Conductors Institute of South Carolina

The esteemed Conductors Institute of South Carolina, in its 30th year, is on the must-do list for both aspiring and experienced conductors. Students of the summer institute come to the University of South Carolina from around the U.S. and several countries to receive instruction from eminent conductors and composers with vast experience in the commercial, academic and professional worlds of music.

Students of the institute have individual daily podium time conducting professional musicians and focus on enhancing skills to achieve a greater command of their orchestral forces. Veteran conductors share their knowledge of the competitive field of conducting and offer constructive feedback. An evening lecture series delivers sessions in score study and other topics necessary in today’s job market.

The daily podium sessions take place at the Koger Center for the Arts June 9 through 21, 2014, and they are open to the public to observe. The community can get a first-hand view of the skills and complexities of effective conducting.

According to the institute’s director Donald Portnoy, the University of South Carolina welcomes the largest class yet in 2014, and participants will benefit from the faculty’s more than 300 years of combined experience this summer.

Among this summer’s distinguished guest faculty are Maurice Peress, former assistant conductor to the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein; Jorge Mester, former music director of the Aspen Music Festival and the Louisville Orchestra; and Paul Vermel, the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Koussevitsky Memorial Award for the outstanding conductor at Tanglewood.

Participants also have an exceptional opportunity to work directly with composers. Among the institute’s composers this year is Roberto Sierra, whose works have been commissioned and performed by many of the major American and European orchestras and international ensembles.

Observe conductor training
Monday through Saturday during the Institute, the public is invited to observe conductor training from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Schedule
June 9–12, string orchestra
June 13–17, chamber orchestra
June 18–21, symphony orchestra