Decorah High School graduate researching Luther Nordic Choir's first European tour

Luther College senior Aidan Spencer from Decorah is creating a documentary about Luther Nordic Choir's first tour of Europe in 1967, recounting the trip to Norway, West Germany and East Germany, led by Luther Professor Emeritus of Music Weston Noble.

Spencer, the daughter of Matthew Spencer and Randi Berg, is a 2014 graduate of Decorah High School and Pleasant Valley Homeschoolers. She is majoring in music at Luther.

"This project has captured hundreds of stories from people both past and present, stories about what it was like to live in the 1960's for better or for worse, and stories of music, laughter and love. I have listened to the stories of this tour countless times and they still make me laugh and bring tears to my eyes," said Spencer.

Spencer is working with Luther professor of history Jacqueline Wilkie on her project "To This Day: Remembering Nordic Choir's First International Tour."

In the third summer of this research, Spencer and Wilkie are producing an hour-long documentary and a pamphlet to commemorate the tour. The documentary will be premiered at Luther's homecoming this fall. Spencer and Wilkie have conducted more than 25 interviews, gathered archival material and analyzed artifacts over the past two summers to help in creating a script for the documentary. Her interviews will help contribute to the Luther College Archive, and get a better understanding of student life, choir tours and study abroad programs from 50 years ago.