JULY 28, 2019
Jonathan Campbell:
The Final Harvest
Augsburg-Fortress Studio Musicians
PROGRAM NOTES:
After a colleague unexpectedly passed away, I was struck by how this traditional hymn of thanksgiving—so often associated with autumn harvest—is an excellent memorial text. The hymn beautifully connects our own offerings with the gift of life and our ultimate “final harvest” when Christ takes us home. The two violins represent the deceased musician’s daughters, both excellent violinists.
The Final Harvest is published by Augsburg Fortress.
STATEMENT OF FAITH:
My music speaks for itself in regards to my faith.
BIO:
Dr. Jonathan Campbell received his Bachelor of Arts from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 1998. At Luther, Jon sang in the Nordic Choir for three years and studied conducting with Weston Noble. In 2002, Jon completed a Master of Sacred Music degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, where he studied choral conducting with Anton Armstrong and church music with Paul Westermeyer. Jon earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting in 2015 at North Dakota State University where he studied conducting with Jo Ann Miller. From 2004-2012, Jon conducted the Honors Choirs of Southeast Minnesota Chorale. He served as interim director of Choral Activities at Winona State University in the spring of 2011. Jonathan recently served on the faculty at Augsburg University, Minneapolis, MN as conductor of the Cedar Singers male chorus and the Masterworks Chorale. He also founded and was artistic director of the Minnesota Renaissance Choir. He currently serves as Director of Music and Fine Arts at Claremont United Church of Christ in Claremont, CA.
In 2013 Jon’s anthem They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships won first prize at the Morningstar College Choral Composition Festival. He was also awarded a Faith Partner’s Residency from the American Composers Forum in 2013. His anthems are published by six nationally distributed publishing houses including Augsburg Fortress, Concordia, G.I.A., Morningstar Music, Graphite, and Falls House Press. In 2013 the Silver Winds flute quartet commissioned Dakota Summer, a work which was featured at both the 2015 and 2017 National Flute Conventions. Jon regularly serves as a judge an adjudicator of choral ensembles, vocal soloists, and compositions. He is an active member of the American Choral Director’s Association, Association of the Lutheran Church Musicians, and American Composer’s Forum.