Lee Afdahl is Director of Music and Organist of First Presbyterian Church of Rochester, MN, a position he has held since 1991.  A graduate of Luther College in Decorah, IA, Lee is a church musician with forty years of experience in leading choral and handbell ensembles in Michigan and Minnesota.  Currently he and his two part-time assistants are responsible for leading four vocal and three handbell choirs, an elementary instrumental program, and a church orchestra.  He also advises the church’s annual concert series.

Lee Afdahl is frequently a conductor and clinician for handbell conferences, choral workshops and church music conferences internationally.  He has conducted festival conferences for the Handbell Musicians of America (HMA) at the local, area, and national levels.  He has also conducted handbell classes and events in England, Japan, South Korea and Australia.  Lee has taught intermediate and advanced conducting for HMA Seminars and currently teaches conducting for certification. Lee is an active organ recitalist and published composer and arranger of handbell, instrumental, and choral music with over seventy compositions and arrangements in print.

Joining Lee this season will be Ronald Beitel, horn; Christopher Boswell, handbells; Dwight Jennings, Janine Yanish and Katie Kuisle, saxophone; Kristina Lantz, violin; Jan Matson, piano; Mary Schneekloth, harp.