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Benjamin Klemme , D.M.A.Associate Professor of Music - Symphony Orchestra Conductor
On Faculty since 2022
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Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting
University of Minnesota
Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting
Cleveland Institute of Music
Bachelor of Music in Music Education
University of Northern Iowa
Recognized for inspiring musicians and audience members alike through performances with a distinct synthesis of artistic excellence and community engagement, conductor Benjamin Klemme has served the Quad City Symphony Orchestra as Associate Conductor, as well as the Cleveland Pops and National Repertory Orchestras as Assistant Conductor, and has appeared as guest conductor of masterworks, pops, and family concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Pops Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, and Burlington Chamber Orchestra. He has also led performances at the Central Vermont, Cedar Valley, and Oskaloosa Chamber Music Festivals.
A passionate music educator, Klemme’s work has involved leadership of nationally-recognized collegiate, youth orchestra, and community music school programs. He directed the university-wide Campus Orchestra program at the University of Minnesota and served as Orchestra Conductor at Augsburg University (Minneapolis). He was the founding Music Department Chair at New Mexico School for the Arts—a statewide, public, boarding high school for the arts—and has been Music Director of the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association, Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, and Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles. Additionally, he has served on the faculties of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, MacPhail Center for Music, and Csehy Summer School of Music, and has conducted honor orchestra festivals throughout New England, the Midwest, and the Southwest.
Klemme's commitment to strengthening communities through music has been proven both on and off the podium. As Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, he connected community members throughout southeast Iowa and northwest Illinois with opportunities to hear, perform, and engage with orchestral music in both traditional and innovative contexts. In New Mexico, he helped bring classical music to life for elementary and middle school students as Artistic Advisor and Outreach Concert Host for the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival's “Music In Our Schools” program. In Ohio, he co-founded the Scordatura Chamber Orchestra, a Cleveland-based ensemble designed to support classroom learning objectives in language arts, math, science, and social studies through interactive orchestral performances.
- Vermont Music Educators Association District I High School Festival Orchestra
Honor symphony orchestra program for nominated high school students - Vermont Music Educators Association District V Middle School Festival Orchestra
Honor symphony orchestra program for nominated middle school students - Vermont Music Educators Association District III Middle School Festival Orchestra
Honor symphony orchestra program for nominated middle school students - Massachusetts Music Educators Association-Southeastern District Senior Festival Orchestra
Honor symphony orchestra program for auditioned high school students January 12, 2019 - Massachusetts Music Educators Association-Western District Senior Festival Orchestra
Honor symphony orchestra program for auditioned high school students January 13, 2018 - Vermont Music Educators Association District IV High School Festival Orchestra
Honor symphony orchestra program for nominated high school students - Augsburg College Honor Orchestra Festival
Honor string orchestra program for nominated high school students - Wartburg College Meistersinger Honor Orchestra Festival
Honor symphony orchestra program for nominated high school students