Benjamin Klemme is a James Sample Fellow in conducting at the University of Minnesota where he is pursuing the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting under the tutelage of Mark Russell Smith; he conducts the University's Campus Orchestra and is an Assistant Conductor of the Opera Theatre. His previous posts include Music Director of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, Founding Music Department Chair at New Mexico School for the Arts, Assistant Conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. He has guest conducted the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, and the Cleveland Institute of Music New Music Ensemble.

Mr. Klemme received his Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Northern Iowa. His principal conducting teachers include Mark Russell Smith, Carl Topilow, Louis Lane, Rebecca Burkhardt and Ronald Johnson.

Dedicated to finding innovative ways to employ his commitment to music education, Benjamin Klemme actively works to develop partnerships with schools and performers in his community to go beyond his work on the podium. In New Mexico, he helped bring classical music to life for young people through his work with 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 achieve classroom learning objectives in language arts, math, science, and social studies through the creative presentation of parallel classical music principles, and served as the music department chair at Lutheran High School East; in Iowa he served as the Associate Conductor of the Northern Iowa Youth Orchestra.

Mr. Klemme lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife, violinist Deborah Klemme. He loves spending time with his young son, reading biographical literature and trying desperately to stay in the fairway.

Photograph by Bill Stengel