 He attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and earned a bachelor's degree there.While there, he acquired a love for choral music while singing under Olaf Christiansen, son of the noted choral director, F. Melius Christiansen.He worked for a year after that as the music director at the First Baptist Church in Albert Lea, Minnesota, before going to the University of Iowa, where he earned a master's degree.