Music and Art have a rich history at Bethany and in Lindsborg.


Music and Art have a rich history at Bethany and in Lindsborg.

The cornerstone of Bethany College is Fine Arts.

Founders Carl and Alma Swensson were both accomplished musicians, and started rehearsals for what would eventually become the Messiah Festival of the Arts in 1881.

Home of The Bethany Oratorio Society

& The Messiah Festival of the Arts

Held every Holy Week since 1882, America's longest-running yearly performance of Handel's Messiah has, over the years, expanded into a weeklong festival of art, theatre, and music.

The Bethany Oratorio Society was founded in December 1881, when 40 parishioners were welcomed to the parsonage of Pastor Swensson and his wife Alma to learn the words and music of Handel's Messiah. Alma Swensson, an accomplished musician, worked with the singers throughout the winter and spring in helping them learn the music as well as the English words.


The first performance by the Bethany Oratorio Society was on March 28, 1882, in Bethany Lutheran Church.


Every Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday since, the College and the people of Lindsborg have come together to perform Handel’s great oratorio. The annual tradition continues today as the oldest continuous annual performance of the Messiah in the United States.


In addition to the musical performances during Holy Week, the Midwest Art Exhibition is hosted by the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery. The exhibition features works by regional artists as well as works from the permanent collection. The founders of this exhibition in 1899 were Carl Gustafson Lotave, G.N. Malm, and Sandzén. Lotave studied at the Royal Academy of Art. Both Lotave and Sandzén studied with Anders Zorn and Richard Berg.


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The Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery

The Birger Sandzén

Memorial Art Gallery

The idea for a gallery to honor artist and professor Birger Sandzén was initially launched in 1955 with the incorporation of the Birger Sandzén Memorial Foundation; its primary purpose being to construct an art gallery in memory of Birger Sandzén on the Bethany College campus.


The Sandzén Gallery exhibits artwork by its namesake, Birger Sandzén throughout the year. Works from its permanent collection, historic and loaned exhibitions, as well as active contemporary artists are also displayed.

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The Birger Sandzén

Memorial Art Gallery

The idea for a gallery to honor artist and professor Birger Sandzén was initially launched in 1955 with the incorporation of the Birger Sandzén Memorial Foundation; its primary purpose being to construct an art gallery in memory of Birger Sandzén on the Bethany College campus.


The Sandzén Gallery exhibits artwork by its namesake, Birger Sandzén throughout the year. Works from its permanent collection, historic and loaned exhibitions, as well as active contemporary artists are also displayed.

Learn More

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