Concordia University, Nebraska

Collaboration is one of the most exciting parts of musicianship. Concordia University, Nebraska offers many collaboration opportunities for musicians throughout the year, including a chamber recital for student-led ensembles and several joint concerts between university ensembles. On April 21, the University Mixed Chorus will collaborate in a combined concert with the Concordia Handbell Choir and the Concordia Ringers.

Much of developing the young musician is inspiring the confidence for them to create art without the constant supervision of a professional. Concordia University, Nebraska's music department does this by offering many student-led ensemble and performance opportunities. One example of this is the university's composers recital. This recitals occurs once per semester. The composers recital is a non-auditioned recital but is typically reserved for students who are enrolled in composition lessons. Those students are required to participate. The composers recital usually features a wide range of styles and instrumentations. This year's event will include works for choir, strings, piano and brass.

Concordia University, Nebraska's instrumental ensembles offer community members multiple opportunities to hear a variety of instrumental repertoire. Instrumental music allows the audience to fit their own experiences, narratives and emotions into the music, free of the constraints of lyrical specificity. The Concordia University, Nebraska University Orchestra will present its spring concert on Saturday, April 18, and the University Wind Symphony will perform its spring concert the following day on Sunday, April 19. The orchestra concert will be at 2 p.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward. The program features two main works Joseph Haydn's "Symphony no. 49" and Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring Suite." Each of these pieces are staples of symphonic repertoire.

Providing opportunities to experience different cultures as well as a variety of academic disciplines is important to forming a well-rounded student. Concordia University, Nebraska students were recently provided an opportunity to travel to London for a week-long study abroad experience.

On Saturday, March 28, Concordia University, Nebraska hosted the annual Northern Plains Collegiate Media Association (NPCMA) conference. This is the fourth time in nine years that Concordia Nebraska has hosted the event. This year, the conference featured a variety of panel discussions, a keynote speaker and an awards ceremony.

Concordia University, Nebraska Speech and Debate team broke onto the podium at the 2026 Kansas-Nebraska Intercollegiate Forensics Association (KNIFA) State Tournament. The team broke 15 entries across 8 events. Concordia took 19 students with 43 entries across all events, which is a new record for team participation. The event took place in Manhattan, Kansas, on February 14.

More than 300 students attended Concordia University, Nebraska's recent church work student luncheon on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. The event included networking opportunities, a taco and nacho lunch buffet and remarks by Mick Onnen of Lutheran Hour Ministries of Nebraska.

Concordia University, Nebraska senior Emma Kirby has made a variety of professional and personal connections in her time at the university. These connections have strengthened her professional and personal development.

Concordia University, Nebraska's theatre department will present a wide range of performances during the spring semester, including a full-length feature production, a one-act play festival, a variety of improv shows and more.

David Marin of Seward, Nebraska always had a feeling he would end up at Concordia University, Nebraska. Now in his junior year at the university, Marin is an active member of the Concordia community, serving as a Resident Assistant (RA) and as a member of the Programming Team and participating in intramural sports.

Concordia University, Nebraska senior Logan DeCoste came to Concordia because he was drawn to the football program. Four years later, he has found a variety of professional connections and opportunities within the criminal justice program and made personal connections that have deepened his faith.

Concordia University, Nebraska's University A Cappella Choir will wrap up their spring 2026 tour with two home concerts on Sunday, March 22.

Concordia University, Nebraska's premier instrumental ensemble, the University Wind Symphony, will tour through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri on their upcoming 2026 tour April 8-12.

Junior Morgan Rohde of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is studying elementary education with music concentration at Concordia University, Nebraska. She is also pursuing her Lutheran Teacher Diploma. She has been a member of the University A Cappella Choir for three years.

Founded in 1938, the Concordia University, Nebraska A Cappella Choir performs both sacred and secular choral music throughout the United States and internationally. The choir's members are selected by audition at the start of each fall semester. One of America's oldest touring Lutheran college choirs, the University A Cappella Choir has performed concerts and joined congregations in worship throughout the United States (including Hawaii) and internationally in Greece, Italy, France, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Austria, Spain, Mexico, South Africa and Australia.

Senior studio art major Ava Bartels is preparing to wrap up her studies at Concordia University, Nebraska and will be hosting her senior art show on March 29. The exhibition will be conducted in Concordia's Marxhausen Gallery from 1 - 4 p.m., and Bartels will give a talk explaining the artwork at 2 p.m. Refreshments will be offered.

Lauren Dawson '24 said that at one point in time, she was vehemently opposed to the idea of attending Concordia University, Nebraska. Now she has two degrees from the university and serves as an English teacher in a Muslim country and credits the university for strengthening her faith and preparing her for her current service.

Senior Nora Fingerlin of Parker, Colorado, is studying biochemistry at Concordia University, Nebraska. She is a member of the athletic training team at the university and was previously involved in the university's Luke Scholars honors program.

The National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) conducted their annual conference in Boca Raton, Florida, from January 21-23. This year, four Concordia University, Nebraska students, Kayla Korb, Brianna Pike, Cole Buckley and Ardin Mignea, attended the conference. One of the main draws to the conference for the students was the opportunity to build their network of professional connections and to learn from people with many years of experience in their chosen career.

Concordia University, Nebraska's esports team participated in five competitions in Fall 2025: Super Smash Bros, League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League and Marvel Rivals. Each team competes in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC), with regular season league play spanning 8 weeks followed by playoffs.

Concordia University, Nebraska's internationally acclaimed A Cappella Choir will travel throughout Wyoming, California, Nevada and Colorado on their spring 2026 tour from March 5-15.

Concordia Nebraska sophomore Ethan Olson of Juniata, Nebraska, chose the university because of the opportunity to study physics and math and play football for the Bulldogs. "I chose to study at Concordia because I love the Christian culture and the people on campus. I also had the best scholarship offer and a chance to play football," he said. "Concordia is different from other universities because the Word of God is talked about and presented everywhere by students and staff. Concordia's physics department is different from other universities because we are taught to understand the world God created and the physical laws He set in place from the beginning of time."

From February 20-23, Concordia University, Nebraska's Chamber Choir will tour through Iowa, Indiana and Illinois as a part of their spring 2026 tour. Their tour involves a series of concerts, worship services and assemblies. Students in the Chamber choir are representative of a variety of academic studies across the university. Members are chosen by audition, and all are members of the internationally acclaimed A Cappella Choir.

Prior to coming to Concordia University, Nebraska freshman Emma Fiala lived in Herculaneum, Missouri, for 11 years, but she calls Brezno, Slovakia, home. She is majoring in secondary education with an endorsement in mathematics, minoring in physics and earning a Lutheran Teacher Diploma (LTD). She is the university's Luke Scholars honors program, Cantamus women's choir, Mixed Chorus and does technical crew lighting for the university's theater program.

Concordia University, Nebraska recently named 267 students to its honors list for the Fall 2025 semester. Students must earn a 3.90 GPA or higher while also completing a minimum of 12 credit hours to be eligible for this list.

Concordia University, Nebraska's Lighthouse Club raised over $12,500 in December 2025 with their Dressember fundraiser. Dressember is an anti-human trafficking fundraising and awareness campaign that is connected to the nonprofit International Justice Mission. Dressember is intended to encourage conversation by participants wearing dresses, ties and skirts for a day or the whole month of December.

In December 2025, Uzziah Ag Scholar Benjamin Steffens attended the Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

Freshman Camryn Beikmann hails from Palmer, Kansas, although her family moved to Pierce, Nebraska, last summer. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in elementary education and Lutheran Teacher Diploma from Concordia University, Nebraska. She is also in Concordia Ringers and is in the Luke Scholars honor program.

Concordia Nebraska Associate Professor of Agricultural Science Dr. Kim Clark, Professor of Education Dr. Amanda Geidel, adjunct instructor Jason Hirschfeld '22 and four university education students, Jenna Muntz, Kailyn King, Lane Schoff and Jesse Herndon, recently enjoyed an experience of a lifetime. The group partnered with Nebraska Public Media in Lincoln to create curriculum to support an hour-long documentary called "Steak Science." "This is a film about the beef industry in Nebraska," explained Geidel. "Through Jason's collaborative efforts, Nebraska Public Media decided to partner with our students to develop curriculum that would go along with the documentary. The project began in September. Students developed their lessons, each covering a different segment of the film. They pitched their lessons at NPM to get feedback, tweaked them, and then each student taught their lesson to two different ag classes in Nebraska schools." The project culminated with a final meeting where Concordia students shared about presenting their lessons in the schools. Clark said the group discussed the possibility of partnering with NPM for future projects to develop additional documentaries for use by Nebraska teachers. "This project is a testament of the academic success at Concordia in the agricultural program and other academic areas," said Clark. The Steak Science video is available on Nebraska Public Media's webpage. The student-developed curriculum will soon be available for public use. "I was so proud of these students and thrilled to see how amazing this opportunity was for them," said Geidel. "The NPM team didn't have enough words to express their admiration for our students, professors and program at Concordia. It was awesome!" "The recognition these students have and will receive from this collaboration is something they should be proud of," added Clark. "These students have applied their knowledge through this project and enhanced skills such as planning, collaboration, communication, network and many more."

Freshman Emily Lindau of Omaha, Nebraska, is majoring in secondary education with theology and history endorsements at Concordia University, Nebraska. She is also pursuing a Lutheran Teacher Diploma and is part of the university's Luke Scholars honors program. She is a member of the University A Cappella Choir and The Attic Team. She chose to study at Concordia Nebraska following recommendations from mentors who cited the university's matchless community and welcoming atmosphere. "It was immediately apparent to me that everyone here wants newcomers to be a part of the 'inner ring' of culture, rather than putting them down for not knowing what's going on," she explained. "Concordia Nebraska also allows me to get to know a lot of other current and future church workers and learn in a smaller classroom setting. I was encouraged to go into church work, so coming here to meet the people I will work with my whole career just made sense!" Lindau said that she has been blessed to meet many students on campus who are all very excited about serving in church work in variety ways. She added that dorm life is a wonderfully immersive experience that allows her to enjoy daily life with like-minded friends. Even when the homework piles up and the days are filled with challenges, she said she receives constant encouragement and support. "I have a professor who consistently reminds me of the reason I am really here so I do not get caught up in all the stress of grades as much," she said. She said her short time on campus has strengthened and developed her faith in Jesus Christ. "I have several professors that I have talked to about faith outside of the classroom," she explained. "Additionally, the opportunity to be surrounded by worship and Bible study opportunities to attend with my friends has really helped to strengthen my faith community." Lindau's aunt and grandparents all served in church work and have encouraged her to pursue church work as well. Her father is a surgeon and her mom volunteers at the schools Lindau once attended and also serves on various community boards. When she's not studying, you'll find Lindau outside climbing trees, golfing, singing, playing board games, babysitting, reading or crafting with friends. Lindau said she feels blessed to be surrounded by so many current and future church workers, and that the community she is building with those and others is encouraging and uplifting. She dreams of teaching and said each day in class at Concordia prepares her for that future. "I would love to teach in a Lutheran high school, preferably teaching theology and history," she said. "I would like to be in a school that is small enough for me to be able to have a genuine connection with my students. It is really important to me to be heavily involved in whatever school community I am placed in."