Homecoming Concert

The Waldorf Choir room is empty for now, but many voices will soon fill the area. Photo by Qadeer Omar-Taylor

By: Qadeer Omar-Taylor

As part of Waldorf’s Homecoming week, director David Rutt prepares his talented music students for an exciting and historically significant homecoming concert.

Rutt is fairly new to Waldorf, making this his second year as a Warrior. Officially, Rutt is the Director of Instrumental Studies. Rutt has been teaching music for the past 38 years spending 25 years at Forest City High School and the remaining years at various schools located in Iowa. With so many years of music experience, Rutt makes it clear how exciting this year’s homecoming concert will be.

The concert will take place Saturday Oct. 8 in the Hanson Field House; the concert will begin at 7 p.m. There will be various performances from Sangkor, the Waldorf Choir, Schola Cantorum and the Waldorf Wind Ensemble. Along with that, there will be an Alumni performance open to anyone who has ever been in the Waldorf band.

“Well, it will be really interesting and a lot of fun. We are going to have a good variety, because our choir is celebrating our one-hundredth year of their existence,” said Rutt.

Waldorf Choir is one of the oldest a capella choirs in the country.  A capella is a form of music used without any instruments. “To highlight that, we’re bringing in several former conductors to guest conduct some of the pieces that the choir will be doing. Do I know who they are? I have heard a few rumblings of who they might be–I can tell you it’s going to be kind of a showcase of the history of Waldorf choir,” said Rutt.

As a part of the concert, Bethel Universities band directer, also former Waldorf Director, Steve Thompson will be directing the alumni choir. “I like to pick a variety of music, so it’s not all just one type. It will be a very entertaining and historically significant concert,” said Rutt.

Rutt goes on to say the Waldorf performances are very popular within the college community and Forest City community. Rutt says, “We get good crowds at our concerts, which I’m happy about; it will be a very good event.”

One the next biggest upcoming concerts is “Christmas at Waldorf,” said Rutt. This event will be held the weekend of Dec. 3-4 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Christmas at Waldorf works around a biblical message and is a wonderful holiday performance. Waldorf’s music programs are continuing to grow and become more renounced. There is no doubt that the choir will continue with its unique music history as time goes on.