Laurence Burkhalter Vita

Laurence Burkhalter
Violin

Laurence Burkhalter Born in India, Dr. Burkhalter holds degrees from music schools in both England and the United States. Before joining the Iowa State University music faculty in 1966, he taught at the Ohio State University, where he was the violist with the resident Hughes String Quartet and principal violist of the Columbus Symphony for eleven years.

Dr. Burkhalter served as head of the ISU Music Department from 1966 till 1972. During his twenty years of service, he conducted the university symphony orchestra, taught conducting and viola, and helped to organize what later became the Ames Piano Quartet. He also served for a time as principal violist and assistant conductor of the Des Moines Symphony, and conductor and musical director of the Ft. Dodge Area Symphony, 1985-1990. In 1981, he was invited to conduct the Taipei (Taiwan) Symphony for a special benefit concert sponsored by the local district of Rotary International, and in 1983, he taught conducting and coached chamber music at the National Taiwan Normal University, also in Taipei.

Since his retirement from teaching in 1986, Dr. Burkhalter continued to perform as violist with the Ames Piano Quartet until June, 1998. Following a career where the viola was his primary instrument, he then returned to playing the violin. He has been performing with the Central Iowa Symphony ever since, and served as its concert-master for ten years.