Kurt Knecht

Kurt Knecht

Lecturer, Composition
Area of Focus: Composition

Kurt Knecht is a composer, organist, and conductor currently living in Lincoln, Nebraska. His compositions have been described as “funky” and “joyous” in the Washington Post, and the American Record Guide has called him a “fresh voice.” His compositions have become a staple of the modern choral festival literature and have been performed at festivals and concerts in over 43 states. Performances of his compositions include international performances at festivals and concerts in Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Cuba, New Zealand, China, a performance at Carnegie Hall as well as the Kennedy Center by the Grammy Award winning Washington Chorale. His compositions have been featured on the NPR programs Pipedreams and With Heart and Voice and at the national conventions of the International Clarinet Societ, the Organ Historical Society, the Association of British Choral Directors, and the International Flute Symposium of West Virginia University.  He is regularly commissioned and publishes with Walton, Pavane, and Colla Voce. He has received the ASCAP Plus award (2008-2014) from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. His composition Missa Prolationem was awarded the Folsom Prize for the most outstanding doctoral dissertation of the University of Nebraska in 2009.

As an eclectic performer, Kurt has been a featured soloist with groups ranging from Smokey Robinson to The Florida Orchestra. Kurt regularly appears as a concert organist and collaborative pianist. He also performs in the improvisation duo Mondegreen with violist Jonah Sirota of the Chiara Quartet.  He is the music director at St. Mark’s on the Campus in Lincoln, NE and serves on the composition faculty at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

Together with his wife, Jennifer Rosenblatt, he is the co-founder of MusicSpoke where they are creating the world's largest marketplace for artist owned sheet music allowing composers to retain their copyrights and a majority of the profits from sales of their work.