By Allison Conner
Published 8:00 am on July 4, 2026
Music and science rarely share the same stage. But for Frank Olson, they’ve shaped an unexpected and unforgettable career.
Olson is a 2014 Bemidji State University graduate who discovered a way to weave together his passions for science and saxophone, building a career driven as much by curiosity as by service. Today, he works as a clinical laboratory scientist at Indian Health Service hospital in Cass Lake while also regularly performing as a saxophonist with the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division Red Bull Band.
Though one career plays out in a laboratory and the other on a stage, Olson sees them as remarkably similar.
“I like to explore, I like to experiment,” Olson said. “Jazz is about exploring and doing little experiments… (it’s) the overlay between discipline, repeatability, and that methodology of experimenting and making a beautiful outcome either way.”
Watch the video to see how a Bemidji State education helped Olson discover that his two greatest passions were never meant to compete; they were destined to work in harmony.
