The St. Olaf Orchestra has its own version of Secret Santas. The musicians call them Secret Orchies.

Older ensemble members give gifts anonymously to new members during the group's 10-concert fall tour and then reveal themselves at the end of the tour.

It's become one of the many orchestra tour traditions.

As has Jaws, in which a senior player will clamp his arms on another who has had misfortune on or off the stage, such as tripping over a music stand or forgetting a pair of dress shoes.

 "The students like to have fun," St. Olaf conductor Steven Amundson said in a phone interview. "They are a very serious bunch of musicians, and on stage they are all business. These kinds of things help keep the tour fresh and alive."

Amundson is bringing the renowned 92-member ensemble to Lincoln for a performance Sunday at First-Plymouth Congregational Church as part of Abendmusik: Lincoln's 32nd season.

The program will feature Dvorak's "Carnival Overture," Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy," "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky/Ravel and "Sola Gratia," which Amundson composed.

The orchestra is one of the premiere ensembles at St. Olaf College, a four-year school of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northfield, Minn., known for its musical excellence.

The orchestra dates to 1906, when it was guided by F. Melius Christiansen, the founding conductor of the St. Olaf Choir.

The program really took off under two talented faculty members whose combined careers at St. Olaf spanned 77 years.

Violin professor Beatrix Lien, a St. Olaf alumnae, began teaching at St. Olaf in 1934 with seven upper string students. In 1946, Donald Berglund was hired to lead the modest-sized orchestra.

In 1949, with no financial assistance from the college, the ensemble undertook its first tour. The annual tours continue today.

"The hardest part is for the new members," Amundson said. "They have to get acclimated to what we do because we set pretty high standards."

During the first six weeks of the semester, the musicians learn a program they will play again and again on the road.

Most college orchestras  prepare a repertoire to be heard once, maybe twice, on their campuses.

Through repeated performances, "we achieve a level of proficiency that isn't possible (at other places)," Amundson said.

The orchestra will play contemporary pieces from time to time, but it is best known for performing the classics, which endear the musicians to their audiences.

"Many of our students hope to become professional musicians," Amundson said. "We need to help them build the basic standard repertoire."

Their performances have earned rave reviews, including from some of the biggest names in the business.

British composer-conductor Sir David Willcocks, a frequent Abendmusik collaborator, worked with the group in 1991. Afterward he wrote: "I was struck by the excellent playing of the orchestra, whose members were not only technically assured but were exceptionally musical and responsive."

Amundson has led the St. Olaf Orchestra in more than 400 performances since becoming conductor in 1981. He planned to use the gig as a stepping stone to professional conducting.

He has conducted professionally off and on over the years, but his priorities remain with St. Olaf and the students.

"I love to teach and  love to conduct," he said. "I've fallen in love with the program. Obviously, I'm staying for the duration."

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.

If you go

What: St. Olaf Orchestra

Where: First-Plymouth Congregational Church, 20th and D streets

When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: $20, $17 senior citizens, $10 students; 476-9933 or www.abendmusik.org