UNO Professor of Flute, Dr. Christine Beard, was recently invited to deliver her lecture-recital “The Role of Music During the Holocaust” at the Lied Library in Clarinda, IA on August 16, 2025. Unfortunately, a nightmare scenario quickly unfolded, as upon arriving at the library (a 2 hour trip from Omaha), Christie realized she had left her flute behind. But the small town of Clarinda came to her rescue: after 30 nerve-racking minutes of phone calls and emails, in walked Katelyn, a senior flute player from the local high school who arrived with 2 flutes in hand from which Beard could choose to use, just minutes before the lecture was scheduled to begin, and for a full house. As the saying goes: the show must go on – and it did, thanks to Katelyn!

Dr. Beard will share her lecture-recital on the Holocaust during the month of September at the World Flutes Festival in Mendoza, Argentina, as well as at the Elkhorn Valley Museum in Norfolk, NE on Sept.24th – and she will double and triple check to be sure her flute is in tow! For additional photos of Beard playing Katelyn’s blue-plated flute, visit her page on Facebook, Instagram, or www.christiebeard.net