NDSU Performing Arts

Our own Dr. Dwight Jilek is presenting a pre-conference session at the ACDA of Minnesota Summer Dialogue in July! Register for “Fully Present at the Podium: Engaging Your Whole Person” to explore core conducting techniques that help engage your singers physically and emotionally in the learning and performing process. Seats are limited. Register here: https://bit.ly/49YyYmB

Join us at Summer Dialogue 2026 for Back to Basics: Nuts & Bolts 🎶

Join Dr. Dwight Jilek in exploring conducting and rehearsal techniques to fully engage and inspire you and your singers to bring the music to life! Participants will conduct, rehearse, and sing in an ensemble, exploring the following:
- Basic core principles of how gesture affects sound
- Learning quick adaptations in gesture to enable free and confident singing in multiple styles
- Experiencing rehearsal techniques that engage you and the singers completely (physically and emotionally) in the learning and performing process
- Accessing the “why” in what we do, and using it to feed our musical inspiration and be fully present at the podium

Space for this session is limited, so register today! https://acda-mn.com/summer-dialogue-registration/

Our adjunct piano professor Dr. Thiago André Ferreira recently had the honor of managing the 2026 PianoArts Competition & Music Festival in Milwaukee, WI, with our grad student Cody Pepitone along to assist! Contestants from countries like China, Israel, Vietnam, and the United States participated. This is another great example of how our faculty and students continue to “do the work” in their creative fields, represent NDSU, and offer their artistic talents during the summer!

📸: Pat Robinson

🇳🇴 Day 10 – Bergen, Norway | Our Last Full Day on Tour

It’s hard to believe our final full day in Norway and Sweden has arrived. This tour has been filled with unforgettable moments, and Day 10 was a perfect way to bring it all together.

After breakfast overlooking Bergen’s harbor, we explored the city on a guided tour, visiting the famous fish market, the historic Bryggen waterfront district, and landmarks connected to Norway’s rich musical and cultural heritage. With sunshine and temperatures in the mid-60s, it was a beautiful day to experience Bergen.

That evening, we joined Ole Bull Kammerkor for our final concert abroad at Bergen Cathedral. Alongside each choir’s individual selections, we came together to perform “Ned i Vester Soli Glader” and “The Road Home.” Performing in the centuries-old cathedral was an unforgettable experience and a fitting conclusion to our international tour.

The concert held special meaning for many of our seniors and graduating members as we reflected on the friendships, memories, and music that brought us to this moment. Thank you, seniors, for your leadership, dedication, and lasting impact on Concert Choir.

After the concert, we gathered with members of Ole Bull Kammerkor along Bergen’s waterfront to celebrate an incredible week of music and friendship. We shared stories, sang songs, made new friends, and even witnessed a few brave choir members jump into the fjord! The evening also included a special Norwegian wedding song for Carlie and Carlin, who became engaged earlier that day. Congratulations!

This tour has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent NDSU, North Dakota, and the United States while sharing music and building friendships across Norway and Sweden.

Thank you to everyone who followed along on our journey. We’ll see you this fall.

Go Bison! 🦬

Days 8 & 9 🇳🇴

Our journey through Norway’s fjord country continued with a stop at the stunning Bøyabreen Glacier, where we were able to see one of the many arms of the massive Jostedalsbreen Glacier up close. Along the way, we enjoyed an included lunch surrounded by some of Norway’s incredible mountain scenery before visiting the historic Hopperstad Stave Church, a remarkable wooden church dating back to the 1100s.

The next day, we cruised through Nærøyfjord, one of the narrowest and most beautiful fjords in the world, surrounded by towering mountains, waterfalls, and small villages tucked into the landscape. After lunch in Flåm, we traveled aboard the famous Flåm Railway, taking in spectacular views as we made our way toward Bergen.

From glaciers and fjords to centuries of history and unforgettable views, these two days showcased some of the very best scenery Norway has to offer.

Only a few posts left from our incredible Norway and Sweden tour. Thank you all for following along and sharing this journey with us. Roll Herd! 💚💛

After months of planning and rehearsing, the 2026 International Choir Tour to Sweden and Norway is complete! 🇸🇪🇳🇴 The NDSU Concert Choir performed its final concert last night in Bergen, Norway, with the Ole Bull Kammerkor at the stunning Bergen Cathedral.

Thank you to everyone who made this tour a success, including NDSU - The Office of Global Programs and Services, Gateway Music Festivals & Tours, and all of our amazing hosts in Sweden and Norway. It was an honor to perform for you in your glorious part of the world. Go Bison! 🤘

Day 7 brought us deep into the heart of Norway’s fjord country. We spent the day winding through dramatic mountain roads, cruising through Geirangerfjord by ferry, and taking in views that genuinely felt unreal. Even with the rain and fog rolling through the mountains, the scenery somehow became even more breathtaking.

Some of our choir members also took the Loen Skylift, one of the steepest cable cars in the world, climbing over 3,300 feet above the fjord in just a few minutes. At the top, we were greeted with panoramic views of snow-covered peaks, waterfalls, winding roads, and the fjords stretching far below the clouds.

That evening, we enjoyed a traditional Norwegian buffet dinner at our Hotel before ending the night with a Norwegian folklore show featuring traditional Norwegian dance and the Hardanger fiddle, one of Norway’s most iconic folk instruments. Another unforgettable day on tour! 🇳🇴

At NDSU Performing Arts, our faculty don’t just teach music and theatre. They’re out there doing the work, especially in the summer. For Theatre NDSU faculty member Tiffany Fier, this means working at the American Players Theatre – a Wisconsin-based theatre organization that recently won the 2026 Regional Theatre Tony Award.

“Working with such a high caliber of performers, designers, and artisans allows me to bring that level of expectation to my Design and Tech students and to their creative work,” Fier says.

Read more:

Theatre where NDSU faculty member works wins prestigious Tony award Stories May 26, 2026 Theatre where NDSU faculty member works wins prestigious Tony award At NDSU Performing Arts, our faculty don’t just teach music or theatre. They’re also out there doing the work. Whether it’s directing a theatre production, teaching at International Music Camp, or performi...