Milestones and Memories of the St. Olaf Band 1891-2018 is now available for purchase online.
From a small group of young men who formed the St. Olaf College Cornet Band in 1891, to a 94-piece Band that left Northfield, Minnesota in January of 2018 on a concert tour of New Zealand and Australia, the St. Olaf Band has been on an ascendant path of strong and dynamic musicianship. This definitive historical account by Susan M. Hvistendahl and Jeffrey M. Sauve covers significant milestones, including conductor F. Melius Christiansen taking the Band on tour to his native Norway in 1906, the first American collegiate instrumental music organization to tour abroad. Among many other highlights is the 2016 performance led by conductor Timothy J. Mahr in Carnegie Hall at New York City. Threaded throughout the book are the voices of the band members themselves, attesting to their joyful and memorable experiences in the ensemble which created lasting friendships.
