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Concordia Staff
Pastor David Tryggestad has served Concordia
Evangelical Lutheran Church since September 1999. Previously he was pastor
and minister of music at First Lutheran Church in Duluth and pastor at
Edison Park Lutheran Church in Chicago. Before entering Luther Seminary in
1985, he was director of music at Grace Lutheran Church in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin. He has also served University Lutheran Church of Hope in
Minneapolis as director of music during his years of seminary, as well as
seminary organist and choir director for one year. Pastor David and his
wife, Lynn, an English teacher at Duluth East High School, have been married
for 38 years. They have three children, Erik, Maia, and Soren, and two grandsons, Miles
and Simon.
Pastor David earned his B.A. in music education at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa; his Master of Fine Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the University of Iowa; and his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. He was also a Fulbright scholar studying music in Copenhagen, Denmark. In addition to being an organist, he is a composer of choral and liturgical music for worship.
Pam Carroll - Parish Secretary and Newsletter Editor
Bethany Klemetsrud, Lynsey Carlson and Lars Anderson - Youth Staff
Rachael Kresha - Organist
Rachael Kresha received her master’s degree at Emory University, where she
studied organ with Timothy Albrecht and piano with Deborah Thoreson. She
recently studied at the McGill Organ Academy in which she studied with
Micheal Bouvard, Olivier Latry, and James David Christie. Her
undergraduate degrees are from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and
Cottey College, where she studied organ with Norma Stevlingson and Colleen
Pearman. Rachael is currently the organist at Concordia Lutheran Church of
Duluth. She also teaches a children’s music and movement class called
Joyful Noise.
Kristin Peterson - Lay Minister/Senior Choir Director
Kristin grew up in St. Peter, MN and received her B.A. in Church
Music from
GustavusAdolphus College, her M.A. in Religion from Northwestern Lutheran
Theological Seminary (now Luther) in St. Paul, and her M.Mu. from U.M.D.
For the past twenty two years she has taught music, philosophy, and
mythology at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, MN. She
previously served as interim organist at Concordia and for thirteen years
as organist at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Duluth. She has served on
synodical worship committees in both the LCA and ELCA. She is married to
Tracy Close and has four children and two grand-daughters.
Tina Thielen-Gaffey - Joyful Voices Director
Grant Bowen - Custodian
Maija Edwards - Nursery Coordinator