Since his days as a trombone player in the school band in the Quad Cities, Iowa during the 1990s, White Bear Lake resident Benjamin Klemme has gone on to become the music director for the Santa Fe Youth Symphony, a conductor for the University of Minnesota’s campus orchestra, and currently serves as concert orchestra director for the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, which will kick off its new season this month. Klemme’s decision to devote his life to music led him to earn his doctorate of musical arts in conducting from the University of Minnesota this spring, and his lifelong passion for classical music continues to manifest itself in the community and beyond.
“Music inspires community on the most beautiful level. It transforms us,” says Klemme. “Classical music is important for young people because, in my opinion, classical music is one of the most profound, one of the most beautiful and one of the most enriching accomplishments that humanity has achieved.”
This season, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies will host eight orchestras on seven different levels, with Klemme conducting the fifth most advanced one—the concert orchestra—which consists of 89 students in grades six through 12. “The actual experience of making orchestral music as a musician transforms people,” Klemme says. “It’s a privilege to facilitate opportunities for young people to do that, and it’s something I’ve dedicated my career to for the rest of my life. I love it.”
Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Upcoming Concerts:
October 26: Young Soloists Concerto Competition Finals at SPCO Center 1 p.m. // 408 St. Peter St., St. Paul
November 9: Fall Festival Concert at Orchestra Hall 6 p.m. // 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.
