LSM and becoming a “grown-up”

By Liz Drotning Hartwell, LSM Alumna and Advisory Council Chair

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about grown-ups. As a wife, mother, and attorney, by most conventional measures I definitely qualify. Still, I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking about being “grown up” as something that hasn’t quite happened to me yet. Particularly during this uncertain time of COVID-19, I keep waiting for the grown-ups to emerge and fix it all so we can go back to the way life was before. It can be very jarring to realize that actually, I’m the grown-up in this situation. What will school look like this fall? How should we protect our children and our elders? What safety measures should we take in our home and in our interactions with others? How should I advise my clients? There is no shortage of decisions I must make for my family, my clients, and myself.

Forty years ago, a different group of grown-ups decided to create a unique experience of music, worship, and fellowship, which is now a community like no other. It’s hard to fathom the logistics and challenges associated with starting Lutheran Summer Music. But how grateful I am that someone did.

I know I’m not alone in having difficulty summarizing all that LSM has meant to me. At LSM I found “my people” after being one of the only kids at home who loved classical music, worship, and liturgy. I came out of my shell and found friends with whom I could be serious or silly.

(My 11-year-old daughter recently came across a photo of my dorm room at Augustana College in 1993 that made her laugh until she cried. I had met my roommate, Emily Seltz Painter (LSM 1991-1993)—who would also go on to be my freshman roommate at St. Olaf College—at LSM the previous summer. We decided that not only would we room together that summer, we would also decorate our room in a Little Mermaid theme. My daughter found it extremely amusing that teenagers—whom she views as “grown-ups”—would willingly festoon their walls with construction paper seaweed and sleep on pillowcases featuring Ariel and Sebastian. What can I say? I still love Disney.)

And, of course, I grew in musicianship and learned more about what it means to use our gifts in service to God. I already knew I loved playing my cello, but—despite my mother being the music director at my home church—had not quite found my own passion for choral singing. LSM changed that in a hurry. From the very first day of choir rehearsal with Craig Hella Johnson in 1992, I was hooked—and have remained so to this day.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that, in addition to Emily and many other dear lifelong friends I met at LSM, I also met my husband there! Between the two of us, Seth and I have attended LSM for 12 summers! It’s safe to say that for us, LSM is nothing short of beloved.

It is certain that LSM played an immeasurable role in forming my adult self: my commitment to my faith and the Church, my love of music, my leadership skills, and so many of my relationships. Perhaps most significantly, LSM equipped Seth and me to pass the torch to our children, with hope that they will steward our shared faith and musical heritage when they are grown-ups themselves.

Now that I am all grown up, I have the deep honor of serving as the chair of the newly formed LSM Advisory Council, which also affords me a seat on the LSM Board of Directors. It was never more apparent to me how bittersweet it is to be a grown-up than when we were faced with the decision to cancel LSM 2020. We all grieved the loss of this irreplaceable experience for so many. Yet, as grown-ups must, we made the hard and right decision. I have no doubt that LSM will be that much sweeter when we can all be together again.

And so, I am grateful today for grown-ups. For the grown-ups that had a vision for LSM and with God’s grace made it happen, for the grown-ups that with God’s grace continue to steward and lead LSM into the future, and for the grown-ups that with God’s grace LSM is helping to raise, we give thanks.

With gratitude and prayers for your continued health,

Liz Drotning Hartwell

LSM Student ’92 and ‘93

LSM Counselor ‘04

LSM Dean of Students ‘05

Chair, LSM Advisory Council

Director, LSM Board of Directors