Michael Deane Lamkin, Professor Emeritus of Music at Scripps College, founded the Claremont Concert Orchestra in 1979 at The Claremont Colleges, holding the position of principal conductor and music director until 2010. With responsibilities also as conductor of the Concert Choir and Chamber Choir, he conducted an extensive series of concerts each year, including all the major choral/orchestral works of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven as well as works by other late 18th to early 20th century composers. Other conducting performances have included two guest conductor appointments for opera performances at the Iowa Center for the Arts and a guest appointment to the conducting staff of the Hochschule für Musik Opera School, with performances throughout Bavaria. Other guest conducting appearances have been with the Bratislava Chamber Orchestra, and the Xiamen Civic Symphony Orchestra in China. For 24 years he was on the staff of the summer Classical Music Festival of Eisenstadt, Austria. In 2000 he was appointed Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Festival, working in cooperation with the Haydn Festival and conducting performances of orchestral/choral concerts of major works by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. A co-founder of the Haydn Society of California, he assisted with the organization of The Haydn Society of North America, was elected board member for three terms, and is currently vice-president of the Society. In the summer of 2007 Mr. Lamkin conducted his final series of concerts in Eisenstadt, including performances of Die Schöpfung in the Haydnsaal of the Esterhazy Palace as well as the Harmoniemesse during the celebration of High Mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Mr. Lamkin is a recipient of the Grosse Ehrenzeichen, the Grand Medal of Honor, from the Burgenland, Austria, government, for his conducting of Haydn performances in Austria. From 1997–2007, and again during 2009–2010, he served as vice- president and dean of the faculty at Scripps College. Mr. Lamkin received his B.M.E. and M.M. degrees from Baylor University, and his Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Iowa.