Name: Guest Conductor Series featuring Kaleb Benda "Folk Tunes & Tales"
Start: 2024-10-01T19:30:00-05:00
Location: Baugh Auditorium/oklahoma Christian University

Guest Conductor Series featuring Kaleb Benda "Folk Tunes & Tales"

For the opening of our 2024-2025 season, the Oklahoma Community Orchestra welcomes Kaleb Benda as the first conductor in our Guest Conductor Series titled "Folk Tunes & Tales". Under the leadership of Kaleb Benda, the orchestra will perform Les Preludes S. 97 (Symphonic Poem No. 3) by Franz Liszt, Karelia Suite Op. 11 by Jean Sibelius, and Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88 by Anton Dvorak.

Kaleb Benda is an American conductor driven by an artistic mission to connect with audiences through entertaining, educating, and enriching performances. He concurrently serves as Music Director of the Oklahoma Chamber Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Enid Symphony Orchestra, and Conductor of the Oklahoma Christian University Chamber Orchestra. Recent guest conducting engagements include the Gwinnett Symphony Chamber Orchestra and the Texas Chamber Symphony.
A proponent of new music, Benda has given world and regional premieres of compositions. In 2021 Benda and Oklahoma Chamber Symphony commissioned Clint Williams’ Greenwood, Archer & Pine, a piece commemorating the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre. He created a Composer in Residence program with the Oklahoma Chamber Symphony. As an advocate for music, Benda serves as an educator in Oklahoma and works with many youth and university musicians. At the collegiate level, Kaleb Benda is a member of the music faculty at Oklahoma Christian University. Benda began an annual student play-in concert with the Oklahoma Chamber Symphony.
Kaleb Benda is a third place winner for the 2022 The American Prize in the disciplines of conducting and programing. In 2021, Kaleb was named a Next Gen under 30 award winner for his effort with Oklahoma Chamber Symphony to make classical music accessible in the community. Benda has studied in music Hungary, has a Master of Music in Conducting degree from the Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University and holds a degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas.
More information is available at kalebbenda.com

Please note a survey will be available at the concert and via email for patrons to provide their input for each Conductor in the Conductor Audition Series.