Piano
J. Gordon Christensen is a native of Dannebrog, a farming community in the central part of Nebraska, known as the “Danish Capital” of the state. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Hastings College, and Master of Music and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Post graduate work includes the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Dr. Christensen served as the Elementary Music Specialist in the Imperial, Nebraska school system for 41 years. In 2000, he was the recipient of the “Teacher of the Year” for the State of Nebraska and the national “Teacher of the Year” award sponsored by the Foundation for Rural Education and Development, headquartered in Washington D. C.
Upon retirement from education, Dr. Christensen moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa to become the organist and director of music for St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Active in the American Guild of Organists, he has earned three of the four certificates of the guild: the Service Playing Certificate (SPC), the Colleague American Guild of Organists (CAGO), and the Associate American Guild of Organists (AAGO). Currently dean of the Omaha Chapter of the Guild, he has also served as the education chairman for the Lincoln Chapter. In Omaha, he is on the board of directors of the Cathedral Arts Project for St. Cecilia’s Cathedral (Roman Catholic).
He has appeared in recital across the United States, Germany, Slovakia, and major cities in Russia, including Moscow. Co-founder of the Bach Research Library headquartered in Moscow, the library serves the needs of the organ staff and students of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Lutheran churches within several hundred mile radius of Moscow, and the Lutheran churches in Finland.
A bachelor, Dr. Christensen lists collecting original oil paintings by Nebraska artists; collecting Victorian and Art Nouveau art glass; entertaining; travel and driving his Corvette convertible as hobbies.