Joseph Schlefke has been Music Director and Conductor of the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra since 2001. His first position with the orchestra came in 1999 when he was appointed Apprentice Conductor. In addition to his work with the MPO, he is currently the Music Director and Conductor for two other orchestras in Minnesota: in spring of 2007, he was named Music Director and Conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, and he has been at the helm of the St. Paul Jewish Community Center Symphony since 2002. This spring he is also Instructor of Music at Macalester College, where he conducts the instrumental ensembles.
From 2002 – 2007, Schlefke was the Music Director of the Heartland Symphony Orchestra, which serves the communities in central Minnesota. In 2007, he returned to Theater Latté Da to reprise his position as Music Director for the remounting of their award-winning production of Puccini’s La Bohème, originally created in 2005 and featuring his complete rescoring of the opera for a small, Parisian café ensemble. Also in 2007, he served as Music Director and re-orchestrator for Theater Latté Da’s successful production of Carlisle Floyd’s opera Susannah. Schlefke has conducted orchestras in Oregon, Colorado, California, and Wisconsin, as well as many around the state of Minnesota, and has held conducting positions with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, the Berkshire Opera Company (MA), The Minnesota Opera, and the Moraine Symphony Orchestra (WI). He has served as Instructor of Music at Augsburg College and also spent several seasons with The Minnesota Opera as Music Director and Conductor of the Midwest Educational Tour.
Schlefke holds the degree of Master of Music with an emphasis in orchestral conducting from the University of Minnesota. He earned his B.M. in Theory and Composition from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and is a native of West Bend, Wisconsin.
