Matt & Nicole Cody

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Decorah music educators Nicole and Matt Cody see firsthand how music can act like a glue, binding a community together in harmony – both figurative and literal.

The two met in 2009 at Decorah Community Schools, where they both work – Matt as associate director of bands for grades five through 12, and Nicole as the high school orchestra teacher. They were married in 2012 and now have two children, Caroline (age 8) and Sullivan (age 3), plus a Weimaraner named Greta. 

Matt and Nicole’s partnership in life and in music has also brought an extraordinary gift to the larger Decorah community: the Oneota Valley Community Orchestra (OVCO). Matt founded the orchestra in 2014 and is its music director; Nicole, who is the orchestra’s principal second violin, has been a key resource enabling her husband to realize his original vision and much more, creating a vibrant and inclusive community of music lovers and learners.

Creating the Magic of Orchestra

Made up entirely of volunteers, the 60-member OVCO offers three to four concerts each season. Over the past 10 years, Matt has led the group in performing symphonies, concertos, even a full opera (Amahl and the Night Visitors) and the Mozart Requiem (with community singing group the Decorah Chorale).  

Matt hatched the idea of starting a Decorah-based community orchestra while he was working on his master’s in conducting at Colorado State University. He really wanted to conduct an orchestra, and a professor suggested that a community orchestra could be an option for gaining experience. 

Nicole remembers when he floated the idea to her. It happened on the long drive back to Decorah from his final summer residency in Fort Collins. A couple comfortable with some good-natured ribbing, she laughed in disbelief. Nicole plays violin in the symphony orchestras of Waterloo-Cedar Falls and La Crosse, but it sounded a little ridiculous to her that a town as small as Decorah could have enough musicians to fill an orchestra. 

Still, Matt forged ahead. He posted on social media that he was interested in starting an orchestra, and collected contact information from those who were interested. Within three weeks he had enough people signed up. Matt was amazed, he says, and even more amazed when they started rehearsing and he heard what everyone could do. 

From the beginning until now, the orchestra’s members have ranged from seasoned professionals, to college music majors who went on to other careers, to adult beginners, to college and high school students. 

“The longevity of the orchestra is impressive – the contributions of everybody, from beginners to professionals to students,” Nicole says. “I think that’s so cool.” 

She tells the story of Sue Drilling, a now-retired Luther College administrator who played piano, organ, and guitar, and picked up the violin in 2010. One of her teachers, a former student of Nicole’s, told her about the orchestra. 

“I thought there’s no way I could play orchestral music, but Matt invited me to try it out,” says Sue. “I loved it! The first concert was a mountaintop experience for me.” 

Benjamin Kratchmer, the orchestra’s principal violist and a once-upon-a-time music major, expressed the thrill of orchestral music-making on an episode of Inspire(d)’s podcast, Rhymes with Decorah, that featured OVCO. “Getting to play symphonic literature that I never thought I’d get to do again, and collaborating with dozens of different people across the time and space of a stage, that is a magic that nothing else in my life has ever quite captured. And I get to do that season after season,” he says.

Craig Hultgren retired to Decorah after 33 years of playing with the Alabama Symphony. He joined the OVCO in 2015. Currently the principal cello and president of the orchestra’s board of directors, Craig sees the great value of what Matt and Nicole bring to the community. “They are community leaders,” he says. “To have OVCO in a town of 8,000 people is a remarkable feat. They’ve brought together the best crop of musicians in an area where music is greatly appreciated. And Matt makes it a fun place to come and play and get better. I’m so proud of the work he’s brought the orchestra through.” 

Integrating All Ages Around Music

Nicole and Matt see a virtuous cycle in the high school and community music programs they lead. 

“Having a strong high school music program is an incredibly important part of having a strong school district, because the continuity of students learning together throughout their school years is unique to music programs,” says Nicole. “Orchestra, band, and choir is home away from home for many of these kids. It’s a place that’s welcoming to all students.” 

At the same time, the Codys see that today’s high school students experience so many pressures in their lives that they often think of quitting music, even though they love it. 

“That’s why community support is important,” Nicole says. Not only the fantastic Decorah Music Boosters, to whom the Codys give a huge amount of credit for their support; but also the adults of the community who continue to play their instruments and sing with passion and gusto as they pursue other careers. 

Nicole says that the high school students who attend or play in OVCO concerts are amazed when they see their soccer coach, their doctor, and other community members playing. “When students see non-music professionals in music groups, it encourages them to know they can be in another career and still play music,” Matt says. 

Matt and Nicole have fostered young musicians of all kinds going out into the world to build vibrant communities. Some play with their parents in the OVCO, like violinist Erik Sessions and violist Sara Peterson and their daughter, violinist Meg Sessions, a 2024 Luther graduate. Others return to take center stage, like Decorah High School and OVCO alumna, Carina Yee. In February, she played the Tschaikovsky violin concerto with her hometown orchestra, OVCO, after studying at some of the best music conservatories of the US – the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. 

“Matt and Nicole are pillars of the musical community in Decorah,” affirms Craig Hultgren. “And OVCO is a gem for our community.” 

Laura Barlament

Laura Barlament is one of the non-musical professionals who love to play their instruments. She’s the executive director of strategic marketing and communications for Luther College, and plays flute and piccolo in many OVCO concerts.