Old Main
Old Main is one of the most integral buildings on campus. Built during President Bogstad’s presidency at Concordia and completed in 1906, it served as the central “hub” for students and staff at the college. [1] The building housed classrooms, offices, a gymnasium, and an auditorium. However, as the campus grew, so did the many needs of its students. Without a building dedicated to the performance and study of music, students and staff had to make due. Therefore, the classrooms within the building served a dual purpose--both as classroom and as rehearsal space. In addition to this, the music department shared a performance space (the auditorium) with various other events, such as Chapel Services. Old Main, with its many classrooms and spacious auditorium, served a variety of purposes.
One of the first important female music faculty was Estelle K. Rawson. She served as the Concordia Band director from 1904-1905 and was the second Band Director for the college. [2] Due to the time period in which she worked at Concordia, Rawson would have spent most of her time conducting rehearsals and sectionals in Old Main. Rawson conducted practices in the classrooms of Old Main and performances in the auditorium. One of her students, Mathilde Peterson, was later honored for being the first female player in the band. Peterson played first chair solo coronet in 1905 and was featured as a soloist. This was unique due to the fact that female players were still not permitted to audition for the band freely. [3] This would not end until the college hired Oscar Overby in 1912. From 1912-1915, Oscar Overby served as the conductor for the Concordia Band. It was at this time that females were first permitted to join the Concordia Band openly. Once again, they practiced and performed in Old Main as there was no space available exclusively for musical practice.