Agony Hall

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Pictured here is an image of the northern face of the Music Conservatory (Otherwise known as Agony Hall) during a Moorhead winter.

The site where the Bogstad residence was located is approximately between present-day Bishop Whipple and Fjelstad Hall. Originally built in 1903, Agony Hall first served as the residence of President Bogstad. By the spring of 1920, it had been converted to a Conservatory of Music, known by students more informally as Agony Hall. [4] In 1938, the Conservatory was moved to North Hall and the building was renovated to serve as faculty apartments.

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Pictured here is an image of a Concordia Band performance under the direction of Hermon Monson. The two female saxophonists can be seen in the back row on the left side.

Female students’ participation in Concordia’s music program increased in the 1920s.  In 1924, two female saxophonists accompanied the band on its tour. In order to accommodate the female travelers, the department brought in a female chaperone for the saxophonists. This chaperone was the wife of Professor Hermon Monson (the Band Director at this time). [5] Following this tour, Mrs. Monson was granted a permanent appointment as director of choir and bands and teacher of violin and theoretical subjects for a salary of $2,000.56 a year. This was in contrast to the national trend of a male-dominated professional world.  In 1926, the department hired Clara Duea to aid Monson as head of the piano department. [6] The work and input of these women went into strengthening the musical reputation of Concordia.