Established on 06.08.2021 by Martha Sather '92, Steve Rohr '92, and John Lowney
Kristen Lowney was moved by music and her music moved the people she loved the most. Music has tremendous power to inspire us, to calm us, to enrich time with friends, and to help us remember those times for years later. Kristen made beautiful music, even when there was no music playing at all. The life song of Kristen Lowney touched all who knew her and made the world a better place, and so much of that came through the music Kristen created and loved so much.
Her passion for music developed at an early age. Her mother was a piano teacher and gave lessons in her home, surrounding Kristen with music, and the learning of music when she was very young. When the lessons came to an end each day, and the bench became open, little Kristen would climb up on the bench, place sheet music on the sheet rest, and pretend to play. By the age of five, she began taking lessons one on one with her mother, and so began her journey and a new rhythm to her life. She was now creating and playing music and not just listening to it. Her passion for music, and especially the piano, was a life-long love affair of study, commitment, and sacrifice, but also one of sharing and great joy.
Her talent grew, as a young child in Missouri and into her teenage years in Rhode Island. Years of continuous studying of piano and music blossomed into more opportunities. She learned to play the flute in addition to the piano. She enjoyed the privilege of playing a Haydn Piano Concerto with the Fall River Symphony while only a junior in high school, and there were many other accomplishments and milestones.
She eventually found her way to Concordia College. Just like her passion for music and the piano, this also had its roots in her childhood. Kristen’s parents, Sandra and John were Concordia graduates, class of 1961. She remembered driving into Moorhead on Highway 75 during family vacations up north, and they would reminisce fondly of their years on campus. It was only natural her path would lead there.
Kristen excelled at Concordia, and no surprise, she majored in music, further developing her talents. She was a member of the Concordia Concert Choir and Chapel Choir, continued with private lessons, while also accompanying other musicians. She grew her musical experience with her classmates, especially during recitals at the Hvidsten Music Hall. Kristen graduated in 1992, with a double major in Music Education and Spanish.
After graduation, she began her career at the West Bay Christian Academy, teaching a wide age range of children in music and Spanish. Kristen’s passion for music went hand-in-hand with one another - helping others learn and grow. She would continue to teach in public schools until she and her husband John began a family in 1999.
Family was always important to Kristen, so it was an easy decision for her to focus on her children and step away from public school teaching. But she never stepped away from teaching, the focus merely shifted. As she balanced motherhood and the never-ending lessons shared with her own children, she began to teach piano, creating her own private piano studio in her home. She recreated the wonderful sounds of music she enjoyed so much growing up - a wonderful legacy to Kristen’s mother. For seventeen years, Kristen taught students of all ages and abilities. She created recitals for her students, and many other forms of encouragement that would see her students continue their music beyond the lessons with her. Piano was always being played in her home, whether it was Kristen practicing pieces of composition, or her students practicing and learning under her guidance.
Just like Kristen’s own upbringing, her three children grew up in an environment filled with the sound of music. And just like it did for her, music created a warm, nurturing place for her own family to grow together. The life song of Kristen Lowney was woven around and through her children, her husband, her friends, and all who knew her. While that song may bring tears that she is no longer here, it also brings powerful memories of love and kindness, of a person with a passion for music and for helping others learn and grow.
It is in the spirit of that legacy, of making the world a better place through music and love, of bringing people together, that this scholarship has been created.
To honor the life, goodness, and generous spirit of Kristen Lowney, friends from the Class of 1992 have created this scholarship. The Kristen E. (Hedlund) Lowney ’92 Memorial Endowed Scholarship will be awarded by the Office of Financial Aid to students majoring in music, with preference given to students majoring in piano performance or music education.
