North Hall

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Featured here is a side view of North Hall.

In the summer of 1938, the building known as North Hall became Concordia’s new Conservatory. It stood roughly at the same location where the Bogstad apartments currently stand. While this building is no longer standing, it served as an important milestone in the history of Concordia. Concordia is renowned for its extensive music program and degrees. In fact, one of the most popular fields of study pursued today is the music education degree. This, however, was not always the case.  In the summer of 1938, President Brown made a decision to renovate a residence hall into a new music Conservatory. Through the establishment of North Hall as a new Conservatory, Concordia’s tradition of music scholarship was furthered. The primary purpose behind the renovation of North Hall was to relieve campus congestion. North Hall sat on the edge of campus. The previous location of the Conservatory was in a much more highly trafficked area of the campus. [7]

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Pictured here is a view of the entrance of North Hall.

During the 1930s, one of the most important figures within the music department was Clara B. Duea. Hired in 1926 to assist Mrs. Monson, Duea thrived as a faculty member. She conducted a Concordia chorus as well as male quartets and female sextets. Her group, known as the Concordia Chorus, performed a variety of musical theatre pieces under the direction of Duea including a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. Productions such as these helped to establish a reputation of musical excellence. Students practiced in a small annex of North Hall which was shared by both vocal and instrumental ensembles. The hard work put in by all music faculty members – Duea included – is credited for drawing many students to Concordia during the Great Depression, helping the college financially. [8] The highly reputable music department was financially beneficial, and the high caliber of the department was due, in part, to the work of the women involved. The women who were part of Concordia’s music program contributed to the fine reputation that the music faculty established in the early decades of the college, which continues to the present day.