Wartburg’s four touring music ensembles include the Wartburg Choir, Castle Singers, Wind Ensemble, and Kammerstreicher. These ensembles schedule international tours every three years during the four-week May Term. The tours offer course credit as educational travel opportunities. U.S. tours during the other years showcase musicians throughout the country with appearances in many of the great concert halls.
MUSIC ENSEMBLE TOURS
Ensemble Tours Contact
Sarah Bouska
Music Tour, Camp, and Promotion Manager
100 Wartburg Blvd
PO Box 1003
Waverly, IA 50677-0903
sarah.bouska@wartburg.edu
Office: 319-352-8743
Cell: 641-420-8140
2023 ENSEMBLE TOURS
Select an ensemble tour below for event and venue details. All concerts are freewill unless noted otherwise. Ticketed concerts are general admission (no reserved seats) and will call tickets will be available at the door. Online sales end 24 hours prior to the event. Door sales will be available for all concerts and credit cards are accepted. Ticket sales and donations support student scholarships and future tours.
Friday, Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m.
St. Matthew Lutheran Church
127 S. High St.
Galena, Ill.
Featuring the Galena High School Concert Choir
Lilly Streich, director
Saturday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church
550 Lincoln Dr.
Sun Prairie, Wis.
Sunday, Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m. Worship
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church
550 Lincoln Dr.
Sun Prairie, Wis.
Friday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
301 1st St. N.W.
Waverly
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
St. Paul Lutheran Church
2136 Brady St.
Davenport
Sunday, Feb. 26
10 a.m. Worship, 3 p.m. Concert
Brazil First United Methodist Church
201 N. Meridian St.
Brazil, Ind.
Featuring the Northview Knight Singers and Knight Shades Choir
Brenda Buchanan ’90, director
Monday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
908 Murfreesboro Road
Franklin, Tenn.
Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.
Messiah Lutheran Church
6670 Vaughn Road
Montgomery, Ala.
Thursday, March 2, 7 p.m.
Messiah Lutheran Church
3701 FL-390
Panama City, Fla.
Friday, March 3, 7 p.m.
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
3976 Hendricks Ave.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Saturday, March 4, 6 p.m.
Mary, Queen of the Universe
Basilica and National Shrine
8300 Vineland Ave.
Orlando, Fla.
Friday, March 24, 7:30 p.m.
St. Olaf Lutheran Church
Austin, Minn.
Featuring the Blue Earth HS Concert Choir
Saturday, March 25, 7:30 p.m.
The Basilica of St. Mary
Minneapolis, Minn.
Featuring the St. Michael-Albertvillle High School Concert Choir
Sunday, March 26, 10:30 a.m.
Worship Service
Central Lutheran Church
Minneapolis, Minn.
Sunday, April 16, 2 p.m.
Home Concert
Wartburg Chapel
Wartburg College
Friday, April 28, 8 p.m.
Amphitheater Ioannis Despotopoulos
The Athens Conservatory
Athens, Greece
Tuesday, May 2, 7 p.m.
Church of Aghios Georgios
Corfu, Greece
Friday, May 5, noon
Naples Conservatory
Naples, Italy
Saturday, May 6, 5 p.m.
St. Peter’s Basilica (Mass)
Rome, Italy
Sunday, May 7, 9 p.m.
Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
Rome, Italy
Monday, May 8, 1:30 p.m.
Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Assisi, Italy
Tuesday, May 9, 9 p.m.
Chiesa di San Salvatore Ognissanti
Florence, Italy
Wednesday, May 10, 10:30 a.m.
Cathedral of Pisa (Mass)
Pisa, Italy
Friday, May 12, 6 p.m.
San Rocco Church
Venice, Italy
Sunday, May 14, 5 p.m.
Andräkirche
Salzburg, Austria
Monday, May 15, 7 p.m.
St. Laurentiuskirche
Neuendettelsau, Germany
Wednesday, May 17, 7 p.m.
Predigerkirche
Erfurt, Germany
Thursday, May 18, 7:30 p.m.
The Wartburg Castle
Eisenach, Germany
Friday, May 19, 7:30 p.m.
Georgenkirche
Eisenach, Germany
All concerts will take a free-will offering unless noted otherwise.
Saturday, April 22
Afternoon/Evening Rehearsal
St. Andrews Lutheran Church
900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi, Minn.
Sunday, April 23
9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Worship
St. Andrews Lutheran Church
900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi, Minn.
3 p.m. St. Paul Chamber Orchestra with Abel Selaocoe
Monday, April 24
10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Clinic
Jefferson High School
4001 W. 102nd St. Minneapolis, Minn.
Tuesday, April 25
7 p.m. Concert
St. John’s Lutheran Church
312 S. Third St., Evansville, Wis.
Wednesday, April 26
Concert TBD
Edgerton High School
200 Elm High Dr., Edgerton, Wis.
Thursday, April 27
8:25-10:10 a.m. Clinic
William Fremd High School
1000 S. Quentin Rd., Palatine, Ill.
Friday, April 28
7:30 p.m. Northwestern Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concert
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall
50 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston, Ill.
Saturday, April 28
1:30 p.m. Concert
Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park
5500 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago, Ill.
6:45 p.m. – Pre-Concert Lecture in Main Hall
8 pm. – Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Vladimir Jurowski
Symphony Center
220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill.
All concerts will take a free-will offering unless noted otherwise.
Ritterchor
Saturday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.
Zumbro Lutheran Church
624 3rd Ave. SW
Rochester, Minn.
Sunday, March 19, 8:30 a.m. Worship
Zumbro Lutheran Church
624 3rd Ave. SW
Rochester, Minn.
Sunday, March 19, 3 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran Church
213 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
Mason City
Featuring Mason City HS Concert Choir
Sunday, April 2, 4 p.m.
Home Concert
Wartburg Chapel
Waverly
St. Elizabeth Chorale
Friday, March 17, 7 p.m.
St. Peter Lutheran Church
3200 Asbury Road
Dubuque
Saturday, March 18, 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 19, 9:15 a.m.
Christ the King Lutheran Church
601 S. Washington Street
Combined Locks, Wis.
Sunday, April 2, 2 p.m.
Home Concert
Wartburg Chapel
Waverly
TOURING ENSEMBLES
CASTLE SINGERS
Under the direction of Dr. Nicki Bakko Toliver, the group prepares a variety of repertoire from Byrd to The Beatles and beyond. Composed of advanced vocalists who are dedicated to exploring challenging choral literature. The Castle Singers tour the United States annually and travel overseas during the college’s May Term. Previous international tours included countries throughout Western and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Latin America, Australia and French Polynesia.
KAMMERSTREICHER
Kammerstreicher means “chamber strings” and is Wartburg’s auditioned string chamber orchestra. Under the direction of Dr. Rebecca Nederhiser, Kammerstreicher is comprised of Wartburg’s top string students. Repertoire includes music from the Baroque to modern day, with focus on collaboration.
WARTBURG CHOIR
A mixed a cappella ensemble under the direction of Dr. Lee Nelson, the Wartburg Choir has performed in Europe, South Africa, Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Symphony Center in Chicago, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The choir was invited to sing in the White House and the National Cathedral in 2011 and join the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague for a concert in 2006.
WIND ENSEMBLE
The college’s top wind and percussion players perform in the Wartburg College Wind Ensemble under the direction of Prof. Jeff de Seriere. The Wind Ensemble became the first Wartburg music group to perform in Japan and China. Its European tours have included performances at St. George’s Church in Eisenach, Germany, home of the Wartburg Castle and birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Wind Ensemble also has performed in Austria, the Czech Republic, England, and at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.
LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCES
At Wartburg, we believe music can heal and connect people in a way no other medium can. Ensemble tours are an important aspect of a Wartburg education.
MAKING CONNECTIONS THROUGH MUSIC. WORTH IT.
ENSEMBLE DIRECTORS
Karen Black
Cantor and College Organist, Professor of Music, Rudi Inselmann Endowed Professor in Organ
Jeff de Seriere
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music
Rebecca Nederhiser
Assistant Professor of Music
Lee Nelson
Professor of Music / Zahn Chair in Choral Conducting
Nicki Toliver
Associate Professor of Music / Associate Director of Choral Activities