Masterclass Conducting
Course duration:
The course is aimed at advanced choir, orchestra and wind orchestra conductors. A maximum of 9 active participants will be admitted. Please include a short CV with your application, providing information about your previous conducting experience and activities, as well as a live video, if available.The course will be accompanied by 1-2 répétiteurs. In addition to regular lessons in class and with piano, each participant will have at least one opportunity to work with the professional musicians of the Orchestra in Residence. The course director will decide who will receive an additional rehearsal and be selected for the final concert.
Course participants are generally free to choose their own repertoire. Please contact us if you would like to work on a piece not listed below so that any questions regarding the orchestral material can be clarified in good time.
With regard to the instrumentation of the Orchestra in Residence, the following works will be specifically studied in the course:
- Antonín Dvořák: Legends, Op. 59
- Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations
- Igor Stravinsky: Concerto Dumbarton Oaks
- Joseph Haydn: The Creation
- Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major
- W.A. Mozart: Symphony in G minor, K. 550 (version with clarinets)
- Johann Strauss: Overture to ‘A Night in Venice’
- Selection of works from the so-called ‘light classical’ repertoire
As principal conductor in Biel/Solothurn and Czechia, as well as guest conductor in countless symphony concerts, oratorio and opera performances, lecturer Kaspar Zehnder has developed a repertoire that encompasses the most important works from Baroque oratorio to Classical, Romantic and Late Romantic symphonies to contemporary ensemble music.
The course covers preparatory study of works, work-specific conducting technique (with or without a baton), rehearsal work and questions of body language and mental training. Visual recordings are made of the rehearsals and concerts with the orchestra, which can be used for subsequent analysis.
Course costs CHF 700.00