STEPHEN CAMPITELLI, Piano
Pianist Stephen Campitelli’s passionate and precise musicality has made him a renowned local artist of remarkable versatility. In demand as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and accompanist, he has regularly appeared with orchestras including the Immaculata, Delaware County and Main Line Symphonies. In his long association with the Immaculata Symphony, he has performed several concertos to great acclaim, including Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, and Prokofiev. He has also frequently performed piano and keyboard parts as a member of the orchestra and has often been featured in Immaculata Symphony chamber music concerts.
In his numerous solo recitals in the area, Mr. Campitelli has featured traditional and contemporary works, including premieres by Immaculata Symphony Music Director Emeritus Roman Pawlowski.
Mr. Campitelli is the organist at the West Chester United Methodist Church and the chapel organist at Good Samaritan Church in Paoli. In previous years, he served as the rehearsal accompanist and concert organist for the Main Line Ecumenical Choir and the West Chester Ecumenical Choir.
Mr. Campitelli received his Master of Music from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music, and his teachers have included Harvey Wedeen, Steven Smith, and Annette Freeze. He is a past first prize winner for Pennsylvania in the National Music Teachers Association’s Collegiate Artist Competition.
Mr. Campitelli is a piano faculty member at Immaculata University, where he teaches piano classes and lessons and accompanies student recitals and events. Mr. Campitelli also maintains a private piano studio.
Mr. Campitelli would like to dedicate this performance to his teacher Harvey Wedeen, who passed away in 2015.
KENNETH LAUDERMILCH, Guest Conductor
Dr. Kenneth Laudermilch was appointed Musical Director of the New Holland Band in May of 2005. He was a faculty member in the School of Music at West Chester University from 1968-2006. As Professor of Instrumental Music at WCU, he served as the Director of the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds, as well as Director of the Summer Elementary, Junior High, and High School Music Workshops and Camps.
For 25 years, he performed as Principal Trumpet of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and as Substitute Trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is currently the Principal Trumpet with the Westminster Brass, a Philadelphia based brass quintet which has performed in over 50 cities throughout the United States over the past 40 years.
Dr. Laudermilch holds a B.S. degree in Music Education from Lebanon Valley College, a M.M. in Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a D.M.A from the Catholic University of America. He resides in New Holland with his wife (Nancy) and their son (Keith). His firm belief is that music is a gift to be used sometimes for the shear beauty it affords, most often to console, uplift and encourage the human spirit, and ultimately, to bring glory to God.