October has arrived. That means chilly weather, changing colors, seasonal foods, and much more.

At Gustavus, October also means that the 51st annual Nobel Conference is approaching.

An important part of the Conference that is sometimes overlooked or forgotten is the Nobel Conference Concert. This year’s Nobel Conference will take place on October 6 and 7, with the concert occurring on Tuesday, the 6th at 8 p.m. in Christ Chapel.

In the past, Gustavus students have performed in the concert. This year, the concert is comprised entirely of faculty from the Music Department as well as a guest artist.

Justin Knoepfel, professor of Music and conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra a GAC, will be playing the violin in the concert. This is Knoepfel’s sixth year at Gustavus and his first year involved with the Conference Concert.

“Musical collaboration is exciting,” Knoepfel said. “I also think that presenting this art to the distinguished guests that are here is as well. Another exciting part of this concert is that we have a guest violinist coming.”

Emily Ondracek­-Peterson is the guest artist at the concert. She was awarded the Chamber Music America’s ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming for her performance as first violinist of the Voxvare String Quartet.

During her visit at Gustavus, Ondarcek-­Peterson will be presenting to music students. She will be talking to students about different styles of violin playing. Obdracek-­Peterson will also be leading a master class, which is a public lesson. Students in a string quartet will perform for her and she will provide feedback to help them improve.

The theme for this year’s Nobel Conference is addiction. The concert brings that theme into the music choices for this year. The point is to tie the Conference together through art and music.
There will be a total of three pieces, including two that have been created to be played on the piano with only the left hand, performed by concert director Yumiko Oshima­Ryan.

In the third piece, ​String Quartet No. 8 in C minor​by Dmitri Shostakovich, the composer integrated his own reluctance and pain into the music, making this piece a good choice for the concert.
“Shostakovich, in my opinion, is one of the most universally loved composers from the mid­20th century,” Knoepfel said.

Unlike the Conference itself, the concert is free of charge. However, there is limited seating in Christ Chapel so audience members are encouraged to arrive early.

“Both audience and performers will be exhausted when the performance ends,” Oshima­Ryan said in the concert program. “In spite of this, we exult in the realization that all humans have the power to transform pain into strength.”