ARTISTIC STAFF

Dr. Kevin F. E. Sütterlin, Artistic Director & Symphony conductor

Dr. Kevin F.E. Sütterlin is an internationally sought-after conductor and pedagogue. He belongs to Beyond Artists, a coalition of artists that donates a percentage of their concert fees to organizations they care about. He supports “WIRES” (Australian Wildlife Rescue) and the “Memphis Music Initiative” through his performances Sütterlin is Director of Orchestral Activities and Opera and Associate Professor of Conducting at Concordia College Under his direction, The Concordia Orchestra has received two EMMY awards, and has won the prestigious American Prize Sütterlin is Music Director of the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra one of Wisconsin’s finest professional orchestras and Co-Music Director of Sinfonietta Memphis since 2014, an ensemble that provides free concerts and educational experiences for the Greater Memphis communities Perhaps the only orchestra in the U S with a co-music directorship model, Sinfonietta Memphis’s conductors Dr Mathias Elmer and Sütterlin proudly represent the orchestra’s credo: friendship through music They also co-direct The Sinfonietta Academy for Historically Informed Performance Practice, which has recently been recognized as one of the country’s leading period performance practice institutes In 2019, Sütterlin was named Principal Guest Conductor of the Qingdao Concert Hall Symphony in China, and in 2021 Honorary Conductor of K-Classic Orchestras, a Korean organization dedicated to contributing to world peace through musical and cultural exchange Sütterlin furthermore serves as Principal Guest Conductor of Fargo-Moorhead Opera, where he recently directed productions of Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel to great acclaim.

With a great love and passion for teaching, Sütterlin is Artistic Director of the Northern Valley Youth Orchestras, and holds The Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Endowed Orchestra Chair of the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival, directing the organization’s orchestral and conducting programs He is a much sought-after clinician for regional, state-wide, national, and international music festival and workshops

Championing the music of living as well as historically under-represented composers, Sütterlin commits to broad and diverse programming on every single concert with all of his ensembles. Considering himself a “citizen of the world,” Sütterlin has been building musical bridges across four different continents and has led his ensembles on many successful national and international tours He has performed and taught across the globe including Austria, China, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States He has taught at Shanghai Conservatory, Sichuan Conservatory, Ocean University Qingdao, University of Cape Town, University of Hawaii, Musikhochschule Luzern, University of Memphis, and Virginia Tech University. Highlights of his upcoming guest conducting season include engagements with the National Opera of Chile Chamber Orchestra, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Namibia National Symphony, and Arizona State University. Sütterlin received his doctorate and master’s degrees in orchestral conducting from The University of Memphis where he studied with Dr. Pu-Qi Jiang and Michael Stern, and a bachelor’s degree in conducting from the Hochschule Luzern Musik, Switzerland

Hartten, Philharmonic conductor

Kara Hartten began her musical studies at the age of five in her hometown of Redding, Connecticut. She earned both a Bachelor of Music Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in French from DePauw University, followed by a Master of Music in cello performance and instrumental conducting from the University of North Dakota Ms Hartten is presently an orchestra teacher in the Grand Forks Public Schools and performs with the Fargo Moorhead Symphony Orchestra as well as the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra She founded a string ensemble she currently directs, the UND Community Orchestra, and is a past conductor for NVYO’s Allegro Orchestra; she has additionally coached NVYO Crescendo, and cello sectionals. As a cellist, Kara has performed with the UND Student String Quartet and UND’s Red River Trio, a student ensemble that toured in May of 2014 in Tokyo, Japan and Shanghai, China. Kara has studied with Drs Simona Barbu, Darilyn Manring, Yeon-Ji Yun, and Eric Edberg, and performed in master classes with renowned cellists such as Amit Peled, Matt Haimovitz, Nicholas Photinos, Emilio Colon and Laszlo Varga In 2009, she performed with the DePauw Chamber Orchestra during a tour of Austria and Germany. She also performed the Lalo cello concerto with the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra in 2007 as the winner of its concerto competition. In 2011, she played Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat major with internationally known cellist Yo-Yo Ma

Ms. Sarah Harlow, Symphony assistant conductor 2022-23

Sarah Harlow is originally from Grand Forks, ND. She is presently a band director at Grand Forks Central High School and clarinet instructor at the University of North Dakota Ms Harlow is principal clarinet of the Greater Grand Forks Symphony and performs with a variety of other music ensembles in the community In addition, she is active as a teacher, musician, clinician, and music advocate in the region, presently serving as president of the North Dakota Music Educators Association Ms Harlow earned her Bachelor's of Music degree from NDSU in 2012 and Masters of Music Education from Central Washington in 2022. She previously taught in Emerado and Larimore, North Dakota, and was the Philharmonic assistant conductor 2016-2018.

Ms. Katie Svendson , Philharmonic assistant conductor 2022-23

Katie Svendson grew up in East Grand Forks, MN As an active musician and athlete, she was also one of the first brass players to audition for the newly-formed Northern Valley Youth Orchestras in 2011 She attended the University of South Dakota where as a music education major she performed in the symphonic band, symphony orchestra, jazz band, and marching band. Ms. Svendson is presently a middle school band director in the Grand Forks Public Schools, and previously taught in Montevideo, MN. She is an active musician, music advocate, and music educator, and is presently pursuing her Masters of Music Education at Florida State University