The AHS Music Hall of Fame has announced its three newest members for 2025: Patricia Nelson Meisel (1955), Barry Rush (1960) and Brian Christianson (1997).  The three inductees will be honored at a banquet at the MacPhail Center for Music, located at 305 4th St. NW, on Thursday, May 15. The dinner is at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a presentation at the Spring Band Concert to be held at Knowlton Auditorium at 7 p.m. The banquet is open to the public, and tickets may be purchased by contacting Sue Radloff at 507-437-4940. Reservations close on May 8 and the cost is $25 per ticket. The Music Hall of Fame was started in 2009 by Ken Jensen to honor those who are graduates of Austin High School and who have excelled in the field of music. They must have achieved success in performance, education, or in the music industry. Meet the Inductees Patricia Meisel Meisel is a 1955 graduate of Austin High School, where she was a violist in the orchestras. She was a member of a string quartet organized by Jean Miller, who performed at the Music Educator’s National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. On the way home they performed for the Oberlin College Music Department.  These experiences helped her decide to become a music teacher. After one year at Austin Junior College, she continued her education at Drake University, earning a Bachelor of Music Education Degree, and a Master of Music Education in 1960.  Meisel also attended summer workshops at the Universities of Colorado and Hawaii. While in Hawaii, she substituted in the violin section of the Honolulu Symphony, directed by Andre Kostelanitz. She also had a working scholarship at the Fred Waring Music Workshop in Pennsylvania. Meisel was employed by Des Moines, Iowa Public Schools, Drake University, Albert Lea and Austin Public Schools as a string teacher, and as a private instructor in Owatonna for the past 50 plus years. She has performed in the following symphonies: Drake/DesMoines, Austin, Mankato, Rochester, Owatonna, and Canon Valley Regional Orchestra. She is retired, and currently at home in Owatonna. Barry Rush Barry Rush, class of 1960, started his musical training early. At the age of nine he began guitar lessons with Willard Lindstrom and then Len Dingley. Both were very influential.  He participated in all the Austin bands under director C.V. Sperati, playing the tuba. He was in the orchestra under Paul Heltne, and sang in chorus and Austinaires under Wilbur Funk. As a young man Rush was privileged to perform with artists such as Duane Eddy, Sonny James, and Conway Twitty. Rush played with many bands over the years, including Roy Little Little Green Valley Gang, the Highlights, the Saints, and for many years, with a Dixieland band with his drummer father, Jim Rush. Big bands included Henry Charles, Bobby Thomsen, Curt Wilkinson, Earl White, Big Beats, Bob White, and Ray Stolzenberg and the Northern Playboys.  Rush also worked with Austin musicians such as Conrad and Jan Muzik, Dick Chaffee, Ben Bednar, Maynard Hanson, and Gloria Kopet. He mostly played guitar and sang, but sometimes used his tuba skills. He did live shows, television shows, and made several recordings. After graduating from Mankato State College in 1966, Rush worked for Hormel in sales. Even then, he was able to continue playing with various groups in Michigan, and later, Boston. While in Boston, he was able to play with four big bands, including the Fantasy Big Band. Upon retiring in 2003, Rush returned to Austin. He has continued playing in many groups, most notably Rush Hour, with his combo with Bill Apold, Chad Apold, and Sue Hayes. Brian Christianson Brian Christianson, AHS class of 1997, has been playing the fiddle since he was eight years old. Influencing his musical career at an early age were his grandfather Earl, a fiddler, and his mother Cindi, a singer.  Starting at a young age, Christianson played bluegrass and country fiddle throughout southeastern Minnesota. He was also active in orchestra at Ellis Middle School and Austin High School, and played with the Austin and River Falls, Wisconsin symphonies. In 2000, Christianson received a degree in String Instrument Repair from Minnesota State College in Red Wing.   As a luthier, he worked many years at The Violin Shop in Nashville, servicing the instruments from students to professional players. In 2011, Christianson opened his own shop called the Fiddle House. Besides being a full-service string shop, it was a gathering space for many musicians. He hosted bluegrass, old-time and Irish jams several times each week. Christianson has performed on fiddle and mandolin with many different artists touring nationally and internationally, such as Mike Snider, Nashville Bluegrass Band, and Roland White, and IBMA Hall of Fame musician. He has performed in Ireland, Prague, Slovakia, and Switzerland.  Almost every weekend for 17 years, Christianson played at the Grand Ole Opry with Mike Snider. He created the annual Kenny Baker night in Nashville, which just celebrated its 10th year.  Awards include Alabama State Champion Old Time Fiddler, Grand Master Old Time Fiddle Champion, and the International Bluegrass Music Assoc. Collaborative Recording of the year. He has made many recordings, including Roland White’s album “Straight-Ahead Bluegrass,” Mike Snider DVD “Mike Snider String Band,” ”Brian Christianson Friends,” and a collaboration with his wife, Nicole.  Christianson has shared his love of music by teaching at many camps and workshops, such as Alaska Fiddle Camp, Swannanoa Gathering, Bill Monroe Mandolin Camp, and created the Fiddle House Tune of the Week instructional videos. His love and passion for fiddle music shows in every aspect of his life.  Today, Christianson resides in Austin with his wife Nicole, and daughter Else. He is performing around southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, and has opened his own fiddle repair shop, where he is also building violins. The post Three named to AHS Music Hall of Fame appeared first on Austin Daily Herald. ...read more read less