Gustavus Adolphus College provides a wide variety of events for students, staff, and the general community of St. Peter. This Friday, Luke Spehar will perform in the Dive from 7 to 9 p.m. He is sponsored by Gustavus, the Newman Club, and the Church of St. Peter. This concert is free and open to the public as part of his “All Is Gift” tour.

Spehar, a Minnesota native, began writing songs at the age of 16. He composed all of the music on his debut album, Be Still, before he graduated high school.

“Luke Spehar has all three in spades: singing, writing, and guitar playing.”
—Ben Harper

Spehar continued to write music during his time at college, during which he also explored a possible calling to become a Catholic priest. After college, Spehar felt a pull toward music and he began recording and performing across the country.

He has had the honor of opening for Grammy Award winner Ben Harper on tour in the United States and Canada. Spehar’s current tour “All Is Gift” is produced by Harper and Sheldon Gomberg.

“Luke Spehar has all three in spades: singing, writing, and guitar playing,” Harper said.

Chaplain Brian Konkol saw Spehar open for Harper and is responsible for connecting him with Gustavus, the Newman Club, and the Church of St. Peter.

“Luke in many ways represents what we seek to embody here at Gustavus,” Konkol said. “He takes his particular gift of music and sees it as a vocation. I think that students of a wide variety of perspectives will really enjoy Luke.

Gustavus students appreciate depth and meaning and this is the type of music that will meet that and I think that’s really exciting.”

The Newman Club is a group of students who are dedicated to building a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith. The faculty advisor for the club is Charles Niederriter, a physics professor at Gustavus.

Niederriter was in charge of organizing the concert over the summer. Two student members of the Club, Senior Emilie Benson and Junior Nathan Huber, were in charge of advertising for the concert.

“I think it’ll be fun to get together,” Niederriter said. “Hopefully a lot of people come and enjoy the music and have continuing conversations about it.”

“I think that students of a wide variety of perspectives will really enjoy Luke. Gustavus students appreciate depth and meaning and this is the type of music that will meet that.”
—Brian Konkol

“I really like his music,” Konkol said. “As a chaplain I think it’s wonderful that he’s coming and it helps what we’re trying to do in the chaplain’s office.

But on a deep, personal level, I think he’s just an excellent musician and I think that he does what he does really well. We’re really fortunate to have that kind of an artist coming to our campus.”

For more information about Spehar and his music, visit his website at www.lukespehar.com.