Steven Amundson is in his 28th year on the faculty of St. Olaf College where he is Professor of Music and Conductor of the St. Olaf Orchestra. He also teaches courses in music theory, ear training and conducting, and conducts the Philharmonia. Before his arrival to Minnesota, Amundson held conducting posts at the University of Virginia, Tacoma Community College, and as Music Director of the Tacoma Youth Symphony. He is the also founding conductor of the Twin Cities' based Metropolitan Symphony that he led for five years, and served as Music Director and Conductor of the Bloomington (MN) Symphony from 1984 – 1997. He has held posts on the conducting faculty for the Interlochen National Arts Camp, the Lutheran Summer Music Program and has served as guest conductor for many All-State orchestra festivals throughout the United States. In Minnesota, Amundson has appeared as guest conductor with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. A commissioned composer and arranger, Amundson is published by MMB Music and the Neil A. Kjos Music Co. His self-published compositions are available through Tempo Music Resource. His orchestral works have received over 400 performances by university, civic and professional orchestras in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia including the Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, San Diego, Toronto and BBC Symphonies. A 1977 graduate of Luther College, Amundson obtained the Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, and did further studies at the University of Virginia, the Aspen Music School and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. In the 1980 International Conducting Competition hosted by the Mozarteum and Austrian National Radio, Amundson won the first (Hans Häring) prize. In 1992, the Minnesota Music Education Association named him "Minnesota Orchestra Educator of the Year." In 1995, Amundson received the Carlo A. Sperati Award from Luther College in recognition of his meritorious achievement in the field of music. |
Armstrong received a B.M. in vocal performance from St. Olaf College, an M.M. in choral music from the University of Illinois, and a D.M.A. in choral conducting from Michigan State University. He has studied voice with Robert Scholz, Burr McWilliams, James Bailey, and Ethel J. Armeling. Armstrong is active as choral clinician and festival conductor (including numerous all-state choirs) throughout North America, the Caribbean, Scandinavia, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. He has special interest and experience in training the young and adolescent singer. He is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and Choristers Guild (Past President, National Board of Directors) and former artistic director of Albermarle (the coeducational summer program of the American Boychoir School, Princeton, N.J.) During 2008-2009 Dr. Armstrong will serve as conductor of All-State Choirs in Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. In December 2008, he presented a three-day seminar in Israel on the topic of “The Hebrew Characters in the African American Spiritual,” at the Invitation of the Israeli Choral Directors Association in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. Also, he is leading choral festivals in the Smetana Hall, Prague, Czech Republic, as well as Carnegie Hall, New York, and the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.. Additional guest conducting and lecturing engagements this season include appearances in Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, South Carolina, Kansas, Texas, and Kentucky. |
Dr. Aspass recieved his M.M. in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in East Lansing, and his B.M. in Voice Performance from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Dr. Aspaas recently completed his Ph.D. in Choral Music Education at The Florida State University in Talahassee, Florida. He was the Interim Director of Choral Studies at Central Washington University. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, Dr. Aspaas was on the faculty of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. While there, he conducted the Concert Choir and Cantamus, taught private applied voice and choral conducting. Additionally, Dr. Aspaas served as Acting Director of Choral Activities in 2000-2001 and conducted the Glee Club and Chamber Choir, who performed the Durufle' Requiem and Bach's Mass in B Minor. Since 2001, Dr. Aspaas has sung with the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus in Eugene, Oregon, under the direction of Helmuth Rilling. He has recently performed as a soloist with Rilling and the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, the Bach Collegium of Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the South |
Ferguson earned a B.M. from Oberlin, an M.M. from Kent State University, and a D.M.A. from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Russel Saunders. His responsibilities include directing the church music-organ program, teaching organ and conducting the St. Olaf Cantorei. Ferguson came to St. Olaf in 1983 from Minneapolis where he served Central Lutheran Church as Music Director and Organist, an appointment accepted in 1978 after a 15-year tenure on the music faculty at Kent State University. While at Kent State he also served as Organist-Choirmaster of the United Church of Christ, Kent, Ohio during which time he served as music editor for the United Church of Christ Hymnal, 1974. He has spent summers as visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame and was invited to spend sabbatical leave time as visiting professor at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. He is respected as a fine teacher and performer, and his skill as improviser and leader of congregational song has received national acclaim. Each year he prepares and leads many festivals across the country both for local congregations and professional gatherings. A Ferguson hymn festival is much more than an inspiring organ recital, according to Emily Brink, Past President of the Hymn Society, "He involves everyone present in a glorious community of sound. Everyone gets to perform." Dr. Ferguson is the author of numerous books and articles on church music and organ building. His choral and organ music is published by Augsburg, Concordia, Galaxy, G.I.A., Hope, Kjos, Morning Star, Selah and Stainer and Bell. In 2005 his composition, “Who Is This” for choir and viola was awarded the prestigious Raabe Prize for excellence in sacred composition. Since joining the St. Olaf faculty, Ferguson's skills as choral conductor and creative arranger have become more widely known. He brings a special combination of experience as choral singer (Oberlin College Choir under Robert Fountain), church musician (both part-time and full-time) and participant in the St. Olaf choral tradition to his workshops in conducting and repertoire for church choirs which are considered highlights at conventions of professional organizations. He has been invited to design and present hymn festivals for national and regional conventions of both The American Guild of Organists and The American Choral Directors Association as well as many national gatherings of church musicians. He has presented such events abroad as well both in Asia (Seoul, Korea) and Europe (in the National Cathedral of Norway, Nidaros Dom, Trondheim, as a part of the celebration of the millennium of the birth of St. Olaf). |
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Hoekstra teaches music history and directs St. Olaf's early music ensembles, the Collegium Musicum and the Early Music Singers. His area of specialization is music of the Renaissance, particularly the French and Flemish chanson. He has published articles in The Choral Journal, Early Music, Musica Disciplina, and Speculum, and he has published critical editions of music of Hubert Waelrant and André Pevernage. He is a member of the American Musicological Society, Early Music America, and the Viola da Gamba Society of America. Hoekstra earned his B.A. from Calvin College and master's and doctoral degrees in music history from The Ohio State University under a University Fellowship. |
Johnson received a B.M. in vocal performance from St. Cloud State University and an M.M. in voice performance from the University of Michigan. She is the conductor of the Manitou Singers. Before her appointment at St. Olaf, she was on the music faculties of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter and at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Ms. Johnson is also the Associate Conductor of the Ensemble Singers and Chorus for Philip Brunelle’s VocalEssence, formerly known as the Plymouth Music Series of Minnesota. Ms. Johnson maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor and clinician at choral festivals and all-state music festivals across the country and has conducted choral workshops in Australia. She is a member of the American Choral Director's Association (ACDA), Music Educator’s National Conference (MENC), the International Federation for Choral Music and Chorus America. In January through March 1999, Ms. Johnson conducted the National Lutheran Choir of Minneapolis. Ms. Johnson has served as Conductor of the Dale Warland Symphonic Chorus and the Associate Conductor of the Dale Warland Singers. She has prepared symphonic choruses for Neemi Jarvi, Sir Neville Mariner, David Zinman, Stanislaw Skrowaczewsky, Gerard Swartz, Edo de Waart, and Leonard Slatkin among others. In August 2002, she was one of the featured lecturers for the Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music. In October 2004, Mrs. Johnson was a featured lecturer and clinician at the Australian National Choral Directors National Conference in Adelaide. In 2006 she was a member of the esteemed jury for the Bela Bartok International Choral Competition in Debrecen, Hungary and in 2008 she will be a lecturer on choral sound for the Eighth World Symposium on Choral Music in Copenhagen. |
Ms. Mahr holds a B.M. degree in flute performance and music education with a jazz minor from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She earned a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance at Northwestern University, where she studied with Walfrid Kujala of the Chicago Symphony. In addition to flute instruction, Ms. Mahr directs the St. Olaf Handbell Choir, the St. Olaf Chapel Ringers, and oversees the direction of the student-led Manitou Handbell Choir. Previously she was director of the King's Ringers at Mount of Olives Baptist Church in Duluth, MN. She is an active member of AGEHR (American Guild of English Handbell Ringers) and is currently their Area VII secretary. Ms. Mahr is principal flute in the Mankato Symphony Orchestra, flute instructor at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Carleton College and has a private flute studio in her home. |
www.stolaf.edu/people/mahr |
Niemisto earned B.M. and M.M. degrees from the University of Michigan School of Music. He is conductor of the Norseman Band here at St. Olaf College. He has been a member of the Scandinavian Symphony Orchestra of Detroit, Toledo Symphony, Flint (Mich.) Symphony, Las Palmas Opera Festival Orchestra (Spain), and Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (Canada). Niemisto studied trombone with Edward Kleinhammer of the Chicago Symphony and tuba with Abe Torchinsky. In recent years, he has been a clinician and soloist at festivals in Canada and Scandinavia, and he founded American Poijat, a Finnish brass band. |
Darrin Thomas is a musician, songwriter, and choral director of gospel music, and is committed to sharing this style of music with the world. He strongly believes that every person has a musical talent that can be cultivated into something beautiful and enjoyable. Darrin's passion for music began more than 30 years ago, when he played drums for his father’s church, located in the Twin Cities. It was while watching his mother direct the choir that he became interested in gospel choirs. Under her tutelage, he was given the privilege to be president and choir director of the Greater St. Paul Church of God in Christ. Darrin has worked with various choirs across the Twin Cities metropolitan area teaching, conducting workshops, and coordinating concert performances. |
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Music Ensembles Faculty
