World-renowned choral conductor Joseph Flummerfelt, who was the artistic director and principal conductor at Westminster Choir College in Princeton for more than three decades, died March 1 in Indianapolis, Ind.
Flummerfelt, who came to Westminster Choir College in 1971, was 82 years old. He retired from Westminster Choir College, which is now part of Rider University, in 2004.
Flummerfelt was the director of choral activities at DePauw University in Indiana from 1964 to 1968, and then moved on to Florida State University for four more years before accepting the post in Princeton.
Flummerfelt was also the founder and musical director of the New York Choral Artists. He was involved in choral preparation for the New York Philharmonic – the symphony orchestra at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City – until 2016.
In his retirement, Flummerfelt was a visiting professor at many schools, and he also conducted performances at many universities nationwide – from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., to the New England Conservatory in Boston, Mass., the Kansas City Conservatory of Music and DePauw University.
From 1976 to 2013, Flummerfelt was the director of choral activities for the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C. – a major performing arts festival and a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy.
Flummerfelt was also an orchestral conductor who made his debut in 1988 with the New York Philharmonic. He was a guest conductor with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in Newark, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Julliard Symphony Orchestra, both in New York City, and the San Antonio and Phoenix orchestras.
Over the years, Flummerfelt was awarded honorary degrees from Westminster Choir College, Purdue University, Vincennes University, Ursinus College and DePauw University. He also received DePauw University’s two highest alumni awards – the Old Gold Goblet in 1988 and the DePauw Gold Medal in 2005.
