Conducting courses

The Vilnius Municipal Choir “Jauna Muzika” in co-operation with the Culture and Art Department, Vilnius Municipality and in some cases with the Lithuanian Music Academy have been organising the Choral and Vocal-Instrumental Music Interpretation and Conducting Courses for choir leaders, music teachers, and students since 1995.

 

Great interest in the conducting courses showed the big demand for such events in Lithuania and abroad. It became a reason for organizing such courses permanently.

 

The masterclass at the Lithuanian Music Academy, led by one of the choral music coryphées Frieder Bernius, the artistic director of the Stuttgart Chamber Choir and the Stuttgart Chamber and Baroque orchestras, were held in March 1995.

 

Werner Pfaff, conductor, artistic director of the Studio Vokale Karlsruhe and Professor of the Frankfurter Hochschule für Musik, came to Vilnius the next year.

Mr. Anders Eby, the leader of the Mikaeli Chamber Choir and the professor of the Royal Music Academy, Stockholm led the third masterclass in March 1997. In October 1997 the course was under the leadership of the conductor and artistic director of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Choir Simon Halsey, in 1998 under supervision of the conductor and artistic director of the Rheinische Kantorei Hermann Max. Professor Dr Albert Hartinger from the Mozarteum Salzburg led the course in March 1999.

 

Rinaldo Alessandrini, the art director of well-known ensemble Concerto Italiano, analyzed the 17th-18th century music of Italian composers in 2000. In 2001 the course was led by Ira Spaulding, American-Dutch conductor, member of the association American Voices. In 2002 the programme of Austrian composers was introduced by Johannes Prinz, conductor and art director of the Wien Singverein Choir and the Vienna Chamber Choir. The music of contemporary Swedish composers was introduced by the Professor Gary Graden, conductor of the St Jacob’s Church Choir, Stockholm in 2003. In 2004 masterclass was led by composer and conductor Bo Holten from Denmark. In 2005 courses was led by Great Britain conductor Bob Chilcott who analised early and contemporary British music.

 

After short pause, Georg Grün from Germany made masterclass under German Romantic period composers’ choral music interpretation in 2011.

Jauna muzika. Photo©Terekas