ICWF 2022 Two Workshops Cancelled

What we do

Whether you are highly trained conductor, a promising student, or an avid amateur, whether you have a job or aspire to be a Music Director of a profesional, school, or community orchestra, our workshops offer many opportunities to improve as a conductor. We believe the best learning comes from studying standard repertoire from world class faculty and observing your colleagues struggle through the same challenges in an intensive and immersive, yet non-competitive, professional, and supportive atmosphere. For practical experience, all participants conduct both full orchestra and piano sextet. Subjects studied include conducting technique, interpretation, score study, analysis, rehearsal technique, stage deportment, and musician interaction. All participants receive equal opportunity in a completely transparent organization.

Details

Dates: 
• Workshop 1 - July 16-26, 2022 (Concert week July 30-August 4, 2022)
• Concert week 1 - July 29-August 2, 2022 (Beethoven Symphonies 6 and 7, Tchaikovsky Symphony #6 and Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, and movements from Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet Suites 1 and 2)
• Workshop 2 - August 4-15, 2022 (Concert week August 18-22, 2022)
• Concert week 2 - August 18-22, 2022 (Beethoven Symphonies 5 and 7, Sibelius Symphony #2, and Bartok Concerto for Orchestra)

Location: Lviv, Ukraine

Host Orchestra: Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra

Basic details for each workshop:

• Eleven full orchestra sessions (8 3-hour and 3 4-hour sessions)
• Ten Sextet sessions (3 hours each)
• Each conductor will get a minimum 60 minutes with full orchestra
• Post-session discussions focusing on repertoire, career, score study, and more
• Lunch (or one other meal) included
• Hotels and breakfast are not included in the tuition, but conductors may select the comfortable, affordable, and convenient hotel option arranged by ICWF at significantly reduced rates which includes breakfast.
• Convenient and inexpensive destination
• Airport transfers included
• Farewell party for each workshop
• Professional concert and rehearsal hall setting for all sessions
• All sessions will be Digitally Recorded in High Definition and concert quality audio, and conductors will have ample opportunity to view session recordings. At the end of each conducting session or day, participants will receive a digital file of that session. Participants must provide his or her own storage media (1Tb USB 3.0 hard drive is most recommended).
  
  

Levels of Participation

• One level of participation 
• Each workshop is limited to 30 conductors
• Each conductor will get six sessions with full orchestra totaling at least 60 minutes
• Sextet sessions will be equally divided among all conductors
• Auditing is also available but does not include any active podium time. The auditor level is designed for those either who have little experience and training but show promise, or those with ample opportunity to conduct throughout the year, but want to use this workshop as a chance to observe master teaching. Online, on demand auditing will also be available.
• 30-minute Video Recording sessions, separate from the workshop, are available in the day after each workshop is completed (July 27 and August 16). Participants use this time to video record excerpts of music from the workshop with the full orchestra to use for applications and personal portfolios. Participants may opt for up to two extra sessions (60 minutes total). Hotel and two meals each day is included in the fee for these Extra Sessions. 
• NEW this summer - Benjamin Loeb will lead two Fundamentals of Conducting and Score Study July 15 and August 2-3. These sessions will help lay foundational groundwork to include basic physical motion and score study and preparation and is designed to help participants maximize the results from the workshop to follow. This course is limited to 10 participants.
• NEW this summer - Susan Dunn will lead a three-day intensive Stage Presence course for conductors, August 1-3. This course is limited to 10 participants. She will cover all the material generally covered during the workshop as well as more in-depth topics and one-on-one sessions. This course will run in conjunction with the Fundamentals of Conducting and Score Study. 
  
  

Faculty

• Larry Rachleff
• Don Schleicher
• Susan Dunn
• Benjamin Loeb (Artistic Director, ICWF)

Repertoire

Workshop 1

• Beethoven Symphonies #4, 6, and 7
• Tchaikovsky Symphony #6 and Romeo Juliet Overture-Fantasy
• Prokofiev Symphony #5 and selections from Romeo and Juliet Suites 1 and 2

Workshop 2

• Beethoven Symphonies 2, 5, and 8
• Sibelius Symphony #2 and Violin Concerto
• Bartok Divertimento and Concerto for Orchestra

Repertoire is subject to change

Orchestra Sessions

• The conductor's session schedule for the Orchestra Sessions will be distributed about one week prior to the beginning of the workshop. Conductors may choose their specific repertoire to conduct from the workshop list.
• Conductors will have a minimum of six 10-minute slots (minimum of 60 minutes total)
• Conductors will have essentially free choice of repertoire in the Orchestra sessions. 
• All orchestra sessions will take place in the historical Lviv Philharmonic on the concert stage.
  

Sextet Sessions

• The sextet is made of a string quintet from the Lviv Philharmonic and pianist Michael Sheppard or Russell Miller, who will cover the woodwinds, brass, percussion, and string divisi.
• During the Sextet sessions, we will study all of the repertoire.
• For the first sessions, we will work straight through all of the repertoire. Once we have covered everything, participants will be able to request specific sections to conduct.
• Sextets are specifically designed to allow us to explore the challenges of the repertoire in great detail. There will be more stopping for feedback from the faculty.
• Sextet time will be equally divided among the conductors.
• All sextet sessions will take place in the air-conditioned Lviv Philharmonie large rehearsal room.

Concert Weeks

This summer, we will have four public performances (two per workshop) with live audience presenting selected repertoire from the workshop. Each pair of concerts will be led by eight conductors from the previous workshop participants.

Only participants at the workshop will be considered to conduct on these concerts. 

Based on the participants' preferences and the advice of the ICWF faculty and staff, each conductor will be assigned a pair of movements for performance with the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lviv Philharmonic. Each conductor will have approximately 160 minutes of podium time for rehearsal in addition to conducting two movements in concert. Each concert will have three rehearsals and a dress rehearsal. The exact rehearsal schedule will be created based on the difficulty of preparation of the individual movements. In the first two sessions, conductors will have a total of 50 minutes to conduct whatever repertoire they choose from the concert repertoire, even if not assigned to them for performance, which will be another great opportunity to capture great video footage. Depending on the repertoire they choose for these sessions, their time may be broken up to help create a more productive schedule for the orchestra; the time will not necessarily be one block.

Each concert will be recorded by a professional video crew with live production and a three-camera setup as well as a dedicated conductor camera. The concerts will be livestreamed. Conductors will receive video of the full concert as well as the conductor camera footage for their individual performance and will have full rights for use for study, applications and auditions, and non-commercial rebroadcast and streaming.

See the detailed schedule for the Concert week schedules.

Concert 1: August 1 - Beethoven Symphony #6 and Tchaikovsky Symphony #6
Concert 2: August 2 - Beethoven Symphony #7; Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet; Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet selections from Suites 1 and 2
Concert 3: August 21 - Beethoven Symphony #5; Sibelius Symphony #2
Concert 4: August 22 - Beethoven Symphony #8; Bartok Concerto for Orchestra

Fees:

Performance - $2950
Hotel - $350 which covers a room with breakfast at the ART Modern Hotel from from the end of the workshop until the morning after the last concert. Lunch is also included during the concert week. A separate $500 nonrefundable deposit for the concert week will be due within 15 days of acceptance. The remainder will be due 30 days after that. You may sign up for both the concert week and for Extra Sessions if you want.

Presence on Stage and Conducting Fundamentals Sessions

Susan Dunn will lead a three-day course preceding each workshop for conductors to get a head start on her powerful stage presence sessions. During these three days, conductors will take a deep dive into her sessions in small groups (maximum 10, but most half that size). Read all about the course here: PRESENCE ON STAGE

Concurrently, Benjamin Loeb will lead a three-day Fundamentals of Conducting that will explore basic conducting movements and score study and preparation. The goal of these sessions is to lay the foundations that will allow each participant to have an even better experience during the workshop. Sessions will focus on topcis such as basic beat patterns and motion and how to prepare an orchestral score for rehearsal and performance and will include at least one sextet session for all participants.
Limited to 10 participants.

Fee: $210 which allows the participant to take both courses
Hotel for course: $150 (includes breakfast and lunch)

Discussion Sessions

• Generally at the end of each day, the faculty will hold a half hour discussion session to recap the issues discovered in that day's sessions.
• Conductors will have the opportunity to get one-on-one feedback from all the faculty during breaks and after each session.
• Some discussion sessions will be scheduled around topics such as rehearsal technique, score study, career paths, and more.
• Faculty are quite available for ad hoc individual and group discussions.
  
  

Chamber Concerts

We will present at least one Chamber Concert during each workshop featuring faculty, guest artists, and members of the Lviv Philharmonic in programs designed to illuminate the workshop repertoire. Participants generally will not perform on these concerts. Following the workshop proper, eight conductors will stay for one week to prepare and conduct all four symphonies in concert.

Colleagues and Network

One of the great benefits of the workshop is the opportunity to grow and develop a supportive network of conductor colleagues. These relationships can very often lead to professional and academic opportunities as well as lifelong friendships. While we can't claim credit for every success of our ICWF alumni, we are proud of their accomplishments and know that their experience at the workshops provided some positive learning that they used to further their career and love for music. 

Here is what some of our past participants have said about their ICWF experience.

Some of our past participants now hold or have held positions such as Fresno Symphony Music Director,  El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony, Utah Symphony Associate Conductor, Norwalk Symphony Music Director, San Diego Symphony, Amarillo Symphony Music Director, National Symphony Assistant Conductor,  Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestra Music Director, Memphis Symphony Assistant Conductor, Buffalo Philharmonic Associate Conductor, Kansas Symphony Assistant Conductor,  Symphony Orchestra Northwest Arkansas Assistant Conductor, and many more.  Our past participants have also been accepted into the most prestigious conducting programs in the world including at The Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Peabody Institute, Rice University, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, New England Conservatory, and many more.

Accommodations

This year, hotel accommodations are not included in the tuition fee, but we have made excellent and convenient arrangements with the Modern ART Hotel. If you would prefer to find other accommodations, you are free to do so. ICWF will still provide a group lunch (or one meal). 

Modern ART Hotel

• Modern, Single rooms
• Air-conditioning
• Breakfast included
• 4 minute walk from the Lviv Philharmonie
• Free WiFi
• Restaurant on site
• $750 for Workshop 1 (12 nights single occupancy) and $800 for Workshop 2 (13 nights single occupancy). Workshop 1 Hotel check in is July 15 and check out is July 26. Workshop 2 Hotel check in is August 3 and check out is August 16.
• Double room occupancy available for $350 additional
• Additional single room nights are $55/night which include breakfast only.

Guests accompanying conductors will also be provided lunch and free access to all public ICWF events.

Detailed schedule

Fees and deadlines

• Application fee $50
  
• Tuition
  • Workshop 1 - ICWF 2022: Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev - $3800
  • Workshop 2 tuition - ICWF 2022: Beethoven, Sibelius, Bartok - $3800
  • Stage Presence Intensive with Susan Dunn, August 1-3, 2022 - $225
  • Fundamentals of Conducting and Score Study with Benjamin Loeb - $0 (not a typo)
    
• Hotel
  • Workshop 1 (12 nights) July 15-July 27, 2022 at Hotel ART Modern Workshop-  $750
  • Workshop 2 (13 nights) August 3-16, 2022 at Hotel ART Modern - $800
  • Performance Week (7 nights each concert) -Concert 1 July 27-August 3; Concert 2 August 16-23 at ART Modern - $350
  • Stage Presence Intensive (2 nights) - $100
  • Fundamentals of Conducting and Score Study - $50 each night
• ICWF 2021: Extra Sessions - $750 each (max. 2 sessions)
• Concert Week (includes performance on each program) - $2950
  
• Monday, January 17, 2022 First Application Deadline
• Monday, January 24, 2022 Notifications for acceptance
• Monday, February 7, 2022 Accepted applicants must confirm participation
• After February 7, 2022 Applications will be reviewed and processed on a space-available basis.

• Two weeks after notification $500 non-refundable tuition deposit due. Generally, applications are processed within two weeks of receipt.
• Late payment of tuition deposit or tuition payment may result in loss of spot.
• If a conductor must cancel his or her spot, the tuition deposit and/or tuition will be refunded only if a suitable replacement is found to fill the spot.

Fees must be paid according to schedule in US$.

APPLY NOW

All tuition fees paid by credit card will have a 3.5% service fee added.

Online payments preferred, but US checks (free) and bank transfer ($45 fee) will be accepted. The application is not complete and will not be processed until the payment is received. 

Application fees and tuition deposits are non-refundable.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Arts Education and Performance Management Service

The International Conducting Workshop and Festival is a project of Arts Education and Performance Management Service (www.AEPMS.org). This means that the ICWF can accept grants, accept tax-deductible donations, and carry on other activities under the tax-exempt status of their sponsor. To help you raise money for yourself, AEPMS will create a "Project" which is your participation at ICWF. As a Project of AEPMS, we may accept donations that support the project which would help you cover your cost. This will allow you to offer your patrons (including parents or other family members) the opportunity to get a tax deduction for their support. In the last twenty years the ICWF granted over $150,000 in tuition scholarships through the generous help of the Joel Fan Foundation ArtMatch and now we will be doing essentiallt the same thing with Arts Education and Performance Management Service.

Technically, you can act as a fundraising agent for AEPMS and raise money from your own network of support for your tuition scholarship. Anyone you know who would like to help you would then send their support to Arts Education and Performance Management Service and direct it to the project we create for your participation. You would be responsilbe for covering whatever costs were not raised through donations (which might be everything or nothing depending on how much you raise.) 

AEPMS Process:

1. Make all checks to "Arts Education and Performance Management Services" or "AEPMS" and in the memo line, write in the project name or the conductor's name.
2. To enable the correct accounting of the donation, the sponsor should say exactly the following in a cover letter:
   To Arts Education and Performance Management Services:
   I am making this donation to the Arts Education and Performance Management Services in support of the International Conducting Workshop and Festival Project [CONDUCTOR NAME].
   Sincerely,
   [Name of Sponsor]
   [Address of Sponsor]
   [Email Address of Sponsor]
3. Mail checks and letters to:
   Arts Education and Performance Management Services
   3513 Cabriolet Ct
   Plano TX 75023
   USA
4. The receipt of the donation will be acknowledged by AEPMS and the amount of the donation will be applied toward the project of your participation.

The Arts Education and Performance Management Services is a registered 501(3)(c) non-profit corporation and qualifies for tax-deductible contributions.

Lviv Philharmonic

Historically, in every city - whether it is Kyiv, Warsaw, Krakow or Berlin - Philharmonic holds a special place. Lviv Philharmonic has a rich history that goes back to different periods - Austrian, Polish, Soviet and Ukrainian.

The Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra (Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine) was officially established on September 27, 1902 as, on this day, the first concert of the newly formed orchestra took place in the Philharmonic Theater of Count Stanislav Skarbko (presently known as the Ukrainian National Academic Theater of Drama named after Maria Zankovetska). The Principal Conductor of the orchestra was Ludwik Vitezslav Czelianski (1870 – 1931). Henryk Jarecki and Henryk Meltzer-Szczawinski worked alongside him as conductors of the orchestra.

In 2006, the Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra was awarded the title of Academic. In 2018, with the participation of this orchestra, during the author’s concert of Myroslav Skoryk, the Lviv Philharmonic received the status of “national”. Since September 2020, the Philharmonic is named after this outstanding Ukrainian composer.

The concertmasters of the orchestra are Honored Artist of Ukraine Marko Komonko and Mykola Haviuk.

The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine is a regular participant in international festivals, in particular, the International Festival of Musical Art “Virtuosos”, the International Festival of Contemporary Music “Contrasts”, the Ukrainian-Polish Festival “Discovering Paderewski” and others. The Academic Symphony Orchestra of Lviv National Philharmonic is one of the largest in Ukraine and is well known far beyond its borders.

Read more here

COVID-19

Regarding COVID-19, we will be required to adhere to all Ukrainian restrictions. We will also try to follow CDC guidelines.  All ICWF participants must be vaccinated and proof of vaccination may be required. 

If the workshop must be canceled due to the continue pandemic, all tuition fees will be returned. However, we cannot reimburse for any travel expenses or to return the application fee. We strongly suggest that all participants purchase travel insurance that specifically covers COVID-related cancellations.

Application

CLICK HERE TO APPLY