Gustavus Honor Orchestra FestivalNovember 3 and 4, 2023

Karin Moreaux leads the 7th annual Gustavus Honor Orchestra Festival, joined by guest artists Dr. Natalia Moiseeva, Sharon Mautner-Rodgers, and Rolf Erdahl. This festival brings together outstanding musicians and orchestra repertoire in an exciting two-day experience. Students will participate in masterclasses and clinics with string faculty from Gustavus, culminating in a festival concert not to be missed. This ensemble is open to string players only.

The final concert will take place on November 4.

Please consider applying for this special event. Nominations open on September 1 and are due by Friday, October 6 and there is a $40 fee per student. If you have any questions about the festival, please contact Karin Moreaux.

Who are the musicians that I will be working with?

Karin Moreaux

Ms. Karin Moreaux currently conducts the Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra and is a full-time orchestra teacher in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Ms. Moreaux graduated from Gustavus in 2016 majoring in Music Education with honors in viola performance. She earned her Master of Music Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2020. She hails from St. Louis, Missouri where she grew up playing Suzuki violin (and later viola) in her public elementary school program and has a passion for string music education in public schools. Along with her colleagues, Ms. Moreaux proudly accepted the Meritorious Orchestra Program Award by the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teachers Association recognizing the growth and development of the Eden Prairie String program in 2019.

Ms. Moreaux is an active performer. She has performed throughout the contiguous United States, Alaska, the Dominican Republic, Greece, and Macedonia. Currently Ms. Moreaux performs with her Irish American rock outfit, St. George's Folly, the Fool's Errand Trio, and the Corda String Quartet.

Justin Knoepfel

Justin Knoepfel joined Gustavus in 2009, and currently teaches viola, violin, and is the chair of the Department of Music. He graduated from Luther College (B.A.), received his Master of Music degree in viola from the University of Minnesota, and Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in viola performance and a secondary emphasis in music theory at the University of Minnesota's School of Music. Dr. Knoepfel has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, South Dakota Symphony, Mankato Symphony, LaCrosse Symphony, and others. He has performed extensively throughout the United States and in Europe at such venues as Konzerthaus Wien, Orchestra Hall, Ordway Center, Le Jeune Lune Theatre, Bethel University, University of Minnesota, St. Olaf College, and Luther College. He has also performed extensively with members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and others. His primary teachers have been Mr. Korey Konkol, Dr. Spencer Martin, and Mr. Tom Turner. Additionally, Dr. Knoepfel has participated as a performer and faculty member in various programs including Dorian Music Festival, MNSOTA Summer String Camp, Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival, Salem Music Academy, Bravo!, and the International Viola Congress. Recent performances have included solo, orchestral, and chamber music engagements -- most notably with the Bridge Chamber Music Festival, South Dakota Symphony, Ballet West, Minnesota Opera, Joffrey Ballet, Opera at Mill City, Gustavus Wind Orchestra, Oratorio Society of Minnesota, World Piano e-Competition, and more. He has also had the pleasure of playing with Idina Menzel, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, and Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Natalia Moiseeva

Russia’s native violinist Natalia Moiseeva holds BM and MM degrees in Violin Performance from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia, and a DMA degree in Violin Performance from the University of Minnesota. She is a prizewinner of international competitions and she has appeared as a soloist with orchestras both in the United States and in Europe. Before immigrating in 2006 she was a member of the Russian State Symphony Orchestra named after Evgeniy Svetlanov. An avid chamber music player and a violinist with the Saint Croix Piano Trio, Moiseeva regularly performs in the Twin Cities area. She is an Assistant Concertmaster of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra and frequently performs with the Minnesota Orchestra. Moiseeva is on the Faculty at Gustavus Adolphus College, Carleton College, Macalester College and University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Moiseeva is a recipient of an Artist Initiative and Creative Support Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. In 2020 she has released her solo CD “The Young Violinist’s Album”.

Sharon Mautner-Rodgers

Sharon Mautner-Rodgers is a California native and won numerous competitions both as a soloist and a member of the Trio Con Brio. Sharon was awarded a full music scholarship to attend the Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences where she received the Herbert Zipper award for excellence. Sharon has participated in the Aspen Music Festival, ENCORE school for strings, Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, Taos Chamber Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Bear Lake Music Festival, Oregon Coast Music Festival, Endless Mountain Music Festival, the Missouri Symphony "Hot Summer Nights" Festival, and the Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd. Sharon has been a member of many professional orchestras, including the New World, Charleston, Naples, Memphis, Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities, Dubuque, Des Moines, Honolulu, Malaysian Philharmonic, and Wichita Symphonies. She has performed at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, The Teatro Cologn in South America, The Bastille Opera House in Paris, The Hollywood Bowl, and in Singapore. In 2019, Sharon went back twice to Malaysia to sub with the Philharmonic. This included a tour to Beijing, Tianjin, and Dalian China.

Rolf Erdahl

Rolf Erdahl, double bass, performs widely as a chamber musician and subs for the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Minnesota Opera. Previously Principal Bass of the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and Assistant Principal Bass of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, he has subbed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and performed with the Breckenridge Music Festival, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Miami Beach Basstet, and White Noise Chamber Players. Eugene Levinson has been his major teacher. He has also studied with Peter Lloyd, Bruce Bransby, Paul Ellison, Hal Robinson, Stuart Sankey, and James Clute. Dr. Erdahl was invited as a performer and keynote speaker at the 2017 International Edvard Grieg Society Seminar and Workshop "Romantic Piano Meets the Hardanger Fiddle: Edvard Grieg’s Chamber Works and Solo Piano Music." He performed several recitals and school programs around Norway following the conference in his chamber music duo, OboeBass! He has also presented solo recitals and masterclasses across the country, including at conferences of the International Society of Bassists, SEAMUS, Montclair State University, Louisiana State University, Peabody Conservatory, and the Cincinnati Institute of Music. He maintains an active schedule as a freelance chamber and orchestral bassist.

Jill Olson Moser

Violinist Jill Olson Moser performs extensively as an orchestral and chamber musician in the Twin Cities. She performs with the Minnesota Opera and is a regular substitute with the Minnesota Orchestra. Prior to performing in the Twin Cities, Jill was the Concertmaster of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony and the Fargo-Moorhead Opera Orchestra. She was also a member of the Britt Festival and Wintergreen Performing Arts Orchestras in Oregon and Virginia respectively, as well as the Heidelberg Schlossfestspiele in Germany. Jill is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Her primary teachers include Dr. Robert Emile, Catherine Tait and Jorja Fleezanis. She studied chamber music with members of the American String Quartet and the Cleveland Quartet.