Biography

Foster Beyers is currently the conductor of the University Orchestra at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.  He comes to Missouri from Virginia where he was the Director of Orchestras at James Madison University. While at JMU Beyers led the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, conducted the fall opera productions and mentored students in the Masters and Doctoral program in Orchestral Conducting. From 2011-2016 Beyers served as Director of Orchestras at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. While at Concordia Mr. Beyers led the Concordia Orchestra in challenging repertoire not typically undertaken by undergraduate ensembles such as Stravinsky’s Petrushka and the Violin Concerto of Alban Berg. Under his leadership the Concordia Orchestra performed in six states during their annual regional tours. They also embarked on an historic international tour to the Holy Land in 2014 where they played concerts in Jerusalem, I’billin, Bethlehem and Ramallah.

Prior to Concordia, Foster Beyers served as interim director of orchestra at the College of St. Benedict/St. John University near St. Cloud, MN for the 2010/2011 academic year. From 2008-2011 he was a James Sample Fellow in conducting at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where he led the Campus Orchestra and String Orchestra while studying with former Richmond Symphony Music Director Mark Russell Smith. Mr. Beyers holds a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University where his principal teacher was Victor Yampolsky. Additional conducting studies have been with Osmo Vanska, Henry Charles Smith, Markand Thakar, Kenneth Kiesler, Robert Hasty, Mallory Thompson and Nobuyoshi Yasuda.

Beyers is a committed advocate for and partner to music educators at every level. He began his career in the public schools of Green Bay, Wisconsin teaching orchestra and band while also serving as Music Director of the Green Bay Symphony Youth Orchestras. As an educator he has conducted the Merit School of Music Symphony Orchestra in Chicago and the Jugendorchester Stuttgart as well as numerous regional honors orchestras including the 2017 Alabama All-State Sinfonia Orchestra, the 2019 All-Virginia Orchestra, and the 2020 North Carolina Eastern Regional Orchestra. For the 2023-24 season he served as interim conductor of the Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia in Charlottesville. 

Mr. Beyers has been invited to conduct numerous regional orchestras including the Waynesboro Symphony, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, Northshore Chamber Orchestra, Skokie Valley Symphony and the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. In December of 2023 Beyers made his debut with the Fargo-Moorhead Ballet leading 4 sold-out performances of the Nutcracker.  Beyers previously served as Music Director for the Ravenswood Community Orchestra in Chicago and the Buffalo Community Orchestra in Minnesota as well as the Seward Concert Band in Minneapolis. Beyers currently lives in Springfield, Missouri with his wife, conductor and oboist Yi-Ping Chen and their daughter Amelia.

Education

• 1999 – B.S. in Music Education, University Of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
• 2006 – M.M. in Orchestral Conducting, Northwestern University Evanston, IL