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Mose ChristensenAmerican musician
Date of Birth: 12.02.1871
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Mose Christensen
Mose Christensen, an American musician, is best known for creating and becoming the conductor of the Oregon Symphony, formerly known as the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He was born on February 12, 1871, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His father, Lars Christensen, emigrated from Denmark to Utah in the early 1850s as one of the first Mormon pioneers. Mose's mother, Elsa Bjerregaard, was Lars' second wife, as he practiced polygamy.
Mose's musical education began with his father, who was skilled in playing the violin, and later his mother, who played the piano. His brothers Chris, Frederic, and Lars Peter played in the Christensen Orchestra, which traveled through northern Utah, earning a living by performing at dances and other public events. In 1890, the Christensen brothers moved from Brigham City to Ogden, where they became owners of a dance hall and furthered their musical careers. In 1893, they arrived in Salt Lake City and resumed playing at dances. They also belonged to a group of musicians who accompanied the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.
In 1898, Mose married Carrie Nichols, and the couple traveled to the East Coast, where Mose studied under German violinist Henry Schradieck. Upon their return to the United States in 1901, Christensen settled in Boise, Idaho. There, he met and befriended young Ferdinand Sorenson, for whom he became a mentor. With the support of other musician friends, Mose raised enough funds to send Ferdinand to New York City to study the cello. Sorenson later became a renowned cellist, conductor, and educator.
Mose then went to Boston, Massachusetts, to study dancing at the M.B. Gilbert School. In Boise, he co-owned the Riverside Dance Hall and started teaching dance for a fee. In addition to playing in his own dance orchestra, he also played in string quartets and served as the conductor of the Boise Philharmonic from 1906 to 1908.
In 1908, Mose and his family left Boise and settled in Portland, Oregon, where he opened a dance hall. In 1910, he joined the American National Association, Masters of Dancing, in New York and was elected its president in 1916. To develop a professional approach to dance in his studio, Mose brought in Italian ballet master Stefano Mascagno to teach ballet to his students. In 1911, Mose gathered his musician friends under one roof in his dance hall to form the Portland Symphony Orchestra, which, although not without its challenges, operated for a significant period of time. Mose served as the orchestra's first conductor, playing the violin and occasionally conducting. He stepped down as conductor in 1918 and passed on the baton to Carl Denton.
