The Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra and Conductor Justin Knoepfel
Under the direction of first-year conductor Justin Knoepfel, the Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra will present its fall concert Sunday, November 21 at 1:30 p.m. This performance by the 16-member ensemble will take place in Björling Recital Hall on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus. The concert is free and open to the public.
For this first performance as conductor of the Philharmonic, Justin Knoepfel has selected four works for the program. The ensemble opens the concert with Handel’s Concerto Grosso in G major, followed by Two Suites from The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell. Following a brief intermission, the Philharmonic returns to the stage to present the concluding work on the program, Benjamin Britten’s four-movement Simple Symphony.
Justin Knoepfel joined the Gustavus faculty in 2009 as Adjunct Viola Instructor and now serves as Visiting Instructor in Violin and Viola and Conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra. He graduated from Luther College with a degree in Violin Performance in 2004. Two years later he received his Master of Music degree in viola from the University of Minnesota and recently earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts in viola performance with a secondary emphasis in music theory at the University of Minnesota’s School of Music. He has participated as a performer and teacher in various programs including Dorian Music Festival, Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival, Salem Music Academy, Bravo!, and the International Viola Congress, and as a substitute violist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera and former principal violist of Exultate Chorus & Orchestra.
Sunday’s performance by the Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra is free and open to the public. The concert begins at 1:30 p.m. in Björling Recital Hall.