The First Luren Singers
On March 17, 1868, four homesick Norwegian immigrants began to sing together regularly, taking the name “Luren” and planting the roots of the Luren Singing Society.
LUREN NEWS!
- Norway's Stavern Mannskor was in Decorah Sept. 27 to perform with Luren
- Luren performance at Grand Theatre in Keokuk, Iowa October 25
- Luren performance at historic Bishop Hill, Illinois October 24
- Luren in Quad Cities performance October 23
- Luren performance in Tomah, Wisconsin November 8
- Conductor David Judisch in 35th year at Luren helm.
- Dan Huebner elected Luren president, Roger Buhr vice president
- Christmas Concert this year another great success
- This year's combined concert with Luther College Norsemen included Twin Cities' Great Northern Union Chorus
- read more...
Present Luren banner.
We Love To Sing!
The Luren Singing Society is North America's oldest, Norwegian-American male chorus now in our 143rd year of continuous existence in the United States. We love to sing!
By the time of its sixth anniversary on March 17, 1874, twenty-five men attended the meeting of this Norwegian-American male chorus, and by October of that year, they were rehearsing twice a week with 22 active members. On November 26, 1874, the Luren Singing Society presented a public concert at Radliff’s Hall in Cresco, Iowa with its first printed program showing 11 choral pieces in Norse and three solos by director Emil Berg. Concert tickets were $.50 with a dance following the concert.
A month later, on December 28, 1874, the Luren Singing Society had its first Decorah concert in the Steyer Opera House. The concert year of 2005-6 was poignant, indeed, for The Luren Singers as we celebrated our 138th anniversary year with Sangerfest activities in the Steyer Opera House (pictured here on our “Pictures” page) as well as our always-moving Christmas concert. Steyer Opera House and the Luren Singers have a history that extends back a long way together, including the role of Joe Steyer as benefactor in helping The Luren Singers to attend the second-ever Sangerfest in Chicago in 1889.
In 1875, a group of creative, talented, women in Decorah made a beautiful, large banner for the Luren Singers; the banner, our first, now hangs in the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.
Over the years, despite ups and downs, times of need and times of plenty, The Luren Singers have distinguished themselves with performances at the World’s Fairs of 1893 and 1964, at decades of Sangerfests, earning a personal note of thanks from Edvard Grieg in 1903, followed in 1905 by award of the Norwegian royal Coronation Medal, and performances many times over the years for members of Norway’s royal family, including the king, both here and in Oslo. Through the difficult years of WWII, The Luren Singing Society was burdened with gas rationing that limited travel for concerts, and by losses of members to death and draft. 1945 marked the first year of the Luren food stand at the Winneshiek County Fair, which has continued to this day to be the major source of income to support our choral work.
The Luren Singers made its first tour of Norway in 1969, and we are anticipating our sixth tour by the summer of 2013. Although most Luren concerts occur around the upper Midwest, we also have performed all over the United States, from the Pacific Northwest, to the Mormon Tabernacle, to New York City. We have sung in some of the most beautiful churches and facilities in America, as well as some of the most modest. We love to sing!
So long as the spirit and love of singing continues to move men like those four at the top of the page, audiences both here and abroad will continue to get to share that enjoyment with The Luren Singers.
(These notes are based on the booklet “140 Years of Luren!” compiled in 2008 by Luren Board member and Historian, Paul Jordahl)