Steven Amundson
Steven Amundson joined the St. Olaf music faculty to become conductor of the St. Olaf Orchestra in the fall of 1981. A Professor of Music, Amundson also teaches conducting, instrumentation, music theory, and ear training. Before coming to St. Olaf, Amundson held conducting positions at the University of Virginia, Tacoma (Wash.) Community College, and served as Music Director/Conductor of the Tacoma Youth Symphony. He is the founding conductor of the Twin-Cities based Metropolitan Symphony, and has served as conductor at the Interlochen National Arts Camp, the Lutheran Summer Music Program, and for many Honors and All-State Orchestras throughout the United States. Amundson recently completed a thirteen-year tenure as Music Director and Conductor of the Bloomington (MN) Symphony Orchestra and remains active as guest conductor of community and professional ensembles in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. He also enjoys composing and arranging, and is published by MMB Music in St. Louis. His Angels' Dance has received over 25 performances with orchestras including the Atlanta, Virginia, South Dakota, Wichita and Tallahassee Symphonies.
A 1977 graduate of Luther College, Amundson obtained the Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting at Northwestern University and did further studies at the University of Virginia, the Aspen Music School, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Amundson has enjoyed the tutelage of many notable conductors including Erich Leinsdorf, Maurice Abravanel, Milan Horvat and Bernard Rubenstein.
In the 1980 International Conducting Competition sponsored by the Mozarteum and National Austrian Radio (ORF), Amundson placed first, earning the Hans Haring Prize and a conducting and recording engagement with the Mozarteum International Summer Academy Orchestra. In 1992, the Minnesota Music Educators Association named him Orchestra Educator of the Year. In the fall of 1995, Luther College honored Amundson with the Carlo A. Sperati Award which recognizes meritorious achievement in music.
Under Amundson's direction, the St. Olaf Orchestra has been featured on Austrian National Radio, NPR, and PBS, and in many of the finest concert halls in Central and Eastern Europe. The Orchestra has also appeared at regional and national MENC conventions. In 1996, the St. Olaf Orchestra was given the Meritorious Orchestra Award by the Minnesota Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. In February, 2000, the St. Olaf Orchestra will be featured at the annual convention for the Texas Music Educators Association.
