G.P.

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.