2010 Frederick Fennell Memorial
Conducting Masterclass

Donald Hunsberger, Mark Scatterday, Michael Votta, Michael Haithcock, Faculty
Larry Rachleff, Steven Stucky, Special Guests

November 12-14, 2010
Eastman School of Music
Rochester, NY

The Conductors Guild is proud to announce the third annual Frederick Fennell Memorial Conducting Masterclass. This workshop with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra, is intended for symphony orchestra conductors as well as wind orchestra conductors, held on the campus of the Eastman School of Music in conjunction with the Conductors Guild and the Eastman School of Music.

All workshop sessions will take place in the Eastman Theatre and Kilbourn Hall on the Eastman School of Music campus.

Click here to learn more about the 2011 Frederick Fennell Memorial Conducting Masterclass.  If you are applying for both the 2010 and the 2011 masterclasses, you need only submit ONE application form and ONE video.

Donald Hunsberger is one of the world’s foremost authorities on conducting, orchestration, and music literature. He has been conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble at the Eastman School of Music since 1965. Originally from Pennsylvania, he studied trombone with Emory Remington at Eastman, where he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees (BM ’54, MM ’59, DMA ’63). From 1954-58 he was a trombone soloist and chief arranger with the United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C. He is best known for championing the work of contemporary composers, invoking a higher standard of conducting practice, advocating for the full use of the possibilities of the wind ensemble, and setting the standard for wind ensemble performance through numerous publications, recordings and tours of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. As an orchestrator and arranger, Dr. Hunsberger’s additions to the wind ensemble repertoire are unique in their resourceful effectiveness. He also has arranged the orchestral accompaniments for 18 silent films, which he has conducted around the world. He currently is editor and primary contributor to the Donald Hunsberger Wind Library (Warner Brothers Music Publishing), and is publishing a series of historical and analytical articles on “Defining the Wind Band Sound” for its journal WindWorks.

Mark Davis Scatterday is Professor of Conducting and Chair of the Conducting and Ensembles Department at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music. As only the fourth conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Scatterday joined a prestigious line of conductors in the past fifty-plus years of the famed ensemble - Donald Hunsberger, Clyde Roller, and Frederick Fennell. Since his appointment, he has led the EWE on tour to Japan, Taiwan and Macao, conducted the EWE in a highly acclaimed performance at Carnegie Hall, and recorded 3 new recordings with the EWE and the Eastman Musica Nova.

Having received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting at the Eastman School of Music in 1989, Professor Scatterday has directed wind ensembles and orchestras throughout North America and Asia. Previous to his appointment at Eastman, Dr Scatterday was Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Music at Cornell University. Professor Scatterday maintains an active guest conducting schedule as well as researching and writing articles involving score analysis, performance practices, and conducting. His articles on Venetian Renaissance wind music and the wind and percussion music of Karel Husa have been published in editions of Wind Works, College Band Director's National Association Journal, and Band Director's Guide. He recently conducted the premiere recording of Roberto Sierra's Cancionero Sefardi with members of the Milwaukee Symphony on Fleur De Son Classics (2001), Judith Weir's Concerto for Piano and Musicians Wrestling Everywhere with Ensemble X on Albany Records (2005), Danzante with James Thompson and the EWE on Summit Records (2006), Barcelonazo with Musica Nova on Bridge Records (nominated for a 2008 Latin Grammy) and Manhattan Music with the EWE and the Canadian Brass on Opening Day Records (2008), available at ArchivMusic.com.

Michael Votta, Jr. joined the faculty of the University of Maryland in the fall of 2008 as Director of Wind Activities and Music Director of the UM Wind Orchestra.  Critics have praised him as “a conductor with the drive and ability to fully relay artistic thoughts” and for his “interpretations of definition, precision and most importantly, unmitigated joy.”  Ensembles under his direction have received critical acclaim in the United States and Europe for their “exceptional spirit, verve and precision,” their “sterling examples of innovative programming” and “the kind of artistry that is often thought to be the exclusive purview of top symphonic ensembles.”   Before his appointment at Maryland, Votta held conducting positions at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, Ithaca College, the University of South Florida, Miami University (Ohio) and Hope College.

His performances have been heard in broadcasts throughout the US, on Austrian National Radio (ÖRF), and Southwest German Television, and have been released internationally on the Primavera label.   In addition, his ensembles have been invited to perform at conferences of the Conductors Guild, the College Band Directors National Association and the North Carolina Music Educators Association.  Numerous major composers including George Crumb, Christopher Rouse, Karel Husa, Olly Wilson, Barbara Kolb, Warren Benson, and Louis Andriessen have praised his performances of their works. 

Votta maintains an active schedule as guest conductor and clinician in the US, and has appeared in Europe and Israel.  He has taught conducting seminars in the US and Israel, and has guest conducted and lectured at institutions such as the Eastman School of Music, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the Prague Conservatory and the National Arts Camp at Interlochen.  He has also appeared at conferences of numerous organizations including the College Band Directors National Association, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference, the Conductors Guild, and state music educator’s conventions in Maryland, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio.

Votta holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting degree from the Eastman School of Music where he served as Assistant Conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble and studied with Donald Hunsberger.  A native of Michigan, Votta received his undergraduate training and Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan, where he studied with H. Robert Reynolds.

He is the author of numerous articles on wind literature and conducting.  His arrangements and editions for winds have been performed and recorded by university and professional wind ensembles in the US, Europe and Japan.  He has served as Editor of the College Band Directors National Association Journal,  as a member of the Executive Board of the International Society for the Investigation of Wind Music (IGEB), and on the board of the Conductors Guild.

As a clarinetist, Votta has performed as a soloist throughout the US and Europe.  His solo and chamber music recordings are available on the Partridge and Albany labels.

Michael Haithcock assumed his duties as Director of Bands and Professor of Music (Conducting) at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2001 following twenty-three years on the faculty of Baylor University. Following in the footsteps of William D. Revelli and H. Robert Reynolds, Professor Haithcock conducts the internationally renowned University of Michigan Symphony Band, guides the acclaimed graduate band and wind ensemble conducting program, and provides administrative leadership for all aspects of the University of Michigan's diverse and historic band program. Ensembles under Haithcock's guidance, have received a wide array of critical acclaim for their high artistic standards of performance and repertoire.  These accolades have come through concerts at national and state conventions, performances in major concert venues, and recordings on the Albany, Arsis, and Equilibrium labels. Professor Haithcock was selected to conduct the world premiere of Daron Hagen’s Bandanna, an opera for voice and wind band, commissioned by the College Band Directors National Association and is a leader in commissioning and premiering new works for concert band. Haithcock has earned the praise of both composers and conductors for his innovative approaches to developing the wind ensemble repertoire and programming. Professor Haithcock is in constant demand as a guest conductor and as a resource person for symposiums and workshops in a variety of instructional settings as well as festival and all-state appearances throughout the country.

A graduate of East Carolina University, where he received the 1996 Outstanding Alumni Award from the School of Music, and Baylor University, Haithcock has done additional study at a variety of conducting workshops including the Herbert Blomstedt Orchestral Conducting Institute. The Instrumentalist, the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, theSchool Musician, the Southwest Music Educator, andWINDS magazine have published his articles on conducting and wind literature.

Now celebrating his twelfth season as Music Director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Larry Rachleff also serves as Director of Orchestras and the Walter Kris Hubert chair at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston. During his career, he has also been Music Director of the San Antonio Symphony.

“A take-charge maestro who invests everything he conducts with deep musical understanding” (Chicago Tribune), Mr. Rachleff is in constant demand as a guest conductor. Recent and upcoming engagements include the Utah Symphony, Houston Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic and Toledo Symphony among many others. Summer festival engagements include Tanglewood, Aspen, Interlochen, Brevard Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Opera Theatre of Lucca, Italy and the Grand Teton Music Festival. In 1993, he was selected as one of four American conductors to lead the Cleveland Orchestra at Carnegie Hall under the mentorship of Pierre Boulez.

Mr. Rachleff is especially noted for his rich and productive rapport with orchestra musicians. The Salt Lake Deseret News had this to say about him recently: “His interpretation (Prokofief’s Fifth Symphony) was charged with power and passion that never waned. His reading was compelling, yet he also managed to bring out the lyricism that lies hidden beneath the boldness of the themes. What was especially remarkable, he conducted the work from memory. The orchestra played marvelously. The musicians were at the top of their game, and their rapport with Rachleff was obvious. It was a fabulous collaboration between orchestra and conductor.”

A former faculty member of Oberlin Conservatory, where he was Music Director of Orchestras and Conductor of the Contemporary Ensemble, he also served as conductor of the Opera Theatre at the University of Southern California. He has conducted and presented masterclasses all over the world, including the Chopin Academy in Warsaw, the Zurich Hochschule, the Sydney and Queensland, Australia conservatories, the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory, and Royal Northern College in the U.K.

Larry Rachleff is an enthusiastic advocate of public school music education. He has conducted All-State orchestras and festivals in virtually every state in the United States as well as throughout Europe and Canada. He has also served as principal conducting teacher for the American Symphony Orchestra League, the Conductors’ Guild and the International Workshop for Conductors in the Czech Republic.

As a dedicated advocate of contemporary music, Mr. Rachleff has collaborated with leading composers including Samuel Adler, the late Luciano Berio, George Crumb, Michael Daugherty and John Harbison among others.

Larry Rachleff lives in Houston with his wife, soprano Susan Lorette Dunn, and their young son, Sam.

Widely recognized as one of the leading composers today, Steven Stucky was awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Second Concerto for Orchestra. He has written commissioned works for many of the major American orchestras and ensembles.

Mr. Stucky has taught at Cornell University since 1980, where he serves as Given Foundation Professor of Composition. He has also been associated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for more than 20 years, and is currently Consulting Composer for New Music.

Accepted participants will conduct the following repertoire:

Bach/Hunsberger: Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat BWV 552 (St. Anne)
Stucky: Funeral Music for Queen Mary, Threnos
Schwantner: In Evening's Stillness
Sierra/Scatterday: Fandangos

Participants are urged to study all of the listed repertoire in preparation for this masterclass. Participants will be given some choice of the particular segments to conduct at the actual workshop, in consultation with the faculty.

Participation is limited to a maximum of 15 participants and a number of auditors. All participants will have the opportunity to conduct the full ensemble in several podium sessions and experience at least 45 minutes of podium time. The podium sessions will focus on conducting and rehearsal techniques, as well as interpretive approaches to the selected works. Supplemental sessions will include discussions of analytical and interpretive aspects of the repertoire, as well as the similarities and differences in conducting orchestras and wind ensembles.

Application Deadline: Thursday, July 15, 2010. The completed application form, video, and application fee of $50 should be mailed to: Conductors Guild, 719 Twinridge Lane, Richmond, VA 23235.

If you are applying for both the 2010 and the 2011 masterclasses you need to enclose $50 per masterclass (for a total of $100).  You need only submit ONE application form and video.

Please note that submission of a video is strongly recommended, and applicants should furnish one whenever possible. In the case of a large number of applicants, video evaluation will be a determining factor in the selection of participants. Consult the CG Video Guidelines for suggestions regarding the preparation of a conducting video. Please make sure your DVD will play in most DVD players (not just a computer). Videos will NOT be returned. Please do not include originals. It is your responsibility to clearly identify your video. The CG Workshop website also contains important information about workshop application review procedures, and about the goals and format of CG Workshops.

$50 -   Application Fee
$300 - Auditor Fee
$500 - Participant Fee

Up to 15 participants and additional auditors will be notified of acceptance no later than Monday, August 16, 2010. The masterclass fees are due upon notice of acceptance and must be paid in full not later than Thursday, September 2, 2010 by a credit card or by a check payable to the Conductors Guild. The fee will act as a deposit to reserve each participant/auditor’s place in the masterclass. Fees will be refunded only if the withdrawing applicant’s place in the masterclass is filled by another participant/auditor.

This masterclass is sponsored by the Conductors Guild and is opened to members of the Conductors Guild only. However, if you are not currently a member of the Conductors Guild, you have the option of becoming a member by including a separate membership application with your masterclass application. You may also apply online. The Conductors Guild does not accept masterclass applications from non-members.

You may download the application here (PDF).

This workshop is sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.