DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) – A longtime fixture on the St. Norbert College campus has passed away.
Dudley Birder, 95, spent more than a half century at the college as a music professor since 1958.
Birder was known as “Music Man.” He spent time as the artistic director of St. Norbert Music Theatre from 1961-2017.
He also founded the chorale, which presents three to four concerts each year, usually with the orchestra. It was established in 1974 and is a musical organization that’s made up of adult singers from more than 30 communities in Northeast Wisconsin, who join together to sing their choral masterworks.
In February of 2013, the former St. Boniface Church was formally dedicated as Dudley Birder Hall. A $1.7 million project, supported by donors, transformed the church into a 200-seat performance space.
Thomas Kunkel, interim president of St. Nobert, releasing a statement.
“Everyone in the St. Norbert College family mourns the loss of our friend and colleague Dudley Birder. Indeed, for many Dudley was synonymous with St. Norbert. More than anyone he elevated the modern profile of the college and made thousands and thousands of people around the world aware of it as our foremost cultural ambassador. Closer to home, the Dudley Birder Chorale and Music Theatre contributed immensely to the cultural life of Northeast Wisconsin and greatly enhanced our collective quality of life. Other institutions tried to lure him away, but for Dudley, this place was home. We will be forever grateful to him for his decades of musicianship, friendship and dedication, and our hearts go out to the Birder family.”
St. Norbert says funeral arrangements are pending.
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