Conducting being such a lonely profession there are not too many chances to
spend time with colleagues and network. Some of us meet our peers during
competitions and master classes, but nowhere have I witnessed such a number of
conductors coming together than in the Conductors Guild conference in
Chicago just a few days back. The participants represented all age groups, all
different fields of conducting from bands to pops to symphonic and opera,
conductors of amateur groups and top orchestras, aspiring young conductors,
established professionals, and even some retired ones. A wealth of experience
was on display for four days in unusually warm and sunny Chicago.
Day One
the conference kicked off in a best possible way - witnessing Sir Mark Elder rehearse the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra in an unusual
presentation of Berlioz' works, with actors adding their spice to the mix in
form of some Shakespearian dialogue. After the rehearsal Sir Mark was ready to
talk to us and tell about his work. Later in the day we heard panelists talk
around the topic
"What Executive Directors are looking for in a Music Director" as well as
heard some tips for conductor job interviews from Kate Tamarkin. I rounded up
my day by CSO concert with Sir Mark Elder at the helm. I would say that this
day had an ideal combination of knowledge and inspiration for a conductor who
is taking part in a music director search.
Day Two
I slept in a bit on the second day because I felt the symptoms of coming
cold, so the first event I witnessed was the CSO musicians' panel. The main
points were the characteristics of a good conductor and also the things that
drive the orchestra musicians nuts. After that the participants were divided
into several discussion groups over the lunch. It was a bit more informal than
I expected but definitely a great way to meet new people. After that I heard
CSO president Deborah Rutter talk about the state of orchestras in the US
today, and I also caught a glimpse of the ensemble intonation demonstration by
Cliff Colnot of the Chicago Civic
Orchestra. I would say this day really brought the formidable institution
that CSO seems to be much closer to the participating conductors. It was great
to hear these people talk to us live instead of just being a name in a program
leaflet. In the evening I heard a very different CSO playing live soundtrack to
the movie Casablanca under direction
of Richard Kaufman - my first Casablanca by the way...
Day Three
My third conference day started with CSO composers-in-residence talking
about their music and experiences in presenting new music to the public with
CSO and other orchestras. Then we had another fun focus group luncheon where we
could share experiences with our colleagues. We heard Michael Charry's memories
about George Szell and Gerard McBurney's stories about creating the
"Beyond The Score" concert series with
the CSO. I finished my day listening presentations of recently composed music
in the New Music Project hosted by David
Bowden. At the same time there was a Guild workshop going on at another
location - sadly too far to visit by public transport so I had to skip it.
Day Four
The final day of the conference started with a tour of the Chicago Lyric Opera by their head of music
staff, conductor and pianist Philip
Morehead. It was a highly interesting and inspiring excursion. We then
heard a panel discussion where maestros Victor
Yampolsky and Paul
Vermel shared their insights into what is conducting technique and what is
real musical leadership on the podium as opposed to the multitude of
non-musical tasks required from the modern music director. Maestro Yampolsky
emphasized the fact that the conductor is first and foremost a servant of the
composer, so he should possess the necessary qualities to do just that above
anything else. They went on talking about the various mistakes and technical
problems young conductors run into. I somehow wished that this discussion could
have taken place in the first conference day, since I feel that especially in
the US the technical and musical side of the profession - the actual core
skills - are often neglected in favor of other things, say, public speaking...
An interesting fact was, by the way, that maestro Vermel had studied in
Juilliard with Jean
Morel, the same teacher my professor Leif Segerstam studied with.
We then heard some anecdotes of Fritz Reiner accompanied with
videos showcasing his militaristic and unemotional style of conducting, before
closing the conference. Overall I was impressed by the organization of the
event and the fact so many interesting things had been fitted into those busy
four days!
I stayed in Chicago for two more days to meet friends and to hear more CSO
and Lyric Opera. What a cute production of the Magic Flute they have by the
way! The next Conductors Guild conference will be in June 2013 in St Louis and
I really hope my schedules allow me to take part. This year's conference was a
very positive experience and I wholeheartedly recommend to all my colleagues to
try to make it into one of the future conferences - it definitely was worth the
time and investment for me.
