Rooted in research and practice, Perspectives on Conducting presents a multi-faceted exploration of the role of the modern-day conductor. Seeking to bring a more inclusive approach to understanding conducting as a career, this book expands beyond elite pathways to highlight the contributions made by conductors across different areas of musical engagement, including youth projects, community groups, and professional ensembles. Chapters by an international roster of authors address the challenges conductors face in working with a wide range of ensembles, including orchestras and choirs made up of young people, university and conservatory students, adult volunteers, and professional musicians.
The contributors draw on their experience and expertise as practising conductors and scholar-practitioners to explore both the core musical responsibilities and the additional administrative and social demands placed on today’s conductors. With topics including pathways to conducting careers, the creative role of the conductor in shaping new music, conducting mixed-ability ensembles, the experiences of women and queer conductors, and more, the perspectives collected here reflect the versatility required of the contemporary conductor, giving students and emerging professionals a forward-thinking view of the conductor’s role.
Introduction
Róisín Blunnie and Ciarán Crilly
I. Becoming a Conductor
1. Teaching the Unteachable: Postgraduate Orchestral Conductor Training in European Conservatoires
Sinead Hayes
2. The Conductor as Apprentice: The Kapellmeister Route to Opera Conducting
Killian Farrell
3. Thoughts on the Role of the Assistant Conductor
Gavin Maloney
4. The Kodály Route to Becoming a Choral Conductor
Bernie Sherlock
II. Conductors in Practice: Orchestral Perspectives
1. From Concept to Concert: A Journey of Choosing, Learning, and Performing a Score
Rebecca Miller
2. “This Will Be the One!”: Strategic Programming and Repertoire Selection for Non-Professional Orchestras
Ciarán Crilly
3. The Role of the Conductor in US Orchestras: A Concise Guide
Peter Shannon
4. Fostering the Next Generation
Gerhard Markson
5. How to Help Musicians Feel More Valued and Fulfilled at Work
Tiffany Chang
6. Intuition: The Missing Piece?
Hannah Baxter
III. Conductors in Practice: Choral Perspectives
1. Playing the Long Game: Strategies for Building Consistency in the Chamber Choir
Orla Flanagan
2. The Other Side of Programming: How to Shape a Choral Concert Programme
Kari Turunen
3. Together from the Start: The Collective Power of the Choral Warm-Up
Róisín Blunnie
4. Rehearsal Techniques for Contemporary Choral Music: The Use of the Movable-Do System in the Teaching of Non-Tonal Repertoire
László Nemes
5. Facilitating Connections: Leading and Developing University Choirs
Amy Ryan
6. Innovative Choral Approaches: ‘The Intelligent Choir’ and the ‘HyFlex’ Method
Jim Daus Hjernøe
IV. Changing Perspectives
1. The ‘Maestro Myth’ Revisited
John Andrews
2. “You Are Now One of the Boys”: Congratulations?
Nadya Potemkina
3. Cracking Open the Conducting Closet: Shared Experiences Among Queer Conductors
Thomas Dickey
4. Voices for Change: Socially Responsible Programming in Youth Choral Music Education
Lynsey Callaghan
Biography
Róisín Blunnie is a choral conductor. She is Associate Professor of Music and Programme Chair of the MA in Choral Studies at Dublin City University, Ireland.
Ciarán Crilly is Associate Professor of Orchestral Conducting and Artistic Director of the UCD Symphony Orchestra at University College Dublin, Ireland.
"Perspectives on Conducting is a truly wonderful addition to the scholarship of choral and orchestral conducting. It is packed full of insightful and—perhaps more importantly—useful ideas for choral and orchestral conductors, and all of those who are interested in musical leadership."
—Professor Paul Mealor, Composer, Conductor, University of Aberdeen
"With practical insights from many fine contributors, Perspectives on Conducting is extremely useful to anyone wishing to explore what conducting means in today’s world."
—Alice Farnham, Conductor, Author of In Good Hands: The Making of a Modern Conductor (2023)
