By Emily Christensen

The Wartburg Choir in Germany: Celebrating 500 Years of the Reformation premiered to a nearly full McCaskey Lyceum to wrap up the college’s Homecoming & Family Weekend celebration in October. 

The one-hour documentary, produced by the college’s Marketing & Communication Office, follows the choir on its 2017 May Term tour through several German towns with strong ties to the college and the Reformation, including Wittenberg, Eisenach, and Neuendettelsau. The video project was funded by Mike and Marge McCoy and Bill Hamm ’66. Mark Lehmann ’74 served as the travel manager and translator, and Travis Graven ’01 narrated the film. 

“Even though I was never in choir, I have been going to choir concerts my whole life, and I am very impressed with the Wartburg Choir,” Hamm said. “We know the Wartburg Choir is world-class, but this was a fine product that any college would be proud to put out.”

The documentary boasts 13 songs, including Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott and Ain’t No Grave, performed in locations like the Wartburg Castle and the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Interviews with Dr. Lee Nelson, Wartburg Choir director and Patricia R. Zahn Endowed Chair in Choral Conducting; Lord Mayor of Eisenach Katja Wolf; the McCoys; Wartburg President Darrel and Christy Colson; and several Wartburg students are used to explain the importance of the Reformation in the Lutheran religion and the meaning behind the chosen concert locations. 

The McCoys agreed that there was an added excitement on this trip, knowing there would be “something wonderful at the end of it that we all would be able to enjoy for years down the road.”   

The McCoys, who accompanied the choir for much of the 13 days of taping as part of an alumni tour led by the Rev. Larry Trachte ’66, retired Wartburg pastor, attended five choir concerts in Germany. 

“Seeing them never gets old. It’s fresh all the time,” Mike McCoy said. “The energy these kids have day in and day out is incredible.” 

“We thought the documentary was fabulous. The scenes were breathtaking, the sound was phenomenal, and of course listening to the choir again was special,” Marge McCoy said. “We found ourselves wanting to clap at the conclusion of each song. It felt like we were back in Germany with the choir again.”

Though the choir tour lasted well beyond the sites highlighted in the video, Nelson said singing in these historical settings with deep ties to the college was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for his students. 

“It was a tremendous honor to have the choir sing in these incredible venues during the historic 500th anniversary of the Reformation, and having the sights, sounds, and emotions captured so beautifully on camera is a treasured gift,” he said.