Conductors Institute offers public behind-the-scenes look at the art of conducting
If you’ve ever wondered what conducting is all about, you can observe conductor training at the University of South Carolina during the Conductors Institute of South Carolina June 3 through 15. Sessions are free and open to the public and provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at the art of conducting.
Visitors can watch conductors working with string ensembles, chamber groups and full orchestra Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Koger Center for the Arts.
Dozens of conductors from around the world converge on campus for the Conductors Institute. More than 1,000 conductors, both novices and veterans of the podium, have participated in the world-renowned Institute since Maestro Donald Portnoy founded it 30 years ago. Portnoy, music director of the University of South Carolina Symphony Orchestra and director of orchestral studies at the university, has conducted major orchestras throughout the globe.
Students of the Institute receive training from guest conductors and composers with vast experience in the commercial, academic and professional worlds of music. Veteran conductors offer constructive criticism and encouragement, and each student has daily podium time focusing on the details of conducting-enhancing skills to achieve a greater command with their orchestral forces.
The Institute offers a 15-day program for conductors with a moderate to advanced level of conducting experience and a 10-day program for those with more limited conducting experience.
In conjunction with the Southeastern Piano Festival, the community can also observe the Conductors Institute Apprenticeship Program on June 12 and 13 from 10 a.m. – noon and 1:30 –4:30 p.m. This program allows the festival’s past participants to gain valuable experience collaborating with different conductors in a rehearsal setting.
For more information, visit the Conductors Institute of South Carolina’s website, call (803) 777-7500 or email The Conductors Institute.
About the University of South Carolina School of Music
The USC School of Music has established a national reputation for artistic and scholarly excellence and enriches the musical life of the university and the city by offering more than 300 concerts a year and music classes for all ages in the community. An acclaimed faculty teach approximately 500 undergraduate and graduate music majors, including students specializing in virtually every orchestra and band instrument, voice, piano, organ and guitar, and preparing musicians for professional careers and leadership in music teaching, performance, composition and research.
The school generates research and other creative activities in music that have local, national and international impact. The excellence of the school is a direct result of the resident faculty members who combine distinguished backgrounds as performers and scholars with a dedication to teaching. USC music faculty perform regularly on campus, nationally and internationally in recitals and concerts; contribute to publications and professional organizations; and make presentations at regional, national and international conferences.
Via: USC School of Music