International Conductors Guild - Fort Wayne Philharmonic

International Conductor Workshop

Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA 

Tuesday, February 17 - Saturday, February 21, 2026  

 2026 CONDUCTORS WORKSHOP CONCERT - February 21, 2026
 7:30 pm  Auer Hall at the Purdue Fort Wayne Music Center  

Presented in partnership with the
International Conductors Guild, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic
with major support from the
Donald F. Wood and Darlene M. Richardson Foundation,
and Purdue University Fort Wayne.

This season the Fort Wayne Philharmonic joins the International Conductors Guild to present an international conductor training workshop designed to provide 8 promising conductors and 4+ auditor conductors - from around the world - with instruction on the principles and techniques of one of the most celebrated conducting teachers of the twentieth century, Maestro Ilya Musin.

Over a legendary teaching career spanning 60 years, Ilya Musin's students included Vassily Sinaisky, Valery Gergiev, Ennio Nicotra, Yuri Temirkanov, Sian Edwards, Semyon Bychkov, Andrew Constantine, Konstantin Simeonov, Victor Fedotov, Martin Brabbins and many others.

The 2026 workshop will be held in Tuesday, February 17 through Saturday, Feburary 21, 2026 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and will be led by Musin protégé and internationally renowned conductor and Fort Wayne Philharmonic Music Director, Andrew Constantine.  

The workshop schedule begins with several two-piano sessions, moving to full orchestra rehearsals with the musicians of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and a concluding final performance on Saturday, February 21 from 7:30pm to 8:30pm. Participants also receive individual instruction and consultations with Maestro Constantine.

 "Hailed by Ilya Musin as ‘a brilliant representative’ of the conducting art”. 

"A conductor must make music visible to his musicians with his hands. There are two components to conducting, expressiveness and exactness. However these two components are incompatible; in fact, they cancel each other out. The conductor’s challenge, therefore, is to find a way of combining them.”

 
WORKSHOP REPERTOIRE

Beethoven Symphony No. 1, op. 21 , C major <1800>
  I. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio
  II. Andante cantabile con moto
  III. Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace
  IV.  Finale:  Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace

Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4, op. 90, A major (Italian) <1833>
  I.  Allegro vivace
  II.  Andante con moto
  III.  Con moto moderator
  IV.  Saltarello:  Presto 

APPLY HERE

WORKSHOP TUITION

Participating conductors may use THIS FORM to pay their tuition payment.

Participating Conductor - $1,700 (USD) - Member of the International Conductors Guild
Participating Conductor - $1,950 (USD) - Non-Member of the International Conductors Guild
Auditor Conductor - $750 (USD) - Member of the International Conductors Guild
Auditor Conductor - $950 (USD) - Non-Member of the International Conductors Guild 

Application Deadline:  Saturday, January 24, 2026   
Application Fee: $30
Notification of Acceptance: Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Full tuition payment due: Saturday, February 7, 2026

ACCOMMODATION

Successful applicants who participate in this workshop should look into Airbnb residences in Fort Wayne which can be quite reasonable.  There are also moderate local hotels available. Participants are responsible for arranging and paying for their own accommodations. The Philharmonic can supply accommodation recommendations, if needed.  Participants are also responsible for their travel to and from the Fort Wayne Workshop sessions.  

Aspiring conductors from several countries and continents have participated in this workshop in past years, often returning to hone their skills in this intensive, fast-paced, and supportive environment. 

2026 CONDUCTOR WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 

*If you are not from the local Fort Wayne area, it is highly recommended that you arrive the night
before the first session so plan your accommodation accordingly.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026
10:00am – 12:30pm    Piano Session 1 (Location TBD)
2:30pm – 4:00pm        Piano Session 2 (Location TBD)

Wednesday, February 18, 2026
10:00am - 12:30pm     Piano Session 3  (Location TBD)
2:30pm – 5:30pm        Piano Session 4  (Location TBD)

Thursday, February 19, 2026
10:00am - 12:30pm     Piano Session 5  (Location TBD)
2:30pm - 5:00pm         Piano Session 6   (Location TBD)

Friday, February 20, 2026
10:00am - 12:30pm   Orch. Rehearsal 1    Auer Performance Hall - PFW
7:30pm - 10:00pm     Orch. Rehearsal 2    Auer Performance Hall - PFW

Saturday, February 21, 2026
10:00am – 12:30pm     Orch. Rehearsal 3   Auer Performance Hall-PFW
7:30pm     Concert                                       Auer Performance Hall - PFW