Beth Christensen
Read Christensen's paper and view the slide show by clicking these links:
Likely Friends in Unlikely Places paper / slides
Beth Christensen is Music Librarian at St. Olaf College, a position she has held for more than thirty years. She holds graduate degrees in both Musicology (with a minor in Art History) and Library and Information Science, and has published in both fields.
Her research interest in music is focused on American music in the early twentieth century, particularly Carl Ruggles and his circle—a circle that included Rockwell Kent. Both Kent and Ruggles spent time in Winona and met one another at Kent’s art exhibit in the city’s public library during the spring of 1913. This chance encounter on the bluffs of the Mississippi resulted in a friendship that would span many decades, multiple locations, and numerous artistic endeavors.