Foster Beyers returns to Concordia to serve as interim director of orchestral activities.
Foster Beyers
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music
Interim Conductor, The Concordia Orchestra
Even after a decade away from Concordia College, Foster Beyers notes that while some things have changed, the core of Concordia remains the same.
“Having left and come back, there really aren’t many places like Concordia,” he said. “I love the place, and I love the people. Walking into the music building already feels like a warm fire. It’s just fantastic. It’s not like that everywhere, so I feel pretty lucky.”
Beyers served as director of orchestras at Concordia from 2011-16. Having returned as interim director for the 2026-27 season, Beyers enjoys working where students are at the center of the organization.
He recalls a conversation with music department chair Dr. Nat Dickey: “He said something to me early on when I got here that really sticks with me. We were talking about some budget thing and how to save money. Nat said, ‘Ultimately, we just want the students to have a great experience.’ That statement by an administrator is so much more rare than you might think.”
Beyers views music as a reciprocal, symbiotic relationship between conductor and musicians, so it makes sense that he is moved by the prioritization of the students.
The art of conducting is like a circuit ... It’s very life affirming.
“The art of conducting is like a circuit — I’m sharing, but I’m also receiving, and the musicians are doing the same thing,” he said. “The act is very positive. It’s very life affirming. It’s why conductors often live to ripe old ages because they’re literally receiving positive energy and it’s all being directed back toward us. It’s pretty great.”
Beyers is particularly excited about touring with his students. Going on a weeklong tour is a unique opportunity that not every orchestra program offers. Beyers loves seeing students grow in their musicality while on the road.
“While touring, we take students out of their daily lives, leave everything behind, and just focus on music for a week. It’s great,” he said. “The opportunity for students to play a program multiple times for multiple different audiences and the growth we see in that week of tour is unbelievable.”
The Concordia Orchestra’s international tour to the Holy Land in 2014
Beyers’ favorite memories from his time as director of orchestras also revolve around traveling with The Concordia Orchestra. One treasured memory is touring with students throughout the Holy Land in 2014.
“I hope for the students that it was a life-changing experience to deeply collaborate with the people there,” Beyers said. “The incredible hospitality we experienced — it’s like no other place I’ve ever been. Just the warmest, friendliest environment. We got an opportunity to experience some things that maybe aren’t possible to do today.”
Another fond memory is a weekend retreat to the Finnish Language Village at Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, Minnesota.
“It was an amazing experience that’s really unique to Concordia,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any other place in the world like the Language Villages. We’re so lucky to have that as part of our system.”
While there, The Concordia Orchestra practiced a symphony by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The students experienced what the Language Villages does best — they found themselves immersed in Finnish food, language, and culture.
And Beyers took it all in. “The cafeteria at the Finnish Village is just big enough for us to fit an orchestra. We were rehearsing Sibelius with snow falling outside. There are windows on all sides. There’s something in music we call an ‘aesthetic experience,’ which is when all things align. What you see, hear, smell, and touch all becomes one thing. Those experiences are rare, but I felt like I had that in that moment.”
After his year at Concordia, Beyers plans to return to Missouri and continue his work there. He conducts at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla and conducts a community orchestra, the Galloway Chamber Orchestra. He also hopes to continue with a local opera company, the Ozark Lyric Opera, where he conducted a production of Puccini’s “La Bohème” last fall.
To aspiring conductors and musicians, he has a word of encouragement.
“If you love it, you should pursue it,” he said. “There’s always room for people in this profession who are doing it for the love of it and are persistent.”
Published October 2026