News

In the summer of 2026, St. Olaf College will once again host the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival (LSM), the nation’s premier faith-based music academy for high school students.

St. Olaf hosted the inaugural season of LSM in 1982, and the academy will return to the Hill next summer for the first time since 1994 in a move that marks a significant new chapter for the program.

“Welcoming back Lutheran Summer Music to campus illustrates both organizations’ commitment to musical excellence and inspiring the next generation of classical musicians,” says St. Olaf President Susan Rundell Singer. “We are thankful for the opportunity to host a premier faith-based music academy that encourages participants to examine their faith, values, and vocation through music.”

Northfield and the Twin Cities’ seven counties are home to a vibrant Lutheran heritage and a rich musical landscape. Every year, LSM draws students, fellows, and faculty from across the country, and this move will help deepen ties to both the Twin Cities region and the national Lutheran music community.

To further enrich participants’ experience, St. Olaf offers world-class music facilities that will support and expand LSM’s growing programs, including large ensemble spaces, a recital hall for the full community and guests, the magnificent Boe Memorial Chapel, ample organ studios, and individual practice rooms.

“Returning to St. Olaf after more than 30 years is both a homecoming and a leap forward,” says LSM Executive and Artistic Director Thomas Bandar. “This move strengthens our commitment to musical excellence, to our independent Lutheran identity, and to cultivating the next generation of classical and sacred musicians. The beautiful St. Olaf campus provides a picturesque landscape for LSM’s dedication to a nurturing community.”

“Lutheran Summer Music and the St. Olaf Music Department share a rich history as well as many faculty, students, and fundamental values,” says St. Olaf Associate Professor of Music and Department Chair Louis Epstein. “We’re excited to welcome LSM back to St. Olaf for so many reasons, but in particular because we know that this partnership will provide innumerable benefits to both institutions. We can’t wait to hear all the beautiful, moving music that LSM faculty and students will make on our campus starting in the summer of 2026.”

Since its founding in 1981, Lutheran Summer Music has guided the lives of thousands of young musicians, many of whom credit LSM as the starting place for their future careers and vocations. LSM was founded as an itinerant program, with the program being hosted on 9 different campuses since inception, including Augsburg University, Augustana College-Rock Island, Augustana University-Sioux Falls, Concordia College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Luther College, Valparaiso University, St. Olaf College, and Wittenberg University.