Dr. Jeremy Starr

Violin/viola/conducting

Dr. Jeremy Starr has led a dynamic professional music career as an orchestra conductor, violinist/violist, and strings pedagogue. He was Director of Orchestras and Head of String Studies at Emporia State University from 2009 to 2016, and he also served as Music Director of the highly regarded Topeka Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2011 to 2016.  He received his Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Brigham Young University and his Master of Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from The University of Iowa.

He has guest-conducted various professional orchestras in the United States and internationally, and he is the founding Music Director of the heralded Emporia Symphony Orchestra.  As a violinist, he has soloed with orchestras and in recitals in cities around the United States and in Mexico and Paraguay. He has twice won university-sponsored concerto competitions and led numerous university and festival orchestras as concertmaster. He played several years with the Orchestra at Temple Square during his studies at BYU, spent 2003 to 2004 playing in the Wichita Symphony, and performed as Principal Second Violin in the Dubuque Symphony from 2005 to 2006.

Dr. Starr has been an influential educator, giving over 150 orchestra and string clinics and guest master classes in the United States and internationally.  His ensembles, small and large, have auditioned and been selected to perform at music conferences, and his students have won or been finalists in a variety of competitions.  Dr. Starr has been a faculty member both as an orchestra conductor and violinist/violist at numerous summer music camps, and he co-founded and served as Music Director for the popular hybrid music and fine arts camp WoodFest.  He currently maintains a full schedule teaching private violin, viola, and conducting lessons in Sandy, Utah, training up-and-coming musicians in the Salt Lake City area and online around the world.