People

Brian Dowdy is a conductor, guitarist, and organizational leader committed to supporting the work of living music-makers and enriching the lives of community members through programming that expands artistic horizons, amplifies a diversity of voices, and creates courageous, compassionate world citizens. Brian currently serves as Artistic Director of the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra and Community Director with the American Composers Forum.  His prior conducting positions include the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, Journey North Opera Company, the University of Minnesota Campus Orchestra Program, the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Sanctuary choir of St. Stephen’s Richmond.

Catherine Himmerich, concertmaster, joined the Minnesota Philharmonic in 2012 and was the featured soloist on Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane in 2016 and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto in 2019. She has performed with artists ranging from the Eagles and Hanson to Andrea Bocelli and Sigur Rós. She has also been concertmaster for various opera companies and choral/orchestral ensembles in the Twin Cities, including Journey North Opera Company and the Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company. Additionally, she plays in the Metamorphosis Duo with MPO associate concertmaster, Joe Dolson, and their repertoire focuses heavily on violin duos by women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC composers.

A member of the violin faculty at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, she has a long-standing commitment to including repertoire by underrepresented composers in her teaching, and she is passionate about working with students from communities who have historically not had access to music instruction. With both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota, she has studied with Roger Frisch, Roland Vamos, J. Patrick Rafferty, and Korey Konkol.

Olivia Sletteland is a Minneapolis-based percussionist, arts administrator, and music educator with a passion for new music. In pursuing her passion for new music, Olivia has performed at the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention on the New Music/Research Committee Concert Series and the Mizzou International Composers Festival and has been a part of over 30 world premieres by composers including David Crowell, José Halac, Maria Disandro, and Kevin Day among others. She is an active performer with performances nationally and internationally including Amon Carter Museum of American Art (Fort Worth,Texas), Universidad Javeriana (Bogota, Colombia), and Festival Internacional de Música de Bariloche (Bariloche, Argentina). As an orchestral musician, Olivia has performed with many ensembles in the Midwest, including the Missouri Symphony, St. Cloud Symphony, La Crosse Symphony, Chippewa Valley Symphony, and Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. She is also a founding member of Left/Right, a percussion duo, alongside Mary Emmons which has a mission to promote, commission, and perform new works.

In addition to performing, Olivia is the Operations Manager for the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra and the Marketing Director for the Saint John’s Boys’ Choir. As an educator, Olivia currently works as the drumline instructor for UW-La Crosse’s Screaming Eagles Marching Band and as a front ensemble instructor for Eastview High School Marching Band and River City Rhythm Indoor Drumline. 

Olivia received her Master’s of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Missouri-Columbia with Dr. Megan Arns and Dr. Julia Gaines where she was a graduate assistant for the Mizzou New Music Initiative and percussion studio and a performing member of the Mizzou New Music Ensemble. She also holds a Bachelor’s in Percussion Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she studied with Dr. Jeffery Crowell. Outside of her formal studies Olivia has studied at the Neif Norf summer new music festival and worked with master musicians including Musekiwa Chingodza, Othnell Moyo, and Fodé Bangoura.

Olivia is a proud endorser of Artifact Percussion. 

In her free time, Olivia loves to hike and explore the outdoors with her partner.