Research
Steven Luksan's work rediscovering lost music by
Norwegian-American composers
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Steven Luksan specializes in rediscovering forgotten music by Norwegian-American composers. His research on composers Bjarne Rolseth and Gerard Tonning has been presented at the International Edvard Grieg Society (Bergen, Norway), the Norwegian-American Historical Association (Northfield, Minn.), the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies (Seattle, WA), the University of Washington School of Music (Seattle, WA), Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland, WA). His reconstruction of Gerard Tonning's Norwegian-language opera Leif Erikson (1910) was presented for the first time in Seattle as part of the Crossings200 celebrations in Autumn 2025.
For an introduction to many Norwegian American Composers, click HERE
Bjarne Rolseth
(1883-1938)
Bjarne Rolseth was an immigrant organist, pianist, composer, and teacher who resided in Brooklyn, NY. Steven reconstructed his life story and presented on his music at the 2023 International Edvard Grieg Society Conference in Bergen, Norway. To read more about Rolseth, click HERE.
Gerard Tonning
(1860-1940)
Gerard Tonning was an immigrant pianist, composer, and teacher who spent many years in Duluth, Seattle, and Manhattan. His opera Leif Erikson is a remarkable archievement in the early history of Seattle. To read Steven's research paper on Tonning's life and works (presented at the 2025 International Edvard Grieg Society Conference in Bergen, Norway), click HERE.
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