Professor-Music

Department Music Personnel Faculty Office CH 008 Phone 262-243-4240 Email Send an Email Quick Link www.cuw.edu/fs/johnbehnke

Dr. John Behnke is Professor of Music at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin where he teaches organ and directs The Alleluia Ringers, Concordia’s touring handbell choir. Dr. Behnke is also the director of the Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble, a community handbell choir sponsored by Concordia University and comprised of 14 auditioned members from the Milwaukee metropolitan area and an organist at Historic Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee where he plays on an 1878 Schuelke organ.  

Dr. Behnke is also a frequent organ recitalist, handbell clinician, and festival director. A 1974 graduate of Concordia-River Forest, IL., John received his M. Mus. in Church Music and Organ from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. in 1978 and his D. Mus. in 1984 from Northwestern University. From August 1978 to July 1979, Dr. Behnke studied at the Westphalian Church Music Institute in Herford, (West) Germany.

He enjoys composing and arranging, having handbell, choral, and organ compositions in print with seventeen different publishers in the United States, Germany, and Taiwan.  A complete works listing can be found online at www.johnbehnke.com.          

He was honored in December of 1993 by being named Most Valuable Player in the Milwaukee area by Milwaukee Sentinel music critic, Nancy Raabe while in May of 1994 he was named Concordia’s Faculty Laureate. He has also received an ASCAP Composers Award every year since 1998. In March of 2004, he was selected by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel as one of the “10 Beautiful Minds” of scholars who help make Milwaukee a brighter place. In March of 2009, he was selected as one of 103 notable people who live and work in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.      

Dr. Behnke has three CDs of his own music available, entitled “For All Seasons, Vols. 1,2, and 3.”  Each is $15 and is available from Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO., Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, WI. or from Dr. Behnke himself.

Questions or changes on the faculty and staff lookup, please contact Human Resources at 262-243-4414.