Hunter Kopczynski
Hunter Kopczynski serves as Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In this role, he conducts the UNC Charlotte Wind Ensemble, leads the instrumental conducting curriculum, conducts and administers the Charlotte Youth Wind Ensembles and guides the University Bands program.
An active guest conductor, lecturer and clinician, Kopczynski has presented at the Midwest Clinic and conducted featured ensembles and shared research at numerous state, regional and national conferences. He is a frequent clinician and guest conductor nationally and internationally. Passionate about conducting pedagogy and music education, he developed and leads the annual UNC Charlotte Band Directors Workshop and Conducting Symposium. He is an advocate for the expansion and development of the wind repertoire through frequent commissions, collaborations and premieres. In his research and teaching, Kopczynski is especially interested in the intersection of experience, repertoire and curriculum to influence ensemble culture.
Kopczynski comes to Charlotte after holding similar positions at Mars Hill University and in the public schools of Virginia. At MHU, he coordinated the band program, conducted the wind symphony and taught courses in the department of music. Additionally, he served as conductor of the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra. Before his time in Asheville, Kopczynski completed his graduate degrees at Michigan State University, where he held instructional and musical responsibilities with each of the concert and athletic bands and served as a Leadership Fellow in the Graduate School. Additionally, he produced and directed the Musique21 New Music Ensemble and assisted with MSU Opera. Prior to graduate study, he successfully led and developed band programs in Roanoke County and Williamsburg-James City County, Virginia.
Kopczynski earned the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Wind Conducting from Michigan State University. He also completed a Master of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude in Music from Virginia Tech. His principal conducting teachers were Kevin L. Sedatole and Travis J. Cross.