Directors

Robert McConnell conducts both the Southeast Iowa Symphony and the Southeast Iowa Band and has served on the faculty of IWU for 40 years. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Truman State University and a Master of Arts degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In addition to these two groups Mr. McConnell has extensive experience conducting musical theater, chamber groups and jazz ensembles. He has served as a guest clinician for a variety of school honor groups. He also worked as Associate Professor of oboe at both the University of Iowa and Western Illinois University.

Mr. McConnell’s primary instrument is oboe. He performed 26 seasons as the Principal Oboe of the Quad Cities symphony in addition to performances with the Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Peoria Symphonies. As an undergraduate he performed in the top jazz band at Truman State in the saxophone section.

Many people are interested to find out that in addition to his musical activities, Mr. McConnell is an active farmer and pork producer. He still operates the farm 2 miles southeast of Washington, Iowa that has been in his family for nearly 100 years. Mr. McConnell commutes to Iowa, sometime several times a week from where he currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife Julie Peshkin who also performs on upright bass with SEISO and the SEIB.

Dr. Michael Knight currently serves as Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Iowa Wesleyan University. His duties at IW include directing the chamber band and jazz ensemble, teaching courses in theory and music education, and co-directing the Southeast Iowa Concert Band.

Previously, he was the director of the University of Delaware Wind Ensemble and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in instrumental conducting and wind literature. Dr. Knight has also served on the faculties of St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI and the University of Missouri, where his responsibilities included directing Marching Mizzou, conducting the Symphonic Band and teaching courses in conducting and marching band techniques.

Prior to his collegiate teaching career, Dr. Knight taught in the public schools of Missouri. He holds degrees from the University of Missouri, the University of Georgia and the University of Iowa.

Dr. Knight has served as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the nation and is a regular contributor to the Teaching Music through Performance in Band textbook series.