 Van Kriedt traveled to Norway to meet some family members and learned that his maternal grandfather, Ollie Clausen, an organist, had given music lessons to Edvard Grieg (1843 –1907).Returning to Mills College in 1952, Van Kriedt won first prize in graduate composition.In 1955 Van Kriedt joined The Stan Kenton band on tenor saxophone and during his nine months with the band recorded one of Kenton's most definitive albums "Contemporary Concepts", featuring arrangements by Bill Holman and one by Gerry Mulligan.