The Fine Arts Office and Alumni and Parent Engagement Office are pleased to present the Baumgartner Memorial Concert, a recital to honor and celebrate former Gustavus music faculty Paul and Helen Baumgartner. The recital will be held on Homecoming Saturday, September 23 at 5:30 p.m in Christ Chapel. The recital includes performances by current Gustavus faculty and alumni who were students of the Baumgartners.
The Baumgartners taught at Gustavus from 1964 – 2004 and were accomplished performers. “I always remember the joy of their piano duo recitals,” says Tim Strand ‘82. “They are inseparable in my memory; joyful partners in life and joyful partners at the keyboard.”
Music and faith have always been an important part of the Baumgartners’ family life. “We fell asleep listening to our parents practice,” says Mary Lou Baumgartner, one of the couple’s five children. “All of us went on to study piano, violin, guitar, and/or voice in college or sing in college choirs. And all of us have sung in community, church, or synagogue choirs or accompanied services on guitar, piano, or organ. We have shared our love of music with our own children, who play piano, violin, viola, cello, guitar, trumpet, and flute.”
The Baumgartner Memorial Concert is free and open to the public, and visitors are welcome to attend a post-concert reception. You may also enjoy the recital via livestream. https://gustavus.edu/calendar/baumgartner-memorial-concert
Family and friends have established a music scholarship at Gustavus to honor the academic impact Paul and Helen had on this community of faith and learning. The Paul and Helen Baumgartner Memorial Piano Scholarship Endowment Fund will benefit deserving piano students as they pursue their Gustavus studies. All gifts to the scholarship fund are deeply appreciated and gratefully received. For more information please contact: Ann Sponberg Peterson (annpeterson@gustavus.edu) in the Advancement Office.