Ivan Arion Karst 

 

Musician

Ivan Arion Karst is a versatile musician who combines his experience
conducting and performing with symphonic and choral ensembles to create 
exciting performances. He is presently Music Director of the Hsinchu
International School Youth Orchestra, Choir, and HIS Community
Choir, where he teaches Elementary Vocal Music. Mr. Karst holds the
position of Lecturer at the National Hsinchu University of Education.
Previously in the 2007 autumn semester, he was awarded the opportunity
to be Guest Artist and Lecturer at NHUE, where he taught Brass
Techniques, conducted the Brass Ensemble, and performed a solo recital, as
well as a concerto with the NHUE Wind Ensemble. He has also been the
Music Director and Head of Music of the Hsinchu American School
Orchestra. Previous to this position he was the Assistant Conductor of the
Ontario Youth Orchestra Festival, and Music Director of the Atikokan
Saxophone Ensemble, and Artistic Director of the Atikokan Creations
Theater for three years.

In Canada, Mr. Karst has been a guest artist in classrooms throughout
northern Ontario with the Learning Through the Arts, Royal
Conservatory of Music program for three years. Formerly Music Director
of the Medicine Hat Community Orchestra and Amici Choir, Mr. Karst
was also on faculty at the Medicine Hat College Conservatory
instructing  brass, music theory, and music history. He has held the position
of Assistant Conductor and Interim Chorus Master with the Thunder
Bay Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Previous to his arrival in
Thunder Bay, Mr. Karst held the position of Music Director with the St.
Clement’s Parish Orchestra and Quorum String Ensemble in Toronto,
Canada.

Mr. Karst’s dynamic leadership consistently provides for precision and
flexibility, refinement and passion, challenge and success. In the summer of
2008 he lead the Pazardjik Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria)
in performance. He has conducted the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, 
the National Arts Center Orchestra (Ottawa), the Kitchener-Waterloo
Symphony Intermediate Youth Orchestra, the Thunder Bay
Symphony Youth Orchestra, the FACE Youth Orchestra (Montreal),
and the Sonore Borealis String Ensemble (Calgary). He has also
gained a wide variety of choral experience conducting members of the
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir (Toronto), the Amici Choir (Medicine Hat),
the Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus, and the Holy Cross Anglican
Church Choir (Calgary).

 

  

 

 

As an emerging conductor, Mr. Karst has studied with Jorma Panula
(Stockholm Conservatory), Pinchas Zukermann (National Arts Centre
Orchestra), Ivars Taurins (Tafelmusik Chamber Choir), John Morris
Russell (Windsor Symphony Orchestra), Nurham Arman, (Toronto
Symphonia), and Mallory Thompson (Northwestern University, Chicago,
Ill.). Mr. Karst holds a Masters Degree in Performance from
Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Music with a major in
Education from the University of Prince Edward Island.    

 

For more information about my experience, please click on one of the links below.                        

 

Biographical Information  Philosophy of Conducting
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