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To This Day: Remembering Nordic Choir's First International Tour

In May 1967 Nordic Choir embarked on its first international tour. They were joined by Luther College faculty, staff, alumni, and students, traveling to Norway, West Germany, and behind the Iron Curtain to East Germany. Only a few had left the country before, most had never left the Midwest.

For six weeks they traveled by air, land, and sea, sharing their music in airport lounges and ancient cathedrals. Under the direction of Weston Noble, the choir not only made excellent music, but experienced the shadows of World War II and the tense geopolitical climate of the 1960's. Countless stories of friendship, loss, laughter, and uncertainty were born from the 1967 tour, but all have a common thread: this was the adventure of a lifetime.

  • Aidan Spencer
    Director
  • Jacqueline Wilkie
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Student
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 7, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Luther College Homecoming
    Decorah, IA
    United States
    October 7, 2017
Director Biography - Aidan Spencer, Jacqueline Wilkie

Aidan Spencer displayed an interest in documentary film-making at an early age, entering films in three consecutive years to the National History Day competition and advancing to the national level in 2014 and 2015. Topics ranged from the birth of the homeschool movement to social dance on the Luther College campus and the history of the St. Olaf choir. Her work has been shown in three previous years of the Oneota Film Festival. She proved to be a natural at collaborative filmmaking and subsequently spent three years working with Luther College History professor Jacqueline Wilkie researching Nordic Choir’s first international tour. This work which combines Spencer’s passion for music, history and cinematography culminated in the documentary film “To This Day”.

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