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Home » Music » Dorian Festivals and Summer Camps » Festivals » Vocal » Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the 2022 Dorian Vocal Festival be rescheduled? 

Yes! Mark your calendar for Monday, March 14, 2022 for Dorian Vocal Festival 2.0!  This modified version of the festival will be a one-day event centered around choral singing and held in the Center for Faith and Life.  Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. and an evening concert will conclude the day at 7:00 p.m.  If overnight accommodations are needed for your group, please explore options in Decorah and surrounding communities, as we are unable to offer housing on-campus.

What will the 2022 Dorian Vocal Festival look like given the COVID-19 pandemic?

We are thrilled to be returning to in-person Dorian events at Luther College! There are additional requirements in place this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

All festival students and attending teachers/chaperones will be required to submit either:
1) proof of a COVID-19 vaccination
OR
2) proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of arrival.

This information will be gathered at registration on the morning of the festival. We will not be storing individual vaccination or testing records, we will simply be checking off that all attendees met the requirement by submitting one of these records. Students and/or teachers/chaperones who fail to provide this information will not be permitted to attend the festival. After the roster has been set, more details will be shared about the actual process for submitting these records as well as options for acquiring a COVID test.

It is becoming more and more likely that masks will be required during the festival, but this depends on Luther’s COVID alert level at the time of the festival. If we are in level blue (minimal COVID spread), which is what we were at the start of the semester until November 5, then masks will not be required for festival participants. If we are in level green or higher (increased COVID spread), which we are currently at and have been since November 5, then masks will be required for festival participants. These alert levels are determined by both campus COVID-19 indicators and county COVID-19 indicators. To view Luther’s current COVID alert level at any time, you can reference the banner at the top of Luther’s website at luther.edu. You can learn more on Luther’s Being Community website. Please prepare your students to mask for the festival, as it is likely that our COVID alert level will require masking.

Who is in the Festival Choir, and how are they nominated?

  • In a typical year, approximately 1,000 singers from approximately 230 schools are accepted into the festival choir. This year, the festival choir might be slightly smaller based on nomination numbers and on-campus housing availability.
  • Juniors and seniors are nominated by their school choir directors.
  • Membership is based on the ranking and recommendations of the student’s director and the needs of the Festival Choir.

How many students can be nominated from one school?

We do not set a limit on how many students you can nominate for the festival, but based on numbers that we have been able to accept in previous years, we suggest nominating between 4 and 8 students from one school. A nomination is not a guarantee of acceptance to the festival.

What is the optional solo/mini-lesson and Scholarship audition?

( For the rescheduled 3.14.22 event there will be no solo/mini-lessons.)

(Scholarship auditions can be accommodated for the 3.14.22 event and will take place at 9am)

  • Scholarship applicants sing one piece for a Luther voice faculty member in a 15-minute private voice lesson.
  • The prepared solo should be thoroughly prepared and memorized or near-memorized in order for the lesson to be useful.
  • The prepared solo should be accompanied either by their choir teacher or by a Luther student accompanist.
  • A Luther student accompanist can be hired for a $15 fee if requested by March 7th, 2022.
  • A solo/mini-lesson can also be used as an official Luther Music Scholarship audition for seniors.

What is the festival repertoire, and how do schools obtain it?

Due to the time compression for the Rescheduled Dorian Vocal Festival, directors are asked to order these festival selections from JW Pepper:

Singers, Arise! by Victor C. Johnson

Love: Then and Still by Susan LaBarr

There's Gonna be a Homecomin' by Kyle Pederson

Where do directors and students stay during the festival?

(There will be no overnight housing at Luther  for the Rescheduled Dorian Vocal Festival.)

  • For those who want to arrive Sunday night, Off-campus housing options in local hotels, Bed and Breakfasts, and Airbnbs are available to directors and students. In town, we have Comfort Inn and Suites, Country Inn and Suites, Fairfield Inn and Suites, Hotel Winneshiek, and Super 8. Teachers have also had good luck with local Bed and Breakfasts and Airbnb.

Can a student attend the festival without their school or their teacher? 

A teacher nomination is required for a student to be considered for the festival, but a student's choir teacher does not necessarily have to attend the festival with the student. Having said that, every student attending the Dorian Vocal Festival must have a teacher, parent, or chaperone with them in town for the duration of the festival. This policy is in place so that there is someone in town to take care of the student in the case of an emergency. Likewise, if there is a behavioral issue that would result in the student being removed from the festival, an adult must be present to take the student home.

What are the fees associated with the festival?

To learn more about the 2022 Dorian Vocal Festival fees, download this form.

When are the festival concerts and how are tickets obtained?

Monday March 14th, 7:00 p.m. Dorian Vocal Festival  Grand Concert (Main Hall, CFL)

  • Dorian Festival Choir
  • Luther College Nordic Choir

Admission by ticket only.

  • Directors and chaperones will receive tickets to the concert when they arrive. 
  • Due to the reschedule there are plenty of tickets available. Tickets are  $10 on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit the Luther College Ticket Office Website to purchase your tickets.  WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ATTEND THE LIVE EVENT.
  • The concert will be live streamed on the Luther College Music Department YouTube channel for those who are unable to acquire a ticket to the concert.

Is the Festival Grand Concert live streamed?

The festival grand concert is live streamed on the Luther College Music Department YouTube channel.

What is concert attire?

  • Concert attire is the following: Option A: A collared shirt with nice dress pants. Ties are encouraged. Option B: A nice blouse with dress pants/skirt or a dress. Black and white is not a requirement for concert attire.