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2026 INTERNATIONAL CONDUCTORS GUILD
50th Anniversary Conference
January 16 - 19, 2026
Dallas, TX
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Fabio Luisi, Music Director & Conductor
2026 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
International Conductors Guild
Dr. Claire Fox Hillard, President
**Please note: The International Conductors Guild reserves the right to change/modify session times and presenters.
**Registration - Stop by the registration table in the lobby - everyone MUST have a name badge
before entering Caruth Auditorium. Walk-ins are welcome!
**Mentoring Sessions - sign-up in advance, or when you arrive, for one-on-one mentoring sessions with highly
experienced colleagues, ready to share their knowledge with you! Mentoring sessions
will be scheduled individually and throughout each day. Contact Mentorship Co-Chairs,
Larry Isaacson and Peter Stafford Wilson at: [email protected]
if you have not signed up in advance.
**Exhibitors are located in the Gene and Jerry Jones Grand Atrium. Please visit their displays throughout the sessions.
**Group Dinners and Entertainment sign up sheets are available at the registration desk
*Thursday, January 15, 2026 -
Dallas Symphony Orchestra - Dress Rehearsal - 10:00am - 12:30pm
Fabio Luisi, Music Director and Conductor
Bruckner - Symphony No. 9 in D minor
Meyerson Symphony Center
Please contact the ICG office if you would like to attend the dress rehearsal on Thursday, Jan. 15.
ICG Conference attendees arriving early to Dallas are invited to attend.
Friday, January 16, 2026 -
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Conference attendees should arrive in Dallas
Use Dallas Love Airport for flights, if possible
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1:00pm - 3:00pm
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ICG Board Members - Conference Set-Up
Caruth Auditorium
Southern Methodist University
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3:00pm - 4:30pm
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International Conductors Guild - Board Retreat and Meeting
Caruth Auditorium
Southern Methodist University
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7:30pm
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Dallas Symphony Orchestra - Maestro Fabio Luisi
Meyerson Symphony Center
2301 Flora Street Dallas, TX 75201
Bruckner - Symphony No. 9 in D minor (1896, unfinished)
***Order discounted tickets after receiving your conference registration receipt.
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9:30pm
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"50th Anniversary Get-Together"!
Beeman Hotel Bar
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Saturday, January 17, 2026 - All Sessions in Caruth Auditorium
| 8:00am - 9:00am |
Conference Registration - Lobby
**Stop by the registration table in the lobby -
everyone MUST have a name badge before entering Caruth Hall.
Wear your name badge at all times, please.
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| 9:00am - 10:30am |
Conductor Masterclass with Grammy Award-winning Italian conductor - Maestro Fabio Luisi
Southern Methodist University Symphony Orchestra
Strauss - Till Eulenspiegel
All attendees are encouraged to apply for this amazing opportunity!
Caruth Auditorium - SMU Campus
APPLY HERE
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10:30am - 11:00am
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Break |
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11:00am - 12:15pm
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Wind Ensemble Masterclass - NEW!
Bobby R. Francis, Texas Christian University
Edward Cumming, Southern Methodist University
SMU Wind Ensemble
All attendees are encouraged to apply for this amazing opportunity!
Caruth Auditorium - SMU Campus
APPLY HERE
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12:20pm - 1:40pm
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Join everyone in the Gene & Jerry Jones Grand Atrium for a catered lunch.
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1:45pm - 2:00pm
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Welcome to Dallas and the 2026 Conference of the International Conductors Guild!
- Claire Fox Hillard, President, International Conductors Guild
- Katie McGuiness, Wildenthal Families Chief Artistic Officer,
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
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| 2:00pm - 2:30pm |
Just Patriotic Enough: A List of Orchestral Works for a Year-Long Celebration of America’s 250th Birthday
Major Brian Dix, US Marine Corps, retired.
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| 2:35pm - 3:05pm |
The Life & Works of Crawford Gates, An American Conductor/Composer
Roberta Carpenter
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| 3:10pm - 3:45pm |
Conductor Roundtables - all are invited to participate
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| 3:50pm - 4:20pm |
Groove meets Gesture: A Conductor's Toolkit for Jazz Big Band Collaboration
Gregory Robbins |
| 4:25pm - 4:55pm |
JC Penney's Bicentennial Celebration: Commissioned and Licensed Musical Pieces
Janine Riverire
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4:55pm - 5:25pm
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Breaking Down Barriers through Music - Dvořák to the Harlem Renaissance and the creation of uniquely American music
James Lamb |
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5:30pm - 5:50pm
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Break - please visit our wonderful Exhibitors
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| 5:55pm - 6:30pm |
Women Conductors Roundtable
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| 6:30pm |
Dinner on your own
**Be sure to check the ICG Conference app and/or Group Dinner
sign-up sheets!
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Sunday, January 18, 2026 - All Sessions in Caruth Auditorium
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7:30am - 8:30am
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Breakfast on your own
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8:30am - 9:00am
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Registration - continued - Lobby
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9:00am - 9:30am
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"Symphony: This Will Be Our Reply" by Lucas Richman - The Making of an American Symphonic Masterwork
Noreen Green-Drew |
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9:35am - 10:05am
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Roy Harris's Fifth Symphony: The Interpretation, Preparation, and Performance of a Rarely Performed American Masterwork
Brad Cawyer
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10:10am - 10:40am
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Copland's The Tender Land: An Iowa Tribute
Rebecca Nederhiser |
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10:45am - 11:15am
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Mahler's 5th: Unraveling 120 years of mistakes and confusion – Breitkopf’s new Urtext edition
Nick Pfefferkorn, Breitkopf and Härtel Music Publishers
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| 11:20pm - 11:50pm |
The Sousa - ABA- Ostwald Award: What we can learn from winners of this American Wind Band Composition Award
Josh Pace
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| 12:00pm - 1:30pm |
Lunch Break
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| 1:40pm - 2:10pm |
TBA
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| 2:15pm - 2:45pm |
TBA |
| 2:50pm - 3:20pm |
TBA |
| 3:30pm - 4:00pm |
Break - Visit our Exhibitors
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4:00pm - 4:30pm
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International Conductors Guild Annual Membership Meeting
Election of Directors
Election of Officers
Other Business
**This session is for active, paid members of the
International Conductors Guild, only.
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6:00pm
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Dinner - be sure to sign up for Group Dinners at the
Registration Desk or on the app!
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Monday, January 19, 2026 - All Sessions Caruth Auditorium
| 7:00am - 8:00am |
Breakfast on your own
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| 9:00am - 9:35am |
Conducting to Picture: Understanding the Tools and Challenges of Conducting Live-to-Film
Angel Velez
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| 9:40am - 10:10am |
Surprise and Delight with the Music of Victor Herbert
Alyce Mott
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| 10:15am - 10:45am |
The Music of Stephen Sondheim: A Great American Composer
Charles Prince
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10:50am - 11:20am
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We Can Do It! - A History of American Women Military Band Conductors in WWII
Alexandra Zacharella
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11:30am - 12:00pm
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50th Anniversary Conference Wrap-Up!
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