Dr. Charles Baldwin Returns Home as Director of Orchestral Activities at Luther College

It's your town. Your lives. Your stories. Make sure someone's telling them—donate to Decorah News now. DECORAH — When Dr. Charles Baldwin was growing up in Decorah, some of his most formative musical memories came from attending concerts at Luther College. This fall, he will return to those same stages as Luther's new assistant professor of music and director of orchestral activities for the Luther College Symphony Orchestra. Baldwin will be passed the baton by his father, Dan Baldwin, who led orchestra activities at Luther from 1997 to 2025. Despite the family connection, Baldwin said he never seriously expected to one day inherit the position. "I might've imagined it the way a kid imagines things, the way a kid imagines doing what their parents do, but that's all. I always pictured myself teaching at a school like Luther — small, liberal arts, beautiful campus, close-knit town — but I never actually thought it'd be Luther," he said. Baldwin earned a bachelor of music degree in piano performance, graduating summa cum laude from Furman University. He later completed master's and doctoral degrees in orchestral conducting at the University of North Texas while continuing piano performance studies. He currently serves as artistic director of the Carolina Youth Symphony and conductor of its Symphony Orchestra in Greenville, South Carolina. He also conducts the Emory University Chamber Orchestra and serves as assistant conductor of the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra in Decatur, Georgia. Baldwin has guest-conducted the Luther College Symphony Orchestra, worked as a long-term substitute teacher at Decorah High School and served as music director and conductor for four New Minowa Players Young People's Productions. He said growing up around Luther performances shaped his understanding of music from an early age. "Attending concerts in Jenson-Noble and the Center for Faith and Life set for me, early on, a high standard — 'this is what music should sound like,'" Baldwin said. "Being around that kind of musicmaking was thrilling and attractive." Some memories remain especially vivid. "One evening at the end of LCSO rehearsal, I walked into the orchestra room, sat down at the piano, and performed the 'Super Mario Bros.' theme for the orchestra," he said. "I also remember eating lots of cough drops during Christmas at Luther." As he prepares to lead the orchestra, Baldwin said preserving its culture and standards will be among his top priorities. "The LCSO has a good culture of belonging, camaraderie, commitment, common purpose, discipline and seriousness about musicmaking," he said. "These things take time to grow, and they can also decay quickly through abuse or neglect, so I take my stewardship of the LCSO very seriously." At the same time, Baldwin said he expects his own musical background and personality will naturally shape the program's future. "I'm stepping into the role with my own personality, experiences, sense of humor, style, education, training, approaches, ideas, preferences and tastes," he said. Baldwin said he hopes to expose students and audiences to a wide range of orchestral repertoire, including both canonical works and lesser-known composers. "Maybe the first thing to know about orchestral music is there's an overflowing abundance of music for orchestra from the last four centuries -- and with apologies to Mark Knopfler and Sting, the repertoire includes not a small portion of the best music ever written," he said. "It's in our interest to take advantage of the rich diversity of the repertoire by playing a large cross section of music and composers representing various backgrounds, identities, nationalities, styles, time periods and so on," Baldwin continued. "There's far more great music than we have time to play, so it's important that we devote ourselves to the cream of the crop." Despite his professional focus on orchestral music, Baldwin said his listening habits off the podium are relatively simple. "I spend all day listening to music during the academic year, so when the day's over, I like silence or maybe a podcast," he said. "In the summer, I'll turn on Dire Straits or The Police during a long road trip or something." He also hopes to expand opportunities for artistic collaboration across campus and within the Decorah community. "Luther and the wider Decorah community are breeding grounds for musical, theatrical and artistic activity of all kinds," Baldwin said. "The possibilities for collaborative projects here are exciting." Make your inbox your go-to for local news! Sign up for the free newsletter and get timely updates, special features, and more.