By PAUL LEE
Editor & Publisher

On March 25 of last year, cellist Erik Anderson strode onto the stage of Ann Nicole Nelson Hall on the campus of Minot State University. He performed a solo recital for the 250 or so music enthusiasts assembled.

Clad in a periwinkle blue sweater and black pants, Dr. Anderson, an MSU professor of music, had his cello in one hand and the rosined bow in the other. He sat on an unremarkable black piano bench, like one you could fine at hundreds of other venues. The white band shell at the back of the stage contrasted with his bright top and dark trousers.

The cello glistened on the large, well-lit stage. The instrument’s fine wood grain was visible throughout the ornate hall, which is highlighted with gold leaf applied during a recent renovation of the former McFarland Auditorium. Dr. Anderson seemed small in that setting – that is, until he began playing.

Before starting each work, Dr. Anderson would reveal a little bit about the selection, its composer, and his approach to playing it. Then, he would start, and all of a sudden it seemed as though he was right in front of you – as if he was playing for you in his living room, or in yours. And that’s exactly what Dr. Anderson wanted – a living room concert.

“Some of my favorite concerts I’ve ever given have been in people’s living rooms,” Dr. Anderson told Patron Online. “[Solo performances and small group ensemble music are] not meant to be [performed] in a big concert hall.”

He likes the intimacy of smaller, more comfortable venues. “Music is so much better when it’s in an informal setting, where people are relaxed [and] have a glass of wine in their hand,” the cellist said. “You talk in between movements; it’s conversational. Everybody’s relaxed. It’s so much fun. I love playing in that kind of setting – living room concerts.”

And Dr. Anderson is equally comfortable as the principal cellist with the Minot Symphony
Orchestra. An orchestral performance – with its rituals, myriad personnel, and formal structure and attire – takes on a wholly distinct presence in the vast Ann Nicole Nelson Hall.

Like all members of the orchestra, Dr. Anderson wants the musical experience to be enjoyable for all patrons. “We are trying to help people who are less familiar with the MSO music and the experience, or who just want more out of the evening, with the continuation of pre-concert lectures this year.”

Dr. Anderson is in his element at Minot State University. He and his wife, Dr. Dianna Anderson – a classically trained pianist in her own right and a music educator – have found their calling here in Minot. “Our goal all along has been to teach college and perform,” the cellist said. He teaches low strings; she teaches piano. Last spring, he was promoted to associate professor and received tenure.

The musical duo met during college at the University of Idaho at Moscow. He hails from Washington state; she’s from Montana. They met in the middle – Idaho.

They both graduated from UI in 1996 – he with a master’s degree; she with her bachelor’s degree. From there, they moved to Ohio, where they both received their doctorates in music at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.
His major was cello performance; hers was piano performance.

When the position of assistant professor of music at Minot State University opened in 2003, it provided two opportunities. He could teach music and perform cello in the Minot Symphony Orchestra. And they would be closer to his wife’s parents in Miles City, Montana, so their children could be nearer to one set of grandparents.

So, they committed to working and living in the Magic City, and it has been a good fit. “We feel very comfortable here,” Dr. Erik Anderson said. Dr. Dianna Anderson is an adjunct professor of music at MSU.

It is often said that Minot has a very good symphony orchestra for a city of its size and location. The cellist agrees. “Minot has some very good players. It is a very good group,” he said. “It gets me my orchestral fix.” Another member of the orchestra, Dr. Jon Rumney, violinist and concertmaster of the symphony, and the Andersons have formed the piano trio Luminus (click here). A piano trio includes piano, cello, and violin.

Like all musicians, Dr. Anderson practices whenever he can, but it’s usually before work in the morning or after the kids go to bed at night. The Andersons are the proud parents of four sons: Erik, 14; Miles, 10; Curtis, 9; and Kellen, 7. All four have an interest in music, though the parents are not “stage parents,” pushing their offspring into the family business.

Dr. Anderson regaled in what could only be termed a very fond recollection of his four sons playing with Legos, the toy building bricks. The boys collectively provided four-part vocal to their activity. “Music is important to them,” he said proudly.

But the parents’ approach to encouraging their sons to take up music is not entirely altruistic. “Dianna and I have this secret hope that maybe they’ll be the next big boy-band,” he said with a smile. “And we’ll be set for life.” The Jonas Brothers had better watch out because the Anderson sons outnumber the more famous trio.

When prompted to reveal his musical heroes, Dr. Anderson did not initially mention the likes of cellists Pablo Casals or Yo-Yo Ma, the only cellists this writer could recall. Rather, he volunteered that his teachers, his best friend from school, and his wife are his heroes. Although, he revealed that he is a “grand-student” of Casals, as one of his teachers studied with the Spaniard.

What is clear from talking with Dr. Anderson is his close relationship with his wife. He does not hesitate to mention her musical credentials. “I always respect her opinion,” the cellist said.

Dr. Anderson was not shy about stating his desire for a small recital hall – either at MSU or in the wider Minot community. “There’s an electricity in a packed room that is somewhat dulled by space and vacant seats,” he said. “Most of the recitals given in Nelson Hall – small ensembles and solo performances – would be far more appropriate in a 150-250-seat space.”

The cellist is confident his best work is 25 years into the future. But in the intervening two and a half decades, he’s going to continue to perform music, whether it’s in a symphony auditorium, recital hall, or someone’s living room. “I want other people to see what I see, and be excited by what excites me,” Dr. Anderson said. “I want to share.”

In the meantime, he’s taking bookings for more intimate venues, while he tips his hat to Patron Online. “If anyone reading this is interested in contacting me about doing a living room concert, I’m all for it,” he said wryly.

The video of Dr. Anderson is not available at this time.