an ordination were interspersed with concerts at Central Lutheran (Winona, MN), Trinity Lutheran (Spring Grove, MN), and a Christmas concert at Decorah Lutheran Church. Singing at the welcoming ceremonies for King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway during their visit to Decorah was certainly a highlight.
- 2012: St. Charles, IL was the site for the Sangerfest held at Pheasant Run Resort. Concert sites included Waukon High School with their concert choir, St. Peter Lutheran (Prairie du Chien, WI), Our Savior’s Lutheran (La Crosse, WI), Trinity Lutheran (Spring Grove, MN) Nazareth Lutheran (Cedar Falls) and a Christmas event at Elkader. We even sang for our director, Dr. David Judisch’s Luther College retirement celebration at the Steyer Opera House in Decorah.
- 2013: Annual events continue to be a big part of the Luren schedule. Our Norsemen (30th annual), Nordic Fest (47th annual) and Christmas at St. Mary’s Catholic in Caledonia, MN (could we have celebrated as early as 1868???) were supplemented with concerts at Bethlehem Lutheran (Lanesboro, MN), Zalmona Presbyterian (rural Waukon), Trinity Lutheran (Stevens Point, WI), First Lutheran (Eau Claire, WI), Coon Prairie church (Westby, WI), and a joint concert with Northern Lights, the women’s community chorus of NE Iowa.
- 2014: The 60th Biennial Sangerfest was held June 12-15 at Ted Mann Concert Hall on the U. of Minnesota campus. Unique events were our participation in the Bodo Domkoret concert at First Lutheran Church in Decorah, a joint concert in Westby, WI with Molde-Fuglset Mannskor, a community concert with the Viroqua Men’s Chorus (WI), and a live broadcast by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation at FLC with the FLC choir, the Northern Lights, and the Good Shepherd choir.
Other concert sites were Our Savior’s Lutheran (La Crosse, WI), Nazareth Lutheran (Cedar Falls) and a Christmas concert at Decorah Lutheran Church. - 2015: The Luren trip to Norway from June 16-29 was certainly a highlight. We arrived in Trondheim and departed from Oslo with an overnight stop in Reykjavik, Iceland. Five concerts were held including Brekstad, Molde, Balestrand, Vangsyrkja and Eldsberg.
Other concerts included Rushford (MN) Lutheran, West Clermont Lutheran (Clermont), Hesper (MN) Lutheran, a Christmas concert at Mabel (MN) Lutheran and a very successful joint Luren, Northern Lights and Decorah Chorale concert at Decorah Lutheran Church. - 2016: Sangerfest #61 was held in Sioux Falls, SD. Concert sites included St. Patrick’s (Waukon), North Presbyterian (La Crosse, WI), Nazareth Lutheran (Cedar Falls), Charter House (Rochester, MN) and our Christmas event at St. Peter Lutheran in Eldorado. Luren also sang at the grand piano dedication at Decorah Lutheran Church.
- 2017: Luren continues it’s many traditions with our 34th annual concert with the Norsemen from Luther College, the 51st annual Nordic Fest in Decorah and an annual Christmas concert, this year at Decorah Lutheran Church. Caroling at the nursing homes in Decorah continued as well. Additional concerts were sung at United Methodist (Sumner), Greenfield Lutheran (Harmony, MN), Our Savior’s Lutheran (Lansing), and Trinity Lutheran (Spring Grove, MN).
- 2018: Luren celebrates their 150th year with a banquet in April. We host the 62nd Biennial Sangerfest from May 31-June 2 in Decorah as well. With the inclusion of both high school and middle school singers, our Norsemen event in May is renamed Decorah Men Sing. Concert sites include Rochester, MN, Arlington (St. John’s Lutheran), and twice in Spring Grove, MN, (Trinity Lutheran) first for the Hallingdal Lag in August and again at Christmas.
- 2019: A Friendship Tour from June 6-8 included concerts at First Lutheran Church (Onalaska, WI), Stoughton Opera House (Stoughton WI), and Evangelical Lutheran Church (Mt. Horub, WI). Greenfield Lutheran (Harmony,MN), Trinity Lutheran (Spring Grove, MN) and Decorah Lutheran Church also hosted the Luren Singing Society.
- 2020: Luren sang at the Frankville Presbyterian Church on March 11, 2020. On March 14th, the Luren Singing Society suspended in person rehearsals, following guidance from hospitals and government authorities to prevent spreading disease. We began holding on-line rehearsals via Zoom on April 13th, keeping the society connected throughout the upcoming year. Sangerfest in Madison was postponed for two years. A virtual choir was contemplated and tested on Zoom and with online recording. An attempt was made at outdoor rehersals, but it was given up in favor of online meetings.
- 2021: On May 24, fourteen months after the last time we sang in-person together, Luren began holding outdoor rehearsals in the parking garage beneath Decorah Public Library. Luren performed at Nordic fest outdoors. We began singing unmasked again if desired, but maintaining physical distance from each other. Our most triumphal event, was our Dec.12th Christmas Concert, in which we wore masks to protect our audience as well as fellow singers.
- 2022: The 63rd Biennial Sangerfest in Madison, Wisconsin in June. Luren resumed rehearsals in February in person at Decorah Lutheran and First Lutheran Churches. Luren performed in Spring Grove and prepared for a triumphant Sangerfest presence, proving our society remained strong during the trials of the previous two years. Luren Singers revived a long-standing tradition of a Mother’s Day Concert, this time with the Luther College Norskkor, High School Bass Clef Ensembles, and Middle School Viking Voices. Luren’s in person rehearsals resumed in the fall, with many public events.
- 2023: A Luren Singing Society tour to Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia.