-= NMSU PANORAMA - Winter 2006 =- Faculty Profile: A Passion for Music

Faculty Profile

A Passion for Music

By Natisha Hales

Lonnie Klein is the driving force behind a new performing arts center for NMSU.

Photo by Mike Groves

From his first year at New Mexico State University in 1999, Lonnie Klein's youthful energy has led the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra to six consecutive seasons of sold-out concerts. He has been described as a one-man anthill, teaching instrumental conducting and music appreciation classes, and conducting a full season of classical music concerts and ensembles in ballet, opera, choral and chamber music.

Patrons eagerly fill each of the 532 seats in NMSU's Music Center Recital Hall to watch each LCSO performance. Season tickets are in such high demand that there is a waiting list with more than 300 patrons. Klein has had such great success that he has been invited to conduct orchestras across the nation and the world.

Klein's success didn't come easy, but he says anyone can do it. "I came in the back door," he says. "You don't have to study at Julliard to do what I do. You just have to have the passion and the commitment to work hard at it."

Klein realized his passion for music at an early age. Growing up in Kentucky under the guidance of very supportive parents, he sought inspiration from accomplished musicians and focused his sights on music as a career. While his parents lacked the means to send him to expensive music schools and camps, they encouraged him and provided an instrument and private lessons.

Klein went on to earn a bachelor's degree in music education from Murray State University, a Master of Music degree from Michigan State University and a doctorate in performance from the University of Illinois. After completing his academic training, he taught and conducted at the University of Evansville, a private liberal arts institution in Indiana. The University of Evansville Symphony Orchestra was fully funded by the university, but growth was limited by institutional priorities.

Klein seized the opportunity to become the LCSO's music director when the position opened at NMSU. "I was intrigued by the unique support structure for the symphony. The orchestra has a governing board that is separate from the university. Both NMSU and the Las Cruces Symphony Association raise funds to support the orchestra, allowing for continuous artistic growth, expansion in repertoire, in outreach and in audience."

As LCSO's music director, Klein has indeed expanded the reach of the orchestra and its musicians. His artistic vision and his commitment to the education of children and the public have led to an increase in community support and a 300 percent increase in revenue. More than 20,000 children have benefited from LCSO educational outreach initiatives.

Klein hosts a lively luncheon presentation to the public before each classical music concert. Lunch with the Maestro offers the historical background and Klein's artistic insight regarding the upcoming concert program.

Because the regular concert season has been consistently sold out, Klein has taken the orchestra on tours of southern New Mexico, held chamber music concerts, offered a free Fourth of July concert in Hadley Park in Las Cruces and performed with the Mexican-American group Mariachi Cobre.

News of Klein's success with the LCSO has traveled internationally. In 2003, he was invited to conduct the Milano Classical Chamber Orchestra in Milan, Italy. That performance led to a February 2004 invitation to conduct the Orchestra Sinfonica Della Provincia Di Bari in Bari, Italy, and another invitation to conduct in Milan. In May 2004, and again in March 2005, Klein conducted the Cukurova Devlet Senfoni Orkestra in Adana, Turkey.

In August 2005, Klein traveled to Perugia, Italy, to conduct "Music Under the Stars With the Soloists of Perugia." The outdoor concert in the small city outside of Rome drew more than 12,000 people.

But he won't stop there. Klein is offering his musical expertise to the Dean's Council for Excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences to create awareness about the need for a new performing arts center in Las Cruces. "The performing arts facilities (in Las Cruces) are landlocked, and it's impacting our ability to reach out to the community," Klein says.

The new performing arts facility "will change the cultural scene in Las Cruces dramatically," Klein notes. "It will take the community, the university and other arts organizations to the next level."

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