Northfield Living Treasures In the Arts

Since 2011, Northfield’s Living Treasure Award has been an annual honor presented to individuals who have made a strong impact on the local arts scene. Following the award’s recent discontinuation by the City, a committee of local art supporters (including previous recipients) was formed with the aim of honoring artists in various media, past and present, who have contributed significantly to the community. To that end, I will be writing a series of reports spotlighting the artistic involvement of previous honorees and preserving the memory of their artistic impact on Northfield.

Music is not a foreign concept to Northfield. An abundance of local outlets exists to hone one’s musical abilities, and 2013 honoree Dr. Paul Niemisto knows that better than anyone.

I asked Dr. Niemisto about his musical origin story as we sat in a downtown parklet on an unusually perfect Northfield weather day. Like many, he was introduced to the magic of instruments in elementary school and picked up the trombone in 5th grade. But unlike many, he continued to refine his musical talents beyond high school – which, after some experimentation at the University of Michigan, eventually led to a successful career in the art. This professional commitment brought Dr. Niemisto from a high school teaching job in Canada to the academically and musically renowned college of St. Olaf in 1978. He’s been an active Northfield community member ever since.

Even before retiring from teaching at St. Olaf after 38 years in 2016, Dr. Niemisto found more rich opportunities outside of Manitou Heights and also established musical connections across the globe. The professor penned a number of papers, conducted Tuba Christmas and, while conducting St. Olaf’s Norseman Band, founded the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra (CVRO) in 1979 and spearheaded the establishment of the Vintage Band Festival (VBF) in 2006. “Even now,” the music lover says, “I’ve got three or four projects going on.”

Needless to say, many of Niemisto’s efforts have had a long-term impact on Northfield’s arts community. CVRO concerts continue attracting attention across southern Minnesota and the VBF is crossing a 20-year milestone with its late July/early August jubilee this year. Asked when he first realized that the VBF was a hit, Niemisto replies with a reminiscent smile, “The day after the first one was over.”

In 2013, Niemisto was named the fourth Living Treasure Award recipient—a well-deserved honor that has doubtlessly aged well, as the “retired professor” has only been more musically involved in the last 13 years, with a continued enthusiasm for the local arts community. “I think it’s robust. It’s as good as it’s ever been,” Niemisto says. He singles out the Northfield Arts Guild and North for their music and arts opportunities.

The vast array of local gigs and the impressive status of Northfield’s choirs and orchestras have the Living Treasure conductor enthusiastically looking forward. A key theme in Dr. Niemisto’s career is the power of musical immersion.  “The communication between a listener sitting in a chair facing a player or singer who’s producing music right now, that’s the ultimate experience in music. And no amount of musical wizardry on a recording is ever going to make up for that.”