Jeffrey Klefstad is in his third year of a Doctor of Music in Orchestral Conducting here at the Schulich School of Music. He serves as Music Director/Conductor of the All University Orchestra (AUO) at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). Klefstad has led ensembles throughout Europe and North America. He made his European debut conducting at the Aurora Music Festival (Sweden) under the invitations of Scandinavian conductors, Leif Segerstam and Johannes Gustavsson, and the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic (Czech Republic). Since attending McGill, Klefstad has collaborated with many involved in the Schulich School. He led the World Premiere performance of Michael Kim-Sheng's with the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble, teamed up with the Montréal-based saxophone quartet, and the McGill saxophone studio on François Morel's Strophes, séquences, mouvements , partnered with Schulich colleagues in performing Denys Boulaine's Jeux de société for the Canadian Music Day Festival (2017), and worked with the (Israel) under the guidance of Guillaume Bourgogne and Pierre-André Valade, among other activities.
In 2019, Klefstad served as guest conductor in residence for L'Orchestre symphonique conservatoire de musique de la Montérégie (Montréal), and was assistant conductor for Resonance Works | Pittsburgh, a multi-modal performing arts company focusing on chamber, opera, choral, and contemporary repertoire. He has also served as a cover conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Orchestra, and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. Additionally, he has been music director for opera productions of Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
He has worked with acclaimed conductors Manfred Honeck, Kurt Masur, Keith Lockhart, Jorge Mester, Kenneth Kiesler, and composers Steve Reich, Jennifer Higdon, Roberto Sierra, and Samuel Jones, among others. He is currently a student of Alexis Hauser and Guillaume Bourgogne.
This weekend, Klefsted will conduct Sibelius' Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 with the McGill Symphony Orchestra - for more information and tickets, go to our website:
Friday January 17th, 7.30pm:Â find out more
Saturday January 18th, 7.30pm:Â find out more
Where are you from?
I currently live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with my husband, Ryan and our Boston Terrier, Molly. But I am originally from Forman, North Dakota (rural USA)—it is 93 miles southwest of Fargo….you know, like the movie/TV show…
What made you choose McGill for your studies?
Having visited Montreal many times with my husband, I very much enjoyed experiencing the culture and vibrancy of this city. When it came time to search for a conducting mentor/program for my doctorate, Montreal and McGill were at the top of my list. After meeting with Alexis Hauser (Director of Orchestral Studies at Schulich), I felt an instant connection with his personality, teaching, and musical style…and I knew it was the perfect fit for me.
Explain your research in three sentences or less:
The purpose of my research is to explore Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ compositional methods through his use of orchestration and the impact it had on his sound. Specifically, my research focuses on the orchestration he used in his Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 105 and compares it to the use of orchestration in the 1st and 3rd symphonies, as they fall under different stylistic periods.
What led you to this particular topic?
I became very connected with Sibelius’ music during my undergraduate studies, and I actually did a thesis on his final tone-poem, Tapiola, Op. 112, for one of my other graduate degrees. To me, his music is distinctively soulful, complete with beautiful colours and textures, and my experience conducting his music continues to draw me into exploring his world of sound.
How does your research add to what is already known?
To my knowledge and after an survey of the literature, there has never been any such research undertaken about Sibelius’ use of orchestration. A few scholars have briefly mentioned descriptions about the instruments in passing with reference to his pieces, but none have viewed his music specifically through the lens of orchestration.
Who is going to benefit most from your research?
I hope my research will benefit conductors and performers who are new to Sibelius’ music. Often there are performances of his orchestral works that fall flat or are somewhat unbalanced because performers did not take enough time (or didn’t have enough time) to consider the balance and many possible colours presented in his scores. It was documented that Sibelius possessed sound-colour synaesthesia, and so it may be that he was very particular with his instrumental choices because of their sound combinations.
What are your next steps?
Currently I am preparing for my comprehensive exams (yay!) and plan to complete my degree in October 2020. In the meantime, I have job applications out there and will continue building on my current research topic in different areas of Sibelius’ music.
Where is your favourite place to study?
Anywhere there is sunlight and quiet…often 4th or 5th floor of the Music Library.
Where could you be found in Montreal on a day off?
When I lived in Montreal, I often found myself walking through Parc Jeanne-Mance with my husband, reading at Café Code Noir, binge watching something on Netflix (Schitts Creek), cooking, or driving back and forth to Pittsburgh (USA) for rehearsal every other weekend.
What is your earliest musical memory?
…bouncing in my car seat and singing with the radio until my dad told me to put a cork in it.
If you hadn’t ended up in music, what would your alternate career path have been?
I am not certain, but I think I would be involved in architecture or something to do with the outdoors. I enjoy being outside and I like observing the colours, structures, and textures of the natural world.
What was the last book you read?
Sibelius by Andrew Barnett. This is a good book for anyone who is interested in a detailed chronology of Sibelius’ life and compositional output.
If you were offered a return plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go/why?
I would go home to Forman, North Dakota. I am a Prairie boy, and the great plains will always be my favourite place in the world. The openness of the Prairie sky rejuvenates me.
