Physician, Paul 'Doc' Engebretson, born into music (Music Profile)

Published by Forum Communications' Echo Press on Dec. 17, 2022

At 85, Paul "Doc" Engebretson of Alexandria has been practicing music nearly his whole life. Longer than he practiced medicine and he couldn't imagine living without it.

Engebretson was born into music. His mother, sister and aunt played piano and his brother played bass horn and trumpet. Even his uncle played. His father was a banker who moonlighted as a clarinetist. Engebretson went on to become a doctor who moonlighted as a clarinet player and also a saxophonist.

Growing up in Lowry, his family would play "old-time music like waltzes."

"We kind of had a family band that we'd get together several times a year," Engebretson said. "It's just a family thing."

By age 6, Engebretson could play a scale on the clarinet but it wasn't until around 12 that he really developed his own love for music.

He practiced throughout high school in Glenwood and eventually took up the saxophone and continued on into college.

"When I went to college, there were no dances on campus but we had a band called The Collegians. I led it for a couple of years," Engebretson said. "We played homecomings in the fall and then in the spring we played proms and sorority and frat parties, things like that."

Engebretson studied at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. By his sophomore year, he decided he wanted to be a doctor and went pre-med to do something "challenging that would help people" but it was a chance decision.

He said a lot of pre-med students go "crazy" and apply to med schools across the country. For Engebretson, however, he only wanted to study at the University of Minnesota and thought if he didn't get accepted, he would study music instead. Well, he did get accepted at the U of M but even with his busier class schedule, he made sure to keep playing and continued to do so after school into his residence in California. Then the war broke out.

Engebretson was recruited into the medical corps to treat soldiers from the battlefield. There was no time for music.

After the war, Engebretson moved to Alexandria and practiced medicine as a surgeon. During this time, he joined an 18-piece "big band" that performed swing music.

After 11 years of surgery work, Engebretson moved back to the Twin Cities to study for his specialty as an OB/GYN and eventually moved back to Alexandria where he stayed and raised his family.

Engebretson continued to join bands. He even founded a few like Doc's All-Stars. Sometimes, he'd sit in here and there and for other bands. Some he stayed in for years. He's played in orchestras for the church band at First Lutheran, at private events, block parties and even at the Alexandria Senior Center — not to fulfill some idyllic fantasy of being a world-famous musician, but simply to enjoy playing music with others. Engebretson is quoted in an Alexandria Senior Center volunteer spotlight saying, "For those who love music, having the chance to play with a band is invaluable as a musician."

Now that he is retired, Engebretson continues to play music with local bands like Katy's Swing Band — which he helped co-found. Even when he stays in Arizona during the winter months, he makes sure he has people to play with. Down there he joined a band with members of a church he attends and to which they named the group after — Lord of Life Big Band. He also plays with an Arizona saxophone ensemble.

Although he enjoys swing and jazz music, his favorite is sacred church songs because they "sound beautiful on the saxophone."

When he doesn't have anyone to play with, he plays by himself, practicing along to the "mountain of records" he has.

When asked what it is about music that he loves, his answer was uncomplicated.

"I just enjoy playing... It just tears me up. It's a mood uplifter. Performance is fun too but I enjoy just practicing," Engebretson says. "It's good for the soul. Good for the mind."

He added that he doesn't know where society would be without music and he definitely couldn't imagine his own life without it.

He made sure to pass his love for music down to his children just like his parents passed theirs onto him.

"My sons are professional musicians," Engebretson said. "My older son is a saxophone player and composer and he's head of composition and electronic music at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. My younger son is a band director at John F. Kennedy High School in Bloomington."

Engebretson added that his younger son also teaches saxophone at Gustavus Adolphus. So it definitely is a "family thing." He even has a granddaughter who is a dance major and works with patients with Alzheimer's by singing and reading to them.

When asked how long he thinks he will keep playing, Engebretson recalled a story about his father. At 89, his father played his clarinet for his wife on their 50th wedding anniversary.

Engebretson said he played just as well then as he always had. But, on his 90th birthday, he tried to play again and he said it didn't sound right and that was the last time he tried to play.

Engebretson imagines a similar conclusion, to continue playing until he can't.