What: Aspiring and current directors of high school and collegiate ensembles cultivate the art of conducting at the University of North Texas Conductors Collegium.
When: Workshops will be held June 9-20 (Monday – Friday).
Collegium concerts will be from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 11 (Wednesday), June 14 (Saturday), June 17 (Tuesday) and June 20 (Friday).
Where: UNT Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 N. I-35E, Denton
Cost: $360 for the non-conducting participants and $600 for conducting participants; performances are free and open to the public
Contact: Roseanna Haney at 940-565-3737
DENTON, Texas (UNT) – The University of North Texas Conductors Collegium will bring together more than 40 aspiring or current conductors of high school and college ensembles from around the world for 12 days of intense instruction in the art of conducting. They will have the opportunity to conduct the UNT Wind Symphony – one of the leading college bands in the United States – in concert, receiving critiques of their rehearsal skills and conducting techniques as they prepare for the performances.
Held by the UNT College of Music June 9-20 (Monday – Friday) in four blocks of three-day sessions, the collegium will teach attendees how to build skills like active listening, rehearsal management, executing effective conducting gestures, teaching new concepts, repertoire review, psychology of performance and self-evaluation. Participants will also take part in guided discussions about facing the challenges of music education today. Sessions are led by Wind Symphony Director Eugene Migliaro Corporon, who heads the workshop, and fellow UNT music professors Dennis Fisher, conductor of the Symphonic Band, and David Itkin, conductor of the Symphony Orchestra.
"Conducting is a silent art," said Corporon, a Regents Professor of music. "Our critiques are aimed at accessing participants' musical ideas through physical motion. Instead of instructing musicians to play a certain way – like softer – we demonstrate how directors can wordlessly communicate their objectives to performers."
Collegium concerts take place at the end of each three-day session, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 11 (Wednesday), June 14 (Saturday), June 17 (Tuesday) and June 20 (Friday) in the UNT Murchison Performing Arts Center. Repertoire will be selected from the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series, a multi-volumemusic education text and audio resource for high school and college teachers that is used worldwide. The series is co-authored by Corporon and features many recordings of the UNT Wind Symphony.
Registration is $600 for the conducting track and $360 for the non-conducting track. Options are available for partial attendance; however, the costs are the same.
About Eugene Migliaro Corporon
UNT Regents Professor of Music and Director of Wind Studies Eugene Migliaro Corporon guides all aspects of the Wind Studies program, including the masters and doctoral degrees in Wind Conducting. His ensembles have performed throughout the world, and he has drawn praise from colleagues, composers and critics alike. Having recorded more than 600 works for wind band, his groups have released 100 recordings on several labels. These recordings are aired regularly on radio broadcasts throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. In addition to his many awards, honors and memberships, Corporon maintains an active guest-conducting schedule and is in demand as a conductor and teacher throughout the world.
About the UNT College of Music
The UNT College of Music is one of the largest and most respected comprehensive music schools in the country. More than 1,600 music students attend UNT each year, participating in more than 50 widely varied ensembles and pursuing specialized studies in performance, composition, music education or music scholarship. UNT faculty members and students have made appearances on the world's finest stages and have produced numerous recordings, many receiving Grammy awards and nominations. Distinguished UNT alumni can be found around the globe, in top music ensembles, opera companies, universities and schools.