The Dorian Vocal Festival is an event that takes place late January at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. This is an exceptional event of over 200 schools within Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Missouri, and others. There was about 1,000 students attending with each section having about 200. The sections include Soprano 1 & 2, Alto 1 & 2, Tenor 1 & 2, Baritone and Bass.
This spans 2 days, with people staying in dormitories, hotels, or possibly their own homes. Within the festival, there are other activities. Participating in lessons allows you to challenge yourself in front of a college director to further your growth and audition for scholarships or for a solo in the grand concert. The campus cafeteria is a great place to eat and interact with students and faculty at the end of the day. Exploring the campus is also something you can do in your free time.
The grand concert consisted of five songs directed by three directors. “Cover Me in The Night” by Andrea Ramsey, an SATB piece, was directed by Dr. Andrew Last; “Wild Mountain Thyme“ by Karen Marrolli, a TTBB piece, was directed by Mark Potvin featuring a violin performed by one of the Dorian singers; “Never One Thing“ by May Erlewine, an SSA piece, was directed by Jill Wilson featuring a Cajon played by one of the Luther students; “I Am Not There“ written by Mary Elizebeth Fry, arranged by Nick Johnson; “Ring Out, Ye Bells!“ by Marques L.A. Garrett, Samuel Carlton, and Dan Forrest are featuring a Cajon played by a Luther Student. We give thanks to Nicholas Shaneyfelt who was the collaborative pianist playing for the choir those two days.
This year was a little different. Due to the weather, the concert was set at 12 p.m. instead of at 5 p.m. The choir to lost at least two and a half hours of rehearsal, causing spectator attendance to decrease due to the late notice.
