Dr. Peter A. Eklund
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

One of the most active and versatile conductors in America today, Peter Eklund possesses a unique ability to work effectively with musicians at all levels of performing capability and experience. His concertizing/clinician schedule averages 60 national and international concerts annually and includes a wide array of professional, liturgical, festival, collegiate, and student ensembles throughout North America and Europe. Trained as a classical pianist and organist in the finest traditions of Western historical music, he now is also a  strong advocate for ethnic and world music spanning all genres.

His choirs have performed on numerous American Choral Directors Association regional and national conventions where their frequency of performance set unprecedented national records. Eklund has conducted his choirs in many of the world s greatest performance venues including, Carnegie Hall, Washington DC s Kennedy Center, National Cathedral, and Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, St. Mark s Basilica in Venice, Christ Church in Oxford, Mozart s Salzburg Cathedral, Notre Dame in Paris, St. Stephen s in Vienna, St. John the Divine and Alice Tully Hall in NYC, and in other famous cathedrals and performance halls in New York, Chicago, London, Coventry, Canterbury, Reims, Chartres, Paris, Metz, Strasbourg, Lucerne, Rothenburg, Munich, and Verona.

His most recent liturgical work occurred this past year as he held an interim full-time position as Music Director at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. He oversaw and conducted the 100-voice Plymouth Choir (labeled by Sir David Willcocks a frequent guest conductor and visitor as the finest church choir in the world), weekly state-wide live radio and TV broadcasts of two Sunday AM services, music director of the Plymouth Brass (a 10-member professional/union brass, percussion, organ ensemble with their own concert series), serving as Saturday s service organist, conducting the Abendmusik® Concert Series, and planning liturgical repertoire (and collaborating with a world-class organist/composer on the new 110-rank Schoenstine & Co. nave organ).

Dr. Eklund studied conducting and score-study with Don V Moses, International Mahler Medalwinner James Dixon, and American Choral Directors Association past president (and University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumnus) William Hatcher. Current and recent engagements include conducting All-State choirs in Minnesota, Colorado, Indiana, Missouri, South Dakota, Georgia, and Alabama, master classes and adjudicating/clinic work in Hawaii, California, Florida, Virginia, New York, Iowa, Arizona, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Chicago, collaborating with NETV on a state-wide collegiate choral broadcast (nominated for regional Emmy), conducting a regional ACDA honor choir, and directing a summer youth honor choir trip to ten countries.

He divides his time among three roles: conductor, guest lecturer, and teacher/mentor (with numerous former students performing professionally on both US coasts: Broadway, Lincoln Center, TV, and Oscar winning movies and everywhere in between), and is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he heads the Masters and Doctoral choral conducting programs, conducts the nationally recognized University Singers, and conducts the nationally renowned University of Nebraska Varsity Men s Chorus (both national MENC selected performance ensembles, the former in 2002 - Nashville and the latter in 2004 - Minneapolis). However, his greatest role of all is that of husband to Teresa and father of their four sons: Ben, Bryant, Brady and Brantley.

Dr. Germán A. Gutiérrez
Texas Christian University, Ft. Worth, TX

TCU Associate Professor Germán Gutiérrez is the Director of Orchestras and the Center for Latin American Music at TCU. Gutiérrez is a frequent guest conductor of professional orchestras such as the Fort Worth and Dallas Symphony orchestras; the National Symphony Orchestras of Peru, Colombia, and Puerto Rico; the Philharmonic
Orchestras of Bogotá and New Zealand; Symphony Orchestras of Barranquilla and Del Valle in Colombia; Rio de Janeiro s Teatro Municipal and Porto Alegre in Brazil, Xalapa in Mexico and Pergine Spettacolo Aperto in Italy.

2004 marked Gutiérrez s unprecendented seventh year as guest conductor of the Dallas Symphony s Hispanic Festival. Gutiérrez has been the Music Director of the Greater Fort Worth Youth Orchestras Program since the year 2000. Gutiérrez received his Bachiller and Maestro in Music from the Tolima Conservatory in his native Colombia. He subsequently received his Master in Music from Illinois State and his Doctor of Arts Degree from University of Northern Colorado. Gutiérrez and the TCU Symphony were listed in the Top Ten Best Classical Performers of 2002.

Among other awards Dr. Gutiérrez was the recipient of the 1999 Dean s Teaching Award, the 2002 Dean s Award for Research and Creative Activity, and the 2003 Chancellor s Award for Research and Creative Activity. Invitations as guest conductor for the 2005-06 season includes: the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague s famed the Smetana Hall, The Ibero American Arts Festival in San Juan, Pueto Rico, The National Symphony of Colombia and the International Music Festival of Medellin, Colombia.