From Sognefjord to Sandpoint to Shanghai

Harp guitars make connections across two oceans for Norwegian Americans from Idaho Barbara K. Rostad Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho Harp guitars, largely credited to Norwegian immigrant Chris Knutsen from Sogne­fjord, and a century later hand-crafted in Sandpoint, Idaho, by two brothers of Norwegian heritage, now are also gaining a presence in China where the Powell brothers recently completed a 10-city music tour. It’s been a circuitous route, not just for Knutsen, but also for Anthony and David Powell, first featured in this newspaper in November 2014 (“From freedom tree to harp guitar,”). Chris Knutsen came of age in North Dakota, moved to Port Townsend, Washington, in 1895, and developed a prototype