Graduate Conducting Program

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Conducting Seminar

The work of the four-semester sequence of the Conducting Seminar centers on podium time, in bi-weekly sessions with the Orchestral Conductors Ensemble, a small ensemble of members of The Orchestra Now and the Bard Conservatory Orchestra. Preparation for the Orchestral Conductors Ensemble is done through regular class work in conducting sessions with two pianos. Finally, conducting students have the opportunity to work once each semester with full orchestra in special reading sessions with the Bard Conservatory Orchestra.

The first semester is devoted to the physical movement of the baton. Symphonies of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven are the primary tool for analyzing problems and formulating technical solutions to meet the needs of the music. The second semester is devoted to a closer examination of baton technique. Composers such as Berlioz, Mendelssohn and Schumann are studied for harmonic and melodic analysis and consideration of phrase structure, orchestration, and tone color. The third semester includes composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the further study of new baton movements to serve new compositional concepts. The fourth semester examines 20th and 21st century orchestral repertoire and emphasizes the musical heritage of the United States, with attention to works of Ives, Copland, Ellington, and Price.

Throughout the semester students will work with the Bard Festival Chorale, a professional choral ensemble based in New York City. There is considerable podium time with the Bard College Chamber Singers and The Bard Symphonic Chorus. The choral repertoire that is studied and conducted is in conjunction with the orchestral repertoire.

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Music History

This is a four-semester sequence that concentrates on major works from the 18th to 21st centuries with a focus each week on a particular composer within the larger musical, historical, biographical, and cultural context. This course, taken in conjunction with members of The Orchestra Now, has frequent guest lecturers focusing on the relationship of music history to the sociology of music. The course also examines shifting attitudes toward public performance and the different contexts of performance: spaces, politics, economics, and social status of musicians. Other topics include the history of the orchestra and chorus, as well as the impact of economics on concert life.

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Recital & Thesis Concerts

Orchestral and choral conducting students prepare and conduct a recital during their final year in residence at Bard. 

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Ear Training & Score Reading

Four Semesters of Ear Training and Score Reading are required. The Ear Training and Score Reading course combines work on solfege and harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic dictation with practice in transposition and the reading of open score.

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Career Workshops

This is a series of special event workshops held at different times throughout the duration of the program. Distinguished guest speakers address the practical aspects of working as a conductor and or music director. Topics can include creating an ensemble, applying for grants, and developing a board of directors.

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Foreign Language Study

Students must study two foreign languages during their time in the Graduate Conducting Program. Semester-long courses are offered in Italian, German, and French. These courses have a special focus on developing the reading and text translation skills needed by conductors.

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Composition

This two-semester class gives young conductors first hand experience in the compositional process. It deepens knowledge of the means of musical expression and increases awareness of the many notational challenges inherent in any printed score. Topics in the first semester include melodic organization and materials; basic counterpoint; motivic development in small forms; composing for strings, winds, brass, chorus, piano, and percussion; examination of non-standard pitch materials; and analysis of selected repertory, including 20th-century works. In the second semester students compose a theme and variations and either a woodwind quintet or choral work with small ensemble, to be read under the composer’s baton. 

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Studio Instruction

Conducting students take weekly private lessons in piano, another orchestral instrument, or voice for two semesters. 

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Diction & Phonetics

This two-semester course is an introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), including its symbols and practical use in preparing and performing Italian, French, German, and English vocal literature. The fall semester is devoted to Italian and French, the spring to German, English, and Latin. Through study of songs, arias, and choral literature, students gain a basic understanding of pronunciation rules and the rhythm of each language.

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Choral Literature

This one semester course is a survey of choral literature from the 16th century to the present with a specific emphasis on shorter works suitable for college, church, or high school choruses. 

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Vocal Pedagogy

This one semester class focuses on the basic anatomy and physiology of the vocal apparatus. It covers general vocal pedagogical theory and develops an individual understanding of each student's vocal instrument. It also explores how the basic principles of a healthy vocal technique can be applied in teaching, choral warm-ups, and rehearsals.