OSH A92 - Great Conductors: A Behind the Scenes Look at Their Lives & Work

Course Description

Great Conductors: A Behind the Scenes Look at Their Lives & Work

Course Description:  Based on requests from former students, this lass will explore the life and work of professional symphony orchestra conductors – such as Tchaikovsky, Toscanini, Mahler, Leonard Bernstein, Von Karajan, Piere Monteux, Michael Tilson Thomas, George Szell and many others. Join this class to find out what makes as great conductor, and get a behind the scenes look at the work schedules, how conductors get hired, what conductors do in rehearsals and beyond, and what their lives are like professionally and on a day-to-day basis. There will be many anecdotes about the professor’s own work as a conductor and that of other conductors as well. Did you know Tchaikovsky opened Carnegie Hall in 1891 conducting the NY Philharmonic? Did you know Toscanini threw a baton at a trombone player and blinded him? Did you know Mahler loved to conduct? What do you really know about Leonard Bernstein and Von Karajan? Why was Pierre Monteux such an important conductor and called his 3rd wife the “Eroica?” How did Szell get to be the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra?

Week 1:  What does an orchestra conductor do and how do they do it. Tchaikovsky.

Week 2:  How do conductors get hired to guest conduct orchestras or work as music directors. Toscanini.

Week 3:  What are the realities of compensation for orchestral conductors. Mahler.

Week 4:  How are orchestra conductors trained to do their jobs. Leonard Bernstein and Von Karajan.

Week 5:  What makes an orchestra conductor a success and what can cost them their jobs. Pierre Monteux and The Rite of Spring.

Week 6:  Famous conductors and their quirks. George Szell and The Cleveland Orchestra.

Instructor: Dr. Manuel Prestamo