Live recording from an AMA (Ask Me Anything) Panel Discussion on May 6, 2024. The session was moderated by my colleague Dr. Janet Kim, and our panelists were:

Arianne Abela, Director of the Choral Program, Amherst College

Maria A. Ellis, the Girl Conductor

Amanda Hanzlik, Director of Choirs, E.O. Smith High School; President - Elect, ACDA Eastern Region

Liana Salinas, Artistic Director, Miami Children's Chorus

If you missed my interview with Maria A. Ellis in Season 1 Episode 2 where I interviewed someone for the very first time - she is so inspiring!! Check it out: https://theconductorspodcast.com/podcast/2/

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Very happy to welcome Anna Sułkowska-Migoń, the winner of the 2022 La Maestra Competition in Paris, where I was a quarter-finalist. Anna and I talked about her experience after the competition, her growth and challenges, and what she has learned in her journey.

This interview was recorded in May 2024 when Anna was expecting her daughter and we wish her and her family a wonderful start of this new chapter.

Learn more about Anna: https://annasulkowskamigon.com/

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Live recording from an AMA (Ask Me Anything) Panel Discussion on May 3, 2024. The panelists of the sessions were:

Juhi Bensal, composer, conductor, and educator

Joanna Drimatis, Music Director and Chief Conductor, Beecroft Orchestra

Katie LaBrie, composer, conductor, and educator

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Live recording from an AMA (Ask Me Anything) Panel Discussion on April 28, 2024. The panelists of the sessions were:

Marta Gardolinska, Music Director, Opera national de Lorraine

Stephanie Rhodes Russell, Founder, Women’s Artistic Leadership Initiative; Guest Conductor, Wolf Trap Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Washington National Opera

Michelle Rofrano, Artistic Director, PROTESTRA; Guest Conductor, Madison Opera, City Lyric Opera, Curtis Institute of Music

If you missed my interview with Michelle Rofrano in Season 1 Episode 3 where we discussed programming for social causes, make sure to revisit it: https://theconductorspodcast.com/podcast/3/

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I've always thought that I wasn't a good competition type of conductor, until I realized that I actually convinced myself that I wasn't good in a certain area so I didn't need to continue improving myself.

From 2022, I entered La Maestra Competition in Paris, won the 3rd Prize at Kussewitzky Competition 2023 and 2nd Prize at the Mendelssohn Competition 2024. In this season's episodes, I will be sharing more what I've learned in my journey.

But before that, my thoughts on conducting competitions - they are just one of the many events that are going to shape and form your conducting journey.
1. Be super clear why you are doing it, and list your learning objectvies
2. Focus on things we can control
3. Know what you need to be successful

PS. My interview with Lina Gonzalez Granados on organizing your score, time, and journey in Season 1 Episode 38:
https://theconductorspodcast.com/podcast/organize-your-score-time-and-journey-with-lina-gonzalez-granados/

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I finally had the pleasure to meet and speak with Dr. Andrea Brown, Associate Director of Bands at the University of Maryland. Previously served as director of orchestra and assistant director of bands at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and assistant director of bands at the University of Michigan, we spoke about her experience as a conductor and the founder of “Women Rising to the Podium.”

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Live recording from an AMA (Ask Me Anything) Panel Discussion on April 3, 2024. The panelists of the sessions were:

𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗹, 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence & former Assistant Conductor, Memphis Symphony

𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝗶 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗼, Dudamel Fellow, LA Philharmonic; Associate Conductor, North Carolina Symphony

𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮, Assistant Conductor & Diversity Fellow, Buffalo Philharmonic

𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗫𝗶𝗮, Associate Conductor, Seattle Symphony

If you missed my interview with Kalena Bovell in Season 1 Episode 14 where we discussed time management skills, make sure to revisit it: https://theconductorspodcast.com/podcast/14/

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My first in person interview for the podcast with conductor Chloé Dufresne, recorded on February 23, 2024 when she visited Atlanta through the Villa Albertine artist residence program with the French Consulate in Atlanta.

We talked about her conducting training, experiences with American and European orchestras, and current and upcoming projects.

Learn more about Chloé: https://www.chloedufresne.com/

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Based on my experiences teaching conducting workshops and participating in competitions, the three biggest mistakes are:

Worrying so much about the ensemble problems when you are the one causing the problems.
Only concerned about your conducting, your vision of the music and fail to connect with musicians.
Thinking that it’s only about conducting - how about your leadership styles, interpersonal skills, and the way you present yourself?

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Welcome back to season 3 of The Conductor’s Podcast. In this season I will be sharing things I’ve learned this past year, my experiences participating in competitions, interviews with some new and old friends, and live recordings of several Girls Who Conduct webinars!

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Last week I spoke with Karen on Marketing for Musicians, and we discussed boundaries and showing your uniqueness to the world, and understand who you are serving.

In today's conversation, I spoke with Karen about another part of her specialty - career coach, and dig into how people have different definitions of success, and to find the answers from within.

Karen Cubides is the passionate and engaging founder and CEO of the Karen Cubides Agency based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her holistic approach to coaching her clients allows her to serve a wide range of well-established musicians and young professionals alike in unique and personal ways. Through her intimate understanding of the relationship between personal growth and professional achievement, Karen builds up the individual, the artist, and the professional within each of her clients as they master goal-setting, lifestyle balance, and the nuances of our evolving industry. Her commitment, care, and creativity have connected her with incredible individuals and organizations across the world.

Karen founded her agency early in her career out of her empathy for the people she worked with and admired. She firmly believes that musicians do not have to choose between promising careers and fulfilling personal lives. Her compassion has driven her time and again to better herself and her agency to bring out the best in each of her clients, both personally and professionally. By understanding and assessing the whole individual and not the performer exclusively, her clients continue to thrive in their creative passions and In their personal relationships. Karen has had the privilege of working with musicians of all backgrounds, from bird land to Broadway and from the Philharmonic to the Blair School of Music.

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Today's episode is a must listen for musicians as we learn marketing for ourselves, create opportunities and put ourselves out there for business!

Karen founded her agency early in her career out of her empathy for the people she worked with and admired. She firmly believes that musicians do not have to choose between promising careers and fulfilling personal lives. Her compassion has driven her time and again to better herself and her agency to bring out the best in each of her clients, both personally and professionally. By understanding and assessing the whole individual and not the performer exclusively, her clients continue to thrive in their creative passions and In their personal relationships. Karen has had the privilege of working with musicians of all backgrounds, from bird land to broadway and from the Philharmonic to the Blair School of Music.

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Conducting auditions are something that's hard to navigate as each organization and ensemble does look for different things, but no one would disqualify a good conductor!

Typically, an audition for an assistant conductor would be only 10-15 minutes, while a music director audition might be a full rehearsal (2-3 hour), or even a concert cycle consisting 4-6 rehearsals, depending on the ensemble's schedule.

My objective of all conducting auditions is to share my musical ideas with the ensemble while demonstrating a representation of how my typical rehearsal flows.

Some Tips:

Only verbally ask for things that you’ve already shown in your conducting (and not getting)
Refrain from talking too much about the historical background, stories, etc. unless it’s necessarily and absolutely related to your point
Have a structure of the rehearsal, and share it with the musicians
If it’s not good, ask again. Don’t leave things when they are still bad

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Today’s episode is the second half of my conversation with a long-time friend, Kevin Fitzgerald, current Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony.

Last week we spoke about preparing for job applications and auditions, and today we will continue the conversation and hear all the behind the scene stories of navigating the business.

As 2021 Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow and four-time recipient of Career Assistance Grants from The Solti Foundation U.S., Kevin Fitzgerald is at the forefront of the next generation of conductors. Recently, Kevin was invited as one of the twenty conductors to participate live in the 2023 Mahler Competition with the Bamberg Symphony.

In addition to his post as Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, Fitzgerald has recently guest conducted the Rochester Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh. In his commitment to uplifting communities through music, Fitzgerald conducted Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in 2017 with musicians from the Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids Symphonies to raise over $10,000 for the International Rescue Committee and Freedom House Detroit. In 2016, he also co-organized and conducted an impromptu performance called “Requiem for Orlando,” which featured over 400 volunteer musicians in a dedicated performance for victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.

Since then, he has participated in masterclasses with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, Andris Nelsons and Alan Gilbert at Tanglewood among many others. Kevin is based in Raleigh, NC, with his husband, violist Kurt Tseng, and their two dogs Bennie and Chipper. Kevin also teaches and coaches conductors privately online and in person.

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In today's episode, you will hear the first half of my conversation with a long-time friend, Kevin Fitzgerald, current Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony. We went way back to my years at the Eastman School of Music, and it's such a pleasure to speak with him on the topic of preparing for job applications and auditions.

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Should I enter a graduate program? Look for jobs? Go to masterclasses? Those are some questions that I got asked the most.

For us conductors, we have to create our own curriculum, our own path, and to make decisions all the time.

In today's episode, I will share with you three main factors to consider when figuring out "what's next:"

YOUR MUSICIANSHIP

You have to be a good conductor, and that includes your techniques and your knowledge. Your being a good conductor is the most important thing you can deliver.

So here are the questions I always ask myself: am I a good conductor? Am I continue becoming a better conductor everyday?

Your musicianship includes your knowledge and your ability to deliver your knowledge - including your conducting techniques. Do I need a good teacher to help me with techniques? Do I need another set of eyes to check in on me? Am I regressing instead of progressing everyday?

PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS - HAVING AN ENSEMBLE TO WORK WITH

Do I currently have an ensemble to work with regularly? If not, can I form one? If not, can I find opportunities to work with one?

Is this the time to get to a workshop where I can gain experience working with an ensemble more regularly? Do I need exposure to higher caliber musicians? Have I not worked with a good group for too long that I developed so many bad teaching-mindset habits?

NETWORKING

Very honestly, you need to know people and people need to know you. It's not only about your own network - who you know, but also who your teachers know, who your teachers bring in to work with you, who your friends know, what kind of friends, musicians, artists they are exposed to that will connect you with.

Of course we are not connecting with others only because I wanted to conduct your orchestra without seeing you in 10 years. No, not in that way, but building genuine relationships.

So when I am at an intersection of my study and career, I always look at these three parts and wonder, what am I lacking the most at this moment? and what can I do to make a plan to achieve some goals? Hope that you will find this helpful as well!

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Last week I spoke with social media guru Nicole Riccardo about how musicians can create a meaningful online community through social media. She generously provided a lot of tips and suggestions for my listeners.

When we talk about marketing, curating an image of our own for the world, it's unavoidable to discuss one's brand.

Are you struggling with defining your "brand" or finding your "niche"? What are some possible ways we can market ourselves better through our social media presences and reach our career goals?

In today's episode, you will hear the second half of my conversation with flutist turned digital marketer, Nicole Riccardo, the Founder & President of NR Media. After working with multi-million dollar business and gaining 10 years of experience in the field, Nicole’s mission now is to empower other musicians, creatives, and freelancers with the business + digital marketing know-how they need in order to create a career doing what they love!

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I am not a person who is naturally good at social media - when I say I'm an introvert, many people would seem surprised, but I am really awkward starting a conversation with strangers.

Flutist turned digital marketer, Nicole Riccardo, the Founder & President of NR Media was introduced to me through a common flutist friend years ago when I was just naively debating whether I should learn more about social media and started to cultivate an online profile.

In today's episode, you will hear the first half of our conversation focusing on building a meaningful online community, and she will share her thoughts on beating the algorithm, reaching out to others, and be strategic with your online presence.

After working with multi-million dollar business and gaining 10 years of experience in the field, Nicole’s mission now is to empower other musicians, creatives, and freelancers with the business + digital marketing know-how they need in order to create a career doing what they love!

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Diversity Statement has become a more and more frequently asked application material. No matter you are applying for a music directorship or an educational role, the organization very often is interested in knowing your vision on diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Feeling stuck as a straight white man (or anything else)? No worries, let me show you how to kill your diversity vision, and how to revive it.

Best Ways to Kill Your Diversity Statement:

Claiming that "I have a friend / daughter-son / husband-wife / student who is XXX (fill in any gender, race, color,...) so I am such a diversity supporter
Give All Talk and No Action
Draw a Pie in the Sky with your promises

TO REVIVE YOUR STATEMENT (Even if you don't have much experience in diversity and bias and have been very privileged)

Draw from your experiences - even if you have a very single-dimensioned upbringing, you can still talk about that and explain how this affects your actions and plans
Genuinely reflect why diversity is important - and how that affect your vision for this position
Create a sample concert program for the ensemble even without them asking for it in the first place
Commit to program at least one living composer, one woman composer, one composer of color, or one composer from any historically marginalized group

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Zoom Interviews are now more common since Covid - and organizations are often skipping the traditional phone interview and conduct a zoom interview for shortlisted candidates instead.

If you've had unsuccessful zoom interviews in the past, you want to do a quick self-check and see if you've got it right, and know the purpose of the interview: to obtain enough interest in order advance to the next round

Some Zoom Interview Setting Tips from my friend Tim Verville:

Set up a nice corner with good light (not natural light) and and an appropriate background
Establish your brand with your image (concert posters, bookshelves, etc)
Make sure your eye contact is toward your camera, not the people on your screen

Interview Tips:

Do your homework, research research research
Quickly state the obvious, and go to your uniqueness
It’s not about what they asked, but what you want to say and how you say it
Practice, Practice, Practice!!
- Research and outline a few questions they might ask
- Write out what you want say and practice
Have good questions to ask
- Search timeline
- The 5-year vision of the organization
- Current challenges
- Traits of ideal candidates
- DO NOT ASK ABOUT SALARIES

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As the largest body of an orchestra, it's always great to have a string sectional to unify style, articulation, and even phrasing. If you are not a string player yourself, what are the mistakes to avoid when leading a string sectional?

Instead of:

Get stuck in bowing discussions
Not knowing your terms
Give instructions on bowing or fingering

Do this:

Always have a set of bowings marked in the part before distributing them
Describe the sounds you want
Let the principals / concertmaster adjust things as they see fit
Get help, be over-prepared, and bring an open mind to see what they are offering you!

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Welcome Back to Season 2 of The Conductor's Podcast!

With a carefully designed season, we will be focusing on Conductors How-To and share all the tips on planning efficient rehearsals, preparing for auditions, giving a great job interview, marketing and branding for musicians, and even more!

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In this wisdom-filled episode, my guest is the world-renowned conductor, Diane Wittry. She is the music director of the Allentown Symphony and the Music Director and Conductor of the Garden State Philharmonic. She is also the author of award-winning books, “Beyond the Baton” and “Baton Basics - Communicating Music through Gestures.”

To understand the essence of conducting and how to improve as a conductor, you’ll need to indulge in this episode and learn.

Conductor, Diane Wittry, named nationally as one of the "Top 30 Professional Musicians" by Musical America Worldwide for her work leading orchestras, is a highly respected conductor in the United States today. Frequently engaged as a guest conductor, she has led symphonic performances in more than 11 countries and throughout the U.S. Diane Wittry is the Music Director and Conductor of the Allentown Symphony, PA, and the Garden State Philharmonic, NJ. In the past she has served as the Associate Conductor of the renowned Ojai Music Festival (CA); the Artistic Director of the International Music Program with the Sarajevo Philharmonic, Bosnia; and Music Director and Conductor of the Symphony of Southeast Texas, and the Norwalk Symphony (CT). Wittry is also recognized as a composer and a respected conducting teacher. Her books "Beyond the Baton," and "Baton Basics-Communicating Music through Gestures," have become standards in the conducting field.

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Hi there!

Happy end of September and welcome to episode no.9 of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, a new series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom! This series is aired on the last Thursday of each month, and in each episode, I am going to pose a question to 10 musicians, conductors, or business gurus. So including myself, you will hear all the goodies from a wide variety of people, thus called the wisdom series. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

This month’s question that I am asking my people is, “Your favorite thing about what you do.”

My guests today are:

Alice Farnham (opera conductor, episode 26)

Aubrey Bergauer (founder, Changing the Narrative, episode 52)

Julia Baumanis (Assistant Director of Bands, Rutgers University, episode 31)

Carolyn Watson (Director of Orchestras, UIUC, episode 53)

Tianyi Lu (Principal Guest Conductor, Stavanger Symphony, episode 34)

Lina Gonzalez Granados (Conducting Fellow, Philadelphia Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, episode 38)

Sarah Ioannides (Conductor, Symphony Tacoma, episode 42)

Susie Seiter (Film conductor, episode 29)

Maria Sensi Sellner (founder, resonance work, episode 45)

Cynthia Johnston Turner (Dean of the Faculty of Music, Wilfrid Laurier University, episode 56)

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Opera is one of the greatest and the most classic art forms. It combines the ingenuity of a great storyline and the elegance of music in one captivating show.

As this classic art form continue to become a favorite among enthusiasts, new operas are giving audiences a fresh perspective to shows that feature newly-composed music and storylines that haven’t been heard yet.

In this episode, Kanma Gupta discusses the process of developing new operas and more!

Kamna Gupta is an American Prize-winning conductor experienced in operatic, orchestral, and choral repertoires. In the 2022-23 season, Ms. Gupta will make her Canadian debut with Vancouver Opera conducting Les Pêcheurs de Perles, and will conduct the East Coast premiere of In Our Daughter’s Eyes (Du Yun / McQuilken and featuring Nathan Gunn) at Prototype Festival, which received its world premiere under her baton at LA Opera Redcat.

In 2022, she made her debut with the International Contemporary Ensemble, and she returned to The Glimmerglass Festival to conduct the world premiere of Jungle Book (Sankaram / O’Rourke). She will also conduct the highly interdisciplinary work The Ritual of Breath is the Right to Resist (Berger / Reily / Francis), premiering at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth. She is also excited to return to Mannes Opera in Fall 2022 to conduct La Calisto, Cavalli’s Baroque masterpiece.

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Want to booster your productivity? Listen to today's episode where I share my newly discovred productivity hacks!

1. Always check your why: What's your purpose?
2. Morning Pages Journal: clear your mind before starting your day!
3. App: TodoistAnswer these questions daily:

Identify the most important tasks (one or two)
Is what I am doing today supporting my long-term goals?
The setback of the day
What can I do differently tomorrow

4. Find the duration chunk that works for you
5. Set an environment that is not distracting

And make sure that you check out these two previous episodes with wonderful guests:

38 Organize Your Score, Time, and Journey with Lina Gonzalez Granados
14 Productivity and Time Management Tips with Kalena Bovell

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Hi there! Happy end of August and welcome to episode no.8 of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, a new series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom! This series is aired on the last Thursday of each month, and in each episode, I am going to pose a question to 10 musicians, conductors, or business gurus. So including myself, you will hear all the goodies from a wide variety of people, thus called the wisdom series. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

This month’s question that I am asking my people is, “What’s your morning routine?”

My guests today are:

Cynthia Johnston Turner (Dean of the Faculty of Music, Wilfrid Laurier University, episode upcoming)

Susie Seiter (Film conductor, episode 29)

Stephanie Havey (opera stage director, episode 32)

Sarah Ioannides (Conductor, Symphony Tacoma, episode 42)

Talia Ilan (conductor and founder of #oneconductoraday, episode 8)

Lina Gonzalez Granados (Conducting Fellow, Philadelphia Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, episode 38)

JoAnne Harris (film composer and conductor, episode 36)

Tiffany Chang (opera and orchestra conductor, episode 4)

Maria Sensi Sellner (founder, resonance work, episode 45)

Aubrey Bergauer (founder, Changing the Narrative, episode 52)

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Happy August to you!

August, for me, is the mark of a new beginning. As we ready ourselves for a new journey, this episode will surely give you a boost of new learnings for the new generation.

Today, Aubrey Bergauer graces the show with her expertise in human resources, organizational culture, strategizing guests to be patrons, diversity and inclusivity to “changing the narrative”. She also emphasizes the importance of matching on-stage talent with off-stage talent.

Sit back, relax and start a new journey with her in this episode.

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Score study is such an important topic, and I've touched on this a few times in the podcast. However, I am going to organize things together for you, so it's a central place for you!

In today's episode, I will be sharing 1) how I study scores when I don't have enough time, 2) some tools that I mixed and matched, and 3) great tips from the Girls Who Conduct Discovery Friday series.

When I don't have enough time properly study....

Tempo, transition, tempo!
A lot of listening
Balance, Entrances, and Unification of styles

Some tips given to me by Prof. Schlaefli, Mo. Harth-Bedoya, Mark Gibson, and Ken Kiesler

Broaden your Knowledge:

Instrumentation Chart
List of composers’ works, list of works composed around the same times, and list of works in the same key
List of works of similar instrumentation
List of works of similar and different themes
List of works requiring extra forces (video or audio play along, soloist, speaker/narrator, technology - amped singers, etc)

Highlights from Girls Who Conduct Guests:

Tianyi Lu, Holly Choe, Lucia Zicos, Meg Zervoulis, Kira Omelchenko, and Julia Baumanis

Check out the show note for detailed score study checklist: https://chaowenting.com/?p=6060

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Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast Summer Mini Series!

Hi there! Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast Summer mini series. During the month of July, we are taking a break from the usual interview conversations. Instead, I will be sharing some tips on different aspects of a conductor’s job with you every week.

In today’s episode, I will be talking about how to improve my conducting!This is the question that I got asked a lot, and in today's episode I will be sharing some tips that were given to me, and also some that have worked well for myself in these areas:

CONDUCTING TECHNIQUES

Develop a variety of gestures
Use videos to get used to a delayed sound
Eye contact
Posture

SCORE STUDY

Use a piano reduction to learn the harmony and structure
Follow melody, bass line, and instrument entrances first
Have a set of steps that you go through
Mark your score for two purposes: to study the music, and to use during performance / rehearsals

REHEARSAL TECHNIQUES

Watch your own videos
Study your score thoroughly - note where might be problematic and need rehearsals
Write down different ways of rehearsing the same thing
Watch rehearsal footage, or go to rehearsals
When in rehearsal, split your mind - what you are hearing v.s. What you are doing

Best way to practice: having an ensemble that you constantly work with!

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Hi there! Happy end of July and welcome to the seventh edition of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, a new series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom! This series is aired on the last Monday of each month, and in each episode, I am going to pose a question to 10 musicians, conductors, or business gurus. So including myself, you will hear all the goodies from a wide variety of people, thus called the wisdom series. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

This month’s question that I am asking my people is, “What You Wish You Knew Before Entering the Profession"

I asked this question selfishly as I suck (!!!!) at networking in whatever sense. Let's hear what my guests have to say:

Tianyi Lu (Principal Guest Conductor, Stavanger Symphony, episode 34)

Ashley Killam and Carrie Blosser (co-founder, Diversify the Stand, episode 20)

Margaret Flood (Founder, Frost Young Women Conductor Symposium)

JoAnne Harris (film composer and conductor, episode 36)

Lidiya Yankovskaya (Music Director, Chicago Opera Theater, episode 41)

Kiernan Steiner or Dr. Kiki (Decolonization consultant and choral conductor, episode 17)

Kristin Roach (opera conductor, Episode 12)

Lina Gonzalez Granados (Conducting Fellow, Philadelphia Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, episode 38)

Alice Farnham (opera conductor, episode 26)

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Hi there! Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast Summer mini series. The summer months of June, July, and August are traditionally “off-season” for performing artists, where many people make summer homes at various festivals. This summer I turned down all the work engagements to refresh and recharge myself, and I thought that it could be fun for us to have different mini series with the podcast. Therefore, during the month of July, I will be sharing some tips on different aspects of a conductor’s job with you.

In today’s episode, I will be talking about speaking to the audience.

Different Occasions:

Pre-concert talk
Lecture Recital
Greeting from the podium / stage
Educational, Family, Holiday Concert

DETERMINE……

Who is your audience?
What is the ONE THING that you want them to remember?
What are TWO/THREE things that your audience can relate to?

REMEMBER……

Don’t have too many points or facts!!
They want to hear the music, not a lecture!
Share a story or an emotion, not a fact

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Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast Summer Mini Series!

In today’s episode, I will be talking about prepping for rehearsals.

For me, the most important principal about rehearsal, is to HAVE A PLAN, BUT BE FLEXIBLE!

What are the rehearsal goals?

Long term vs short term goals
What can your players retain between rehearsals?
What will get better over time?
WHO needs the run-through?

In the episode, I will also share my rehearsal planning, considerations, and ways to sharpen your rehearsal techniques.

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Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast Summer Mini Series!

In today’s episode, I will be talking about my programming process.

MY CORE CONSIDERATIONS:

What do I need / what does your ensemble need to work on?
What can I the ensemble already do well?

In the episode, I will also share my practical considerations, artistic considerations, and ways to expand your repertoire.

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July is just around the corner! Who could’ve thought that six months of 2022 had gone by so quickly?

I remember so many of my New Year’s resolutions and I know I have to catch up with all of these goals. However, such “chasing-the-goal” action should not compromise one’s mental health and happiness. It should not also sacrifice your life’s purpose.

In this episode of the Conductor’s Podcast, conductor Maria Sensi Sellner shares with us how she navigated life despite experiencing burnout and how you can learn from her experience as well.

Conductor Maria Sensi Sellner’s artistry, versatility, and reputation for innovation are making her a sought-after collaborator and an impresario for the 21st century. She is a proud alum of The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors. Maria is the Artistic & General Director of Resonance Works, the multi-modal performing arts company she founded in her native Pittsburgh in 2013; and a frequent cover conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

The 2021-22 season includes a growing number of company debuts - including Portland Opera, Opera Steamboat, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Raylynmor Opera, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City - conducting her favorite mix of Verdi, bel canto, and contemporary opera repertoire.

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Hi there! Happy end of June and welcome to the fifth edition of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, a new series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom! This series is aired on the last Monday of each month, and in each episode, I am going to pose a question to 10 musicians, conductors, or business gurus. So including myself, you will hear all the goodies from a wide variety of people, thus called the wisdom series. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

This month’s question that I am asking my people is, “What's your favorite self-care practice?"

I asked this question selfishly as I suck (!!!!) at taking care of myself..... Let's hear what my guests have to say:

Julia Baumanis (Assistant Director of Bands at Rutgers University, episode 31)

Kristin Roach (opera conductor, Episode 12)

Kiernan Steiner or Dr. Kiki (Decolonization consultant and choral conductor, episode 17)

Tiffany Chang (opera and orchestra conductor, episode 4)

Emily Koh (composer)

Margaret Flood (Founder, Frost Young Women Conductor Symposium)

Susie Seiter (film conductor, episode 29)

Ashley Killam and Carrie Blosser (co-founder, Diversify the Stand, episode 20)

Stephanie Havey (stage director, episode 32)

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In today's episode, I interviewed the Executive Director of the August Symphony (GA), Anne Catherine Murray on how she manages an orchestra. She’ll share her wisdom on the management side of a performing arts organization and a theater, discuss the challenges of managing personnel, how she was able to find her purpose, and how she navigated problems brought by the pandemic

Anne Catherine Murray joined the Augusta Symphony in 2015. During this time, she has overseen two organizational restructures, the international search for a music director, and the completion of the $23M capital campaign and construction project to restore the historic Miller Theater and the adjacent Knox Music Institute. At the outset of the pandemic, the Augusta Symphony took over management of the Miller Theater, and Murray now oversees both companies.

Prior to joining the Symphony, Murray served as Vice President and Project Manager of Flywheel, LLC, where she assisted in the adaptive use of several historic Augusta buildings, including Enterprise Mill, Sutherland Mill, andWilliam Robinson SchoolHOUSE.

She is a graduate of the first class of women at Washington and Lee University and earned a Masters in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia. Before moving to Augusta, she was the Revolving Fund Director for the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. She has served on the boards of Historic Augusta, Inc., Safe Homes of Augusta, Inc., the Vestry of the Church of the Good Shepherd, and currently serves on the board of Turn Back The Block and the Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce.

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Sometimes, being a woman means having to handle a lot of things on your plate. For conductor Sarah Ioannides, these responsibilities prove that she can conquer so many mountains while being able to express herself in music and art. In this week's episode of The Conductor’s Podcast, Sarah talks about the art of being ready, the essence of leadership, and the wonders of being a mom.

Currently Music Director of Symphony Tacoma, Ioannides has also led orchestras extensively in the United States including the Buffalo Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony, Hawai’i Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony, where she was the first woman appointed to a full-time conducting position.

Passionate about education, Ioannides continues to coach orchestras at high-level conservatories such as Yale University and the Curtis Institute. She is Founding Artistic Director of Cascade Masterclass for conductors and composers.

Born in Australia, of Greek and Scottish descent, she was raised in England, studied at Oxford University and The Juilliard School, earning Master's degrees at both. Ioannides came to the USA as a Fulbright Scholar and graduated from The Curtis Institute of Music, a protégé of the late Otto-Werner Mueller.

Married to Scott Hartman, renowned trombonist, they have three children, including twins, Elsa and Karl, and Audrey. An avid long-distance runner, she was first overall woman in the 30k The Defiance in 2021.

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Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya joins me and speaks about her experience preparing for, conducting, and navigating a career thriving between concert halls and opera pits.

Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya is a fiercely committed advocate for Russian
masterpieces, operatic rarities, and contemporary works on the leading edge of classical music. She has conducted more than 40 world premieres, including 16 operas, and her strength as a visionary collaborator has guided new perspectives on staged and symphonic repertoire from Carmen and Queen of Spades to Price and Prokofiev.

Yankovskaya has recently made major debuts with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Symphony, and conducted the symphony orchestras of Omaha, Pasadena, and Fort Worth. As Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater, she has led the Chicago premieres of Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick, Rachmaninov’s Aleko, Joby Talbot’s Everest, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, and Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus. Elsewhere, she has recently conducted Carmen at Houston Grand Opera, Don Giovanni at Seattle Opera, Pia de’ Tolomei at Spoleto Festival USA, Il barbiere di Siviglia at Wolf Trap Opera, Ellen West at New York’s Prototype Festival, and the world premiere of Taking Up Serpents at Washington National Opera.

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An open and honest review of what I learned this past season (2022-23) as staff conductor for three different organizations across two states.....

take good of my own mental and physical health!
traveling has a much larger impacts on myself and my family than I had expected....
People Skills!! People Skills!! People Skills!
how and when should I repeat the same repertoire with different ensembles?
know what you need to be successful and don't be afraid to ask for supports!

Episodes mentioned in this one:

9 Four Tips to Get Unstuck When You Are Depressed

12 Family and Community Centered Artistry with Kristin Roach

29 Navigating a Diversified Career in Music with Susie Benchasil Seiter

34 Psychology, Well-Being, and Mindfulness on the Podium with Tianyi Lu

38 Organize Your Score, Time, and Journey with Lina Gonzalez Granados

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Hi there! Happy end of May and welcome to the fifth edition of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, a new series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom! This series is aired on the last Monday of each month, and in each episode, I am going to pose a question to 10 musicians, conductors, or business gurus. So including myself, you will hear all the goodies from a wide variety of people, thus called the wisdom series. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

This month’s question that I am asking my people is, “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

I asked this question selfishly as I suck (!!!!) at networking in whatever sense. Let's hear what my guests have to say:

Michelle Rofrano (conductor, founder, Protestra, episode 3)

Kiernan Steiner or Dr. Kiki (Decolonization consultant and choral conductor, episode 17)

Tiffany Chang (opera and orchestra conductor, episode 4).

Emily Koh (composer)

JoAnne Harris (film composer and conductor, episode 36)

Carolyn Watson (Director of Orchestra Studies, UIUC)

Stephanie Havey (stage director, episode 32)

Susie Seiter (film conductor, episode 29)

Ashley Killam and Carrie Blosser (co-founder, Diversify the Stand, episode 20)

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Conductor Lina Gonzalez Granados joined me and shared her experiences in organizing her time, studying scores, and taking care of her health when she was always on the go conducting around the globe.

Some of Lina's Career Highlights:

Third Prize and ECHO Special Award at the Inaugural La Maestra Competition
Named conducting fellow of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Seattle Symphony
Winner of the 4th CSO Sir Georg Solti Conducting Competition and Apprenticeship
Founded Unitas Ensemble, a chamber orchestra dedicated to performing works by Latin-American composers. Since 2014, have given nearly a dozen world, North-American, and U.S. premieres, and released their debut album Estaciones
Selected as one of the final eight participants for the Bernard Haitink Masterclass at the Lucerne Festival
Debut with Tulsa Opera in The Little Prince: First Latina conductor to conduct a mainstage performance in a U.S. Opera House
Selected for the 2017 Linda and Mitch Hart Institute at the Dallas Opera: First Hispanic Conductor ever selected. Mentored by Carlo Montanaro, Marin Alsop, and Nicole Paiement
Feature Articles in the Boston Globe, Seattle Times, CNN, TELEMUNDO, Semana

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Conducting is never about swinging your arms - left and right as you command the flow of music to your delight. Conducting is embracing your personal strengths, expressing it through music and letting it create a rippled effect to its viewers and listeners.

This is one of the reasons why Anna Edwards is beyond passionate in breaking the barriers of the conducting industry. She wants aspiring conductors to understand that there's more to it than just waving their arms.

Tune in this episode of the Conductor's Podcast and be enlightened on how Anna fosters diversity and individuality in conducting.

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Film scores play a crucial role in cinema. It’s intertwined with visual imagery and is a secret ingredient for a blockbuster hit. It heightens the emotional impact of a movie, creating an aural mood for each scene. If you’re curious to know how they’re made, then this episode is right up your alley!

Meet composer, orchestrator, and conductor for TV, film, and theatre, JoAnne Harris. In this episode, let’s listen to her story on how she was able to land her current job, what it takes to work in the film industry, and some advice that she’ll be giving to aspiring musical composers and conductors.

JoAnne Harris has conducted and recorded film scores at Abbey Road, East West, The Village, and Avatar with artists such as grammy winning Kurt Elling and members of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Her television work includes score for: Mal de Ojo (HBO), 20/20, Primetime, CNN, and Dateline. She has orchestrated and conducted scores for blockbusters City of Lies and The Infiltrator.

A graduate of Concordia College, JoAnne studied choral composition and conducting with René Clausen. She enjoys teaching at the Feirstein Graduate Center for Cinema (CUNY Brooklyn College), and is a steering committee member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists in New York.

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In today's episode of the Conductor’s Podcast, my guests Michelle Di Russo and Michelle Rofrano provide an elaborate rundown of what it’s like working as an assistant conductor, how to land jobs, their experiences collaborating with agents, how they turn down opportunities and their definition of a great assistant conductor.

They also answer questions from our audiences! You wouldn’t want to miss out on timeless nuggets of wisdom with this episode.

Many opera houses in the US have young artist programs that you can audition for – but not for assistant conductors.
Preparation is the key.
Time management is essential.
When working, try to be observant. Look for ways where you can help the conductor.
Don’t forget to be ready at all times. There might be instances where you need to jump in and help the conductor.
If you have to decline an opportunity, be tactful. Be polite, and be professional.
Being a good assistant conductor is having the mindset of wanting to help and provide value to the conductor.

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Despite her many, many years on the podium, our guest for today is never shy in admitting that there are days when she doesn’t feel confident – and no, she never tries to fake it.

If you’re wondering how this seasoned conductor navigates through a roller coaster of emotions or uncontrollable factors, this episode is perfect for you! Tianyi Lu gives us tips on embracing the leadership role by being on the podium without abusing power, the power of being grounded and compassionate to yourself and others,

Be open with the energy of kindness, calmness and mindfulness.
Prepare yourself with personal strategies to eliminate fear and build confidence. It can be through reading, taking a walk, or chatting with people. Remember that we cannot do our best when we are bombarded with psychological fear.
Perfect is non-existent. What we can do is bring our resources and tools to the table and use all that we learned at a particular moment.
Having a support network that can help you understand your emotions is a great way of building yourself and your confidence
Learning starts when an individual is safe. Not when verbal abuse or psychological stress is hurled at them.
My compass is love, not fear. Always make it a point to question yourself, is this decision made out of fear or out of love?

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Hi there! Happy end of April and welcome to the fourth edition of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, a new series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom! This series is aired on the last Monday of each month, and in each episode, I am going to pose a question to 10 musicians, conductors, or business gurus. So including myself, you will hear all the goodies from a wide variety of people, thus called the wisdom series. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

This month’s question that I am asking my people is, “What’s your score study process?”

If I have enough time to do a proper score study, I start with reading and researching about the piece. I like knowing the background of the creation of the work, especially in terms of where this work was in the composer’s creative process. Then I start marking my score, while listening to recordings to familiarize myself with the audio aspects of the music, and then go to rehearsal prep, like identifying passages possibly needing rehearsal, sections that would be difficult for the musicians, etc.

I have a very specific order that I go through when marking my score - so listen in to get all the details. In short, I start with marking through the score a few times before going into details on the phrasal structure, harmony, instrumentation, etc.

My guests today are:

Noreen Green (Conductor, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, episode 27),
Lily Ling (Music Director, Hamilton, episode 21),
Julia Baumanis (Assistant Director of Bands, Rutgers University, episode 31),
Tiffany Chang (opera and orchestra conductor, episode 4),
Jennifer Kane (Founder, NOVA Women's Choral Project - episode 16),
Margaret Flood (Founder, Frost Young Women Conductor Symposium),
Susie Seiter (film conductor, episode 29),
Kira Omelchenko (Conductor, Wilfrid Laurier University Symphony Orchestra, episode 22), Anna Edwards (Music Director, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra and Saratoga Orchestra, episode upcoming),
and my friend Michelle Rofrano (conductor, founder, Protestra, episode 3).

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Whether it’s building a career or establishing successful working relationships, the importance of networking as a music professional cannot be undermined.

In today's episode, stage director Stephanie Havey provides aspiring music professionals with the knowledge and first-hand experience. She discusses the inner workings of a stage director, her love for the art, the importance of artist collaborations, the shifting world of opera, navigating through collaborations with varying ideas, and her advice to anyone interested in directing.

Winner of the Adelaide Bishop award for artistic quality and winner of the Opera America Director-Designer Showcase, Stephanie Havey has staged productions for Seattle Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Arizona Opera, Opera de Montreal, Atlanta Opera, Opera Omaha, New York City Opera, and Hawai’i Opera Theatre, among others.

Ms. Havey has created new productionsfor Boston Lyric Opera, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, the Lyrique-en-mer International Festival de Belle-Ile, The Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Charlottesville Opera, and Tulsa Opera. She has also been a member of the staging staff at San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and The Santa Fe Opera.

Upcoming engagements include debuts with Utah Opera, Dallas Opera, and Madison Opera, as well as returning to Opera de Montreal, Pittsburgh Opera, Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Charlottesville Opera, and Finger Lakes Opera.

Ms. Havey is a frequent collaborator for the development of new opera, staging new works with Opera Philadelphia for their Double Exposure event, OPERA America’s New Works Forum, and three seasons as the Resident Stage Director for North American New Opera Workshop.

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Women, all around the world, are paving the way toward a society that fosters
inclusivity, diversity and equality.

In this episode, we’ll get a chance to listen to Julia Baumanis. She’s going to share with us how her initial passion for music became the guiding light to her career as a band director.

Aside from discussing her rise to the musical world, she’s going to elaborate on her aspirations, navigating through the pandemic and why she is embracing her gender as a medium to raise awareness and encourage more women to be leaders in their expertise.

Dr. Julia Baumanis is Assistant Director of Bands at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts and is the first female band director in the university’s history. Previously, she served as Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Central Missouri and served as Multicultural Chair for the Missouri Music Educators Association.

She has presented her research nationally and most recently has focused on developing a conductor’s baton that records data collected from a conductor’s expressive gestures. She is a graduate of Florida State University, where she received her PhD in Music Education and Instrumental Conducting.

Audio Editing: Podcast Engineers

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Today’s episode is a bit different as I will be answering all the questions that I received about conducting videos.

Before we get started, I wanted to remind you all that the very first episode of this podcast is about Five Mistakes to Avoid with Your Conducting Videos.

Here are the questions that I will answer in the episode:

I have a video that has much better sound quality and the performance was great, but it was shot from the back of the conductor. Should I submit it over the poor quality footage that had my face?
Does the repertoire matter? If so, what should I put out there?
Should I get together a few musicians to record a session if I don’t have good and updated footage?
What about rehearsal footage?
What do people really look for in those videos??

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Conductor Susie Bechasil Seiter, who specializes in orchestra pops and film score conducting, discuss systematic gender bias, barriers, and her experiences touring with bands around the world!

Susie Benchasil Seiter is a prolific conductor, orchestrator and composer for film, television, video games, and live concerts. Susie currently stays busy conducting Live to Picture shows with venerable symphonies, orchestrating various projects and her first co-written Netflix limited series is due out this fall.

Seiter is best known for orchestrating and conducting the remarkably successful orchestral concert tours The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses and Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions. Combined, these tours have been performed more than 300 times by some of the world’s most respected orchestras. In 2017-2018 alone, she conducted over 80 orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic at London’s Apollo Hammersmith, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Madison Square Garden, the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap, and the Sydney Symphony at the iconic Sydney Opera House. Seiter excels in leading popular symphonic film concerts such as Frozen Live, Muppets Christmas Carol, Pixar in Concert and Mary Poppins Live. She recently completed a 120 city worldwide orchestra tour as conductor and music director for multiple Grammy-winning band Evanescence and Billboard Music Award winner and YouTube sensation, Lindsey Stirling. Last year she conducted the Paramount blockbuster hit Snake Eyes: A GI Joe Origin Story and Netflix’s holiday favorite 8-Bit Christmas. She is excited to appear this summer with Toy Story Live and Nightmare Before Christmas live in various cities. Susie also likes to boast that she conducted the recording to Zombieland 2 at Capitol Studios nine days after giving birth.

Originally from Baltimore, Seiter now calls Los Angeles home, where she lives with Chad and their sons Samuel and William.

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Hi there! Happy March and welcome to the third edition of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, a new series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom!

This month’s question that I am asking my people is, “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀?”

For me, physically it was to stand up straight. Mentally it was not to be afraid of doing the job when working with professional ensembles.

𝕄𝕪 𝕘𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕒𝕣𝕖:
Alice Farnham (conductor and Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Women Conductors with the Royal Philharmonic Society, episode 26)
Kiernan Steiner or Dr. Kiki (Decolonization consultant and choral conductor, episode 17)
Kristin Roach (opera conductor, Episode 12)
JoAnne Harris (film composer and conductor, episode upcoming)
Kira Omelchenko (Conductor, Wilfrid Laurier University Symphony Orchestra, episode 22)
Jennifer Kane (Founder, NOVA Women's Choral Project - episode 16)
Noreen Green (Conductor, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, episode 27)
Margaret Flood (Founder, Frost Young Women Conductor Symposium)
Michelle Rofrano (conductor, founder, Protestra, episode 3)
and my friend Tiffany Chang (opera and orchestra conductor, episode 4)

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Have you ever wondered, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤 𝙄 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙚?

Dr. Noreen Green, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony founded this organization in 1994 as her niche, and has focused on presenting music with Jewish themes since.

In today's episode, she shares with us how she creates cultural bridges to connect people with music. Dr. Green also discusses her networking practices, collaborative experiences, outreaching to different communities, and many things that she learned along her entrepreneurial journey,

Dr. Green has served as guest conductor in the United States, Israel, South Africa, Australia and Canada. Under her direction, the LAJS has performed at such venues as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Ford Theatres, The Soraya, Royce Hall at UCLA and the Gindi Auditorium at American Jewish University.

In February 2020, Dr. Green’s life and career was the subject of a Spotlight Series documentary by the Milken Archive of Jewish Music. In 2017, she was honored by Musical America as one of the Top 30 Musical America Professionals of the Year.

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In today's episode, Conductor Alice Farnham will share her journey to the podium with us.

Farnham started her career as a church musician playing organ and trumpet. She was an Organ Scholar at St. Hugh's College, Oxford University and trained for three years with the legendary pedagogue Ilya Musin in St. Petersburg.

Alice is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Women Conductors with the Royal Philharmonic Society. She is listed in the Classic FM Today's Ten Best Women Conductors and in the BBC Woman's Hour Music Power List. Recent conducting engagements include the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Opera House, Mariinsky Theatre, Calgary Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, and English Touring Opera.

Upcoming engagements include productions with Welsh National Opera, Belfast Ensemble, Opéra de Rouen, to name a few. She has been a Guest Conductor with the Royal Ballet Covent Garden, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Danish Royal Ballet.

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Happy March!

I hope you are getting more settled into the year of 2022 as I know it hasn’t been easy for a lot of people. If you are feeling overwhelmed, I am totally on the same page with you and that’s why I am super excited about today’s episode as our guest will share with us how she maneuvers through barriers in the field.

Dr. Brittney Boykin, or B.E. Boykin, as she is known, is a pianist, composer and choral conductor. We covered a lot of topics today, from her 3P mantra to her experience being a black woman in the classical music world. We will also talk about the many barriers in our profession, and how she worked through them and created her self-publishing business.

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In today’s episode of our podcast, we are going to discuss what 501(c)3 is -- something that you might have heard of many times now, and why it matters. I know that today’s content might be a bit dry, but if you are ever inspired to start an organization or an ensemble like Jennifer Kane, Founder and Artistic Director of NOVA Women’s Choral Project and our guest in episode 16, or to start a publishing company like our next week’s guest Brittney Boykin -- oh, that’s a spoiler alarm! -- this episode is something for you.

In short, 501(c)3 is a specific tax category for nonprofit organizations in the U.S. Once your organization meets the requirements of section 501(c)3, people giving you money for your charitable cause will receive a tax deduction for their donation, as permitted by laws.

I know the language sounds a bit crazy here, but don’t worry as I will break everything into simple and bite-sized information for you. We are going to do so in three big parts today:

Part I: the historical background of 501c3;
This practice actually predates the formation of the nation as the first European settlers chose to start voluntary charitable initiatives without the governmental intervention.

Part II: why it is important for your charitable cause to meet those requirements
Other than your donors will receive tax-deductibles, a lot of major grants do require that the applicant organizations / ensembles have met the 501c3 requirements.

Part III: a very quick overview of how to apply for and obtain the status, if you have a startup ensemble or organization.

STATE LEVEL: being a not for profit company (being incorporated) in your state, and meet your state’s requirements

FEDERAL LEVEL: apply for a EIN (which takes 5 minutes!) and use the 1023-EZ form for your 501c3 application if you don’t expect to receive more than $50,000 donation annual for three years.

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Welcome to the episode no.2 of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, a new monthly series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom!

In each episode, I am going to pose a question to 10 musicians, conductors, or business gurus. So including myself, you will hear all the goodies from a wide array of people, thus called the wisdom series.

Today's question that I am asking my people, is “𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨?”

For me, the most important habit is to “𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹.”

Ready to hear what my guests have to say?

My guests today are: Lily Lin (Music Director, Hamilton), Jennifer Kane (Founder, NOVA Women's Choral Project - episode 15), Ashley Kilam and Carrie Blosser (Co-Founder, Diversify the Stand, Tiffany Chang (opera and orchestra conductor, episode 4), Kira Omelchenko (Conductor, Wilfrid Laurier University Symphony Orchestra ), B.E. Boykin (Composer and Conductor), Margaret Flood (Founder, Frost Young Women Conductor Symposium, Noreen Green (Conductor, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony), and my dear friend Michelle Rofrano (Founder, Protrestra, episode 3)

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My guest today Dr. Kira Omelchenko will be sharing with us her tips of working with strings. When you work with an orchestral ensemble, no matter a chamber orchestra, a full symphonic orchestra, or even just a few musicians at your church’s Christmas service, you are very likely working with string players, and perhaps quite some of them.

After all, string makes up the largest body in an orchestra, and because of the nature of having multiple players per part, knowing how to work with strings will really help your rehearsal process and to achieve better performances.

Of course, we all have different backgrounds and trainings and it could be intimidating to work with strings for the first time, or the first few times when you are less experienced. There is also this immediate problem of matching the bowings across the string sections that needs to be addressed.

Dr. Kira Omelchenko is currently the conductor of the Wilfrid Laurier University Symphony Orchestra in Ontario, Canada. Previously, she served as string director for the International Opera Performing ExperienceFestival in Mercatello sul Metauro in Italy and artist in residence and guest conductor with the University of Aveiro Orchestra in Portugal. Her upcoming engagements include conducting at the Vienna Opera Academy and Orlando All-County Festival Orchestra.

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In today’s episode, I am interviewing a dear friend, Lily Ling, who is music director and conductor of the Hamilton Broadway show. I was connected with Lily through the mentorship program offered by the Maestra Music, an organization supporting women and non-binary musicians working in musical theater. They offered a lot of great webinars during the pandemic, and I was fortunate to be accepted into their program as a first cohort mentee.

Full disclosure, I am not terribly familiar with the industry or practices of musical theater, but through Maestra Music I have made friends in the field. In my conversation with Lily, you will hear me asking lots of questions based on my assumptions of the profession, and her insider responses and her genuine sharing are just something that I love about her as a person and a great musician.

Lily Ling is a Toronto based musician and the current Music Director and Conductor for the And Peggy tour of Hamilton. She is the first female to hold the title of Music Director and also the first person of East Asian descent to conduct the production. Most recently, Lily served as the Vocal Music Coordinator for the Netflix movie adaptation of 13: The Musical.

Other theatrical credit highlihts include Music Director and Conductor for 20th Anniversary Off-Broadway revival of john & jen and Associate Music Director and Vocal Coach for the Chinese language premiere of The Lion King. She holds a BMus in Piano Performance from the University of Toronto and an MFA in Music Direction from Penn State University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

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Happy February! I am so grateful for you to be here with me, at the 20th episode of the show. It’s hard to imagine that we’ve been here together for almost 5 months, and I hope you are still loving this show as much as I do.

Today’s topic is something that I personally really look forward to, 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌. In the musical world, commission means that you pay someone to write a piece of music for you.

One way of supporting living composers is to perform their works in concert halls, and another is to commission new works. And why is this important? Because it gives us a chance to help shape the future of repertoire literature.

My guests today are Ashley Killam and Dr. Carrie Blosser, co-founders of 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱. It is an organization dedicated to working with diverse musical voices to create accessible educational music.

They are committed to expanding repertoire and providing accessible educational works by composers of color, gender-marginalized composers, and LGBTQ+ composers.

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Today we are going to talk about something that I personally love speaking about -- running effective and efficient rehearsals!

There are many aspects about planning for rehearsals -- from strategizing the overarching rehearsal goals throughout the concert cycle, to pacing each individual rehearsal session; from choosing the right program to being mindful and reading the room well. However, in today’s episode, we are going to focus on verbal communication, and discuss how you can be very specific with your words and use your voice effectively.

Ready for some tips?

Don’t talk when they are still playing
Speak loudly and project to the back of the section
Speak slowly and pay attention to your pauses
Focus on (no more than) two things at a time
Use the “Who, Where, What” format
Use positive comments

And don't forget.... pace your rehearsal with the sandwich technique!

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6Hi there! Welcome to the very first episode of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, a new series full of shared life experiences and, of course, wisdom!

In each of the monthly episodes of the Conductor’s Podcast Wisdom series, I am going to pose a question to 10 musicians, conductors, or business gurus. So including myself, you will hear all the goodies from a wide array of people, thus called the wisdom series. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.

The very first question I am asking my people, is “what’s the best advice you were ever given?”

For me, it was “don’t take it personal.”

My guests today are: Lily Ling (Music Director, Hamilton), Jennifer Kane (Founder, NOVA Women's Choral Project - episode 16), Ashley Killam and Carrie Blosser (Co-Founder, Diversify the Stand), Tiffany Chang (opera and orchestra conductor, episode 4), Kira Omelchenko (Conductor, Wilfrid Laurier University Symphony Orchestra ), B.E. Boykin (Composer and Conductor), Margaret Flood (Founder, Frost Young Women Conductor Symposium, Noreen Green (Conductor, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony), and my dear friend Michelle Rofrano (Founder, Protrestra, episode 3)

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In today’s episode, we will be discussing “decolonization.” One of the trends that the world of classical music is slowly embracing in recent years.

In politics, the process of decolonization can be very broad, from colonies becoming independent countries recognized by the international society to recognizing how the colonial powers have taken advantage of the colonies, to changing the language used when referring to “native” people to the “indigenous,” to colonized people regaining confidence in and respect for their own cultural and traditions. This is a long and somehow painful process, and also very individual to each country and to each person.

However, my guest today, Dr. Kiernan Steiner, or Dr. Kiki, as she is known, will focus our decolonization process on a personal level, and discuss how we can apply the same principles to free our own mind. How we can become independent from stereotypes or social rules that were imposed upon us, and to find our own voices. As a transracial adoptee, she will also speak to us how her journey of finding her biological family has shaped who she is now, a truly lovely story to hear.

Dr. Kiki Steiner is a holistic vocal coach, decolonization consultant, and choral conductor. She empowers others to connect with their voice through releasing shame around one’s voice and facilitating self-led healing. Dr. Kiki’s ancestors are from the Philippines, Ireland, and Germanic Europe, and was raised in Southwestern Wisconsin. Dr. Kiki’s doctoral research focused on power structures within choral music education, which has led her to creating decolonized virtual spaces for creatives, artists, and educators in order to activate creativity and hope for the future.

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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁?

After almost 2 years, the pandemic is not yet completely behind us. It has impacted musicians in different fields differently, as many string players and percussionists are still able to perform with their masks on, while many wind players and vocalists are still battling various regulations in different states and countries how they can return to the new normality. And this is why I am really excited to welcome you to today’s episode, as my friend Jennifer Kane was able to navigate this new reality and formed a new choral ensemble in Boston, the NOVA Women's Choral Project.

I first met Jennifer through a mastermind group that my conductor friend, Tiffany Chang organizes. Tiffany has also been on our show, and her episode is still one of the most popular ones – From Fear to Courage. If you missed it, you might want to go back and check out episode number 4, or visit chaowenting.com/4.

Coming back to today’s episode, I am particularly eager to have Jennifer speak with all of you, my friends, on how she found her “niche” in a very competitive choral environment in the greater Boston area, and how she planned the entire project and found the right people on board to make the experience valuable and worthy.

Jennifer Kane is an active conductor of ensembles that specialize in treble repertoire. Her recent engagements include serving as Music Director of Cantilena Women’s Chorale in Arlington, MA, and Guest Conductor of the Concord Women’s Chorus. Jennifer is also a conductor with the Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses, where she directs children ranging in age from 8 -15.

For all show notes and transcripts, check out my website: chaowenting.com/podcast, and please leave a review and subscribe if you are loving the show!

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Today’s episode is one that I’m personally excited about, as my guest today Elizabeth Askren was on my guest list way before I started this podcast. Elizabeth and I met when we were both fellows for the Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors, and she has since continued to mentor other conductors and artists through the Dallas Opera program and also the Transylvanian Opera Academy that she founded in Cluj, Romania.

In today’s episode, Elizabeth will speak with me on one topic that I found really important and somehow under-explored during conservatory training -- networking tips. If networking doesn’t come as natural to you, or if you are always awkward speaking to strangers like me, today’s episode is for you.

Elizabeth Askren has built a fast-rising career by empowering musicians around the world, whether from the podium as a conductor of leading ensembles, as an educator with her Transylvanian Opera Academy, and as a speaker on issues of leadership, diversity and more. Her recent performances include débuts in Europe with the Transylvanian State Philharmonic, the Romanian National Opera of Cluj-Napoca, and France’s Victor Hugo Franche-Comté orchestra, and in the United States with the Dallas Opera and Kentucky Opera. She has also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on recent recording projects.

For all show notes and transcripts, check out my website: chaowenting.com/podcast, and please leave a review and subscribe if you are loving the show!

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Happy New Year, and I am super excited about today's episode, as I'll be speaking with one of my role models, conductor Kalena Bovell.

For the very first show of 2022, Kalena will be talking to us about time management skills, also sharing with us her experience of preparing and studying for her BBC Proms debut. I hope you're as excited as I am recording this episode.

Panamanian American conductor Kalena Bovell wields a distinctive voice as a maestra, speaker and poet. Having recently led the Chineke! Orchestra in her BBC Proms debut, Bovell's twin focus on musical excellence and community engagement led to Connecticut's Channel 3 News praising her as "one of the brightest stars in the world of classical music."

As guest conductor, she has worked with the Hartford Opera Theatre, New Britain symphony and a particularly memorable performance, leading Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Now with the MSO full time as its Assistant Conductor, Bovell also leads the Memphis Youth Symphony. Among other achievements, she was previously named a finalist for the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, a recognition given to talented female leaders in the conducting field.

For all show notes and transcripts, check out my website: chaowenting.com/podcast, and please leave a review and subscribe if you are loving the show!

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Hi there! Welcome to episode No. 13 of the Conductor’s Podcast, and happy almost new year! Since it’s now almost the new year, I thought we would have a special episode talking about one of my current positions, a collegiate conducting position. This is also something that a lot of people are less familiar with, and my dear friend Dr. Carolyn Watson and I hosted a series of free webinars in 2020 called “Maestro as Professor,” through which we gave presentations on the various facets of the job, and interviewed over 13 collegiate orchestral conductors.

Today’s episode is only a short summary of what a collegiate position might be, and what are the duties that are typically entailed. Of course this is a generalization as each institution is different, but I hope that the information will give you some valuable insights.

We will divide today's episode into 3 big parts: 1) types of institutions and ensembles, 2) possible duties, and 3) how you will l be evaluated once you secure a position. Make sure you also check the show note with all the information!

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The pandemic has taught us a lot of things. Many of us lost their loved ones, and some of us had a chance to reflect on their relationships with others.

Being forced at home gave some people a chance to spend more time with their families, while some others couldn’t see their loved ones for months because of Covid related travel restrictions or other concerns.

In today’s episode, I will be exploring the topic of a family centered career trajectory with my friend Kristin Roach. Kristin will share with us how she fostered her relationship with her family while creating projects around her homebase, San Antonio, Texas. We will also discuss challenges in the career as a working and traveling parent, and how you can make it work by owning your decisions and taking responsibility resulting from your choices.

Kristin is a Grammy-nominated pianist and international conductor with 37 new operas and 21 world premieres under her baton. Her high level of artistry, comprehensive knowledge of operatic repertoire and performance practices, and strong communication, management, motivational, and organizational skills place her in demand as a conductor, pianist, and vocal coach across the nation. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Opera at Lawrence University, and conductor at Vocal Academy of Orvieto, and maintains a busy private practice as vocal coach and award-winning pianist with extensive collaboration.

As Founding Music Director of Alamo City Opera, Kristin conducted 17 productions of operas, including many South Texas premieres. A San Antonio native, she partnered with founder and General Director, the late Mark Richter, to help ACO establish an atmosphere of intimate opera with diverse and ground-breaking programming, which drew hundreds of audience under the age of 35, and many of whom were first-time opera-goers.

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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 🅽🅴🆆 🅼🆄🆂🅸🅲?

One of the great advantages of performing works by living composers is that we can ask them questions. A conductor’s job is largely deciphering the composers’ intentions, translating the knowledge into our gestures, and conveying to the musicians to realize the music together. However, the composers’ intentions are not always clear from the score. It can come from editorial mistakes or the composer’s own inconsistency, and of course, the more we know and learn about the composer’s own personality and background, the better we can speak the language for them.

However, not everyone loves working with living composers. There are many reasons -- some might feel that the newly composed works haven’t made it through the test of history, as we say in Chinese, that they are not as worthy. Some people simply don’t enjoy working with composers as the score and parts might not be as readily engraved in some cases. Some conductors do not like having another dictator to the rehearsal process, and there will be people who just tell you that they don’t like new music -- it’s not their taste.

My guest today Rachel Howley and I will share our experience working with composers on premieres and beyond, and we both found this process really rewarding, especially when you are working with educational ensembles. Even if you work primarily with professional groups -- remember all music was once new. If orchestras in Beethoven’s time weren’t kin to programming new works, we wouldn’t have had so many masterworks now.

Rachel Howley is a music educator, conductor and researcher. She is the founding Director of Grace Academy at Grace Lutheran College, a leading educational institution in Performing Arts in Queensland, Australia. She is also a conducting staff with the Queensland Wind Orchestra, and regularly guest conducts throughout the area.

Rachel is a current Doctor of Musical Arts candidate, studying conducting with Dr. Peter Morris at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Her research explores the role of the conductor in championing the wind band works of Australian female composers. She is also an active advocate for encouraging diversity and fair gender representation through the selection of repertoire. Through her research, she has commissioned several new works and facilitated partnerships between emerging composers and Australian publishing companies.

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𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀?

Today we are going to discuss a sensitive and yet, somehow controversial topic - music competition. Composer Bela Bartok‘s famous quote says, “Competitions are for horses, not artists.” However, some of us, including myself, dream about winning a major competition and then have a career that just takes off at times.

Professional ensembles, agents, or businesses continue to organize conducting competitions, and we continue to enter them because we are seeing people successful through this route. However, we are not seeing those who won a competition without a major career, not to mention those who tried, also worked hard, perhaps equally talented or qualified but didn’t win the glory. We only see the flamboyant and sparkling part of the business.

With the pressing call for more diversity in the conducting field, la Maestra was the first conducting competition for women only, which was held in March 2021 in Paris amidst Covid-19. My guest today is the winner of the inaugural La Maestra Competition, Rebecca Tong, and she will share her journey before, during, and after the competition with all of us.

Rebecca is Resident Conductor of Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra and is Artistic Director and Music Director of Ensemble Kontemporer. She recently completed her two-year tenure as Junior Fellow in Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music, and previously studied at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. During her studies, Rebecca worked extensively in assisting the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and frequently collaborates with the Hallé Orchestra and Manchester Camerata.

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𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸?

If you’re like me, you probably feel that your career is stuck at times - if not the majority of the time. It’s really hard seeing others announcing their shiny new career opportunities and engagements as it feels like everyone else but me is having such a great career and such great success as a conductor. Deep down when I could pause to think rationally, I know that social media is full of false and toxic positivity. I know for a fact that my colleagues are also going through frustrations and rejections - and maybe even some self-doubt at times - but I still can’t help thinking about all the opportunities and gigs I thought I deserved, or how everyone else seemed to achieve success but me.

I am opening up and telling you all this because I wanted you to know that you are not alone, my friends, if you sometimes feel depressed and stuck, just like me. But it’s okay to feel frustrated, defeated, and even depressed at times. What’s important is that we acknowledge our feelings, become accepting of ourselves, and give ourselves the much needed time to figure things out.

Give yourself much time and love to heal, and when you feel ready, try a few different exercises to get through the feeling of being stuck. Today, I wanted to share with you strategies that have helped me through my darkest days, in the hope that you will also find a tool that resonates with you. Later in the episode, we will also talk more about effective goal setting skills and ways to audit your progress, so make sure that you stay with me and listen to the end!

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𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀?

A good teacher, especially when you are just starting out, will help you build a strong and solid foundation, provide you with useful tools and skills to continue improving yourself along the road, and even connect you with professional musicians which can broaden your knowledge of the industry and network.

However, every teacher is different. They all have different personalities and strengths, and we are of course unique individuals. With this in mind, I am thrilled to welcome my guest today, Talian Ilan, as she shares with us her tips of finding the right conducting teacher for you.

Talia Ilan is an Israeli conductor and a Radio Music Editor at the IPBC Classical Music Radio Station. She was named as one of the most inspiring of our generation in the State of Israel, and have guest conducted Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Macao Orchestra, the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, the Janáček Philharmonic, and the Moravian Philharmonic, to name a few.

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𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿? ⁠
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You might have shushed it the first time, but did the voice keep coming back, and tell you that you could possibly be a great conductor? If you are a musician thinking about potentially exploring the path of a conductor, this episode is for you.⁠
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My guest today Jennifer Jolley is an old friend and we have had some wonderful adventures together. I was always her conductor throughout these projects, but recently she has started conducting herself. ⁠
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No matter if you are a musician in other fields: an instrumentalist, a vocalist, a composer, a sound engineer…. if the idea of conducting had ever popped into your mind, consider it a sign that you should really try it out yourself - because it’s a wonderful thing! ⁠
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𝕀𝕥’𝕤 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕎𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝔸𝕣𝕞𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝕚𝕣 𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 ℂ𝕒𝕣𝕖.⁠

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𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲?

The European tradition of a conductor's training comes from opera houses. In a theatrical setting, there are many elements to juggle -- from staging to singing, from tech cues to the off-stage banda. It is helpful to have a coordinator to “direct traffic,” and the main responsibility of all this became the role of the conductor.

In today's episode, I chat with conductor Kristin Ditlow, who started her musical career as a vocal coach. She has played for many famous voice teachers, vocal studios, and numerous opera productions before she added conducting to the many hats that she wears.

Kristin will share with us what she learned from being a vocal coach to arm-waving in front of the ensemble, and also her tips for any conductor just starting out and conducting or learning your first opera.

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Ready to perfect your cover letter and personal statement?

In today’s episode of our podcast, I’m going to share 3 tips for writing a killer cover letter.

Before I implemented these tips myself, I would consider it a lucky day when I got a rejection letter from fellowship programs or jobs, as most days I would only hear crickets — no response at all to my applications.

So today I am going to open up to all of you, and share how I went from all rejections to being a finalist for 3 positions – and winning 2 – in just three months.

I will not only give you the tips but also share many many examples with you.

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𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙘𝙩?

Once I assisted conductor Jun Märkl when he guest conducted Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. We chatted about becoming a professional conductor as I was still a DMA student back then. He told me that it is such a lonely profession. There are only you and your scores in a hotel room, trying to figure everything out from whether the ensemble will like you, whether you've done a good job, or how you are going to improve tomorrow.

His words stayed with me many years after our conversation, and I have learned, matured, and experienced many restless nights self-doubting while trying to figure things out. Sometimes I did better than other times.

That's why I really look forward to today's conversation with conductor Tiffany Chang on managing your fears, and how this can impact your well-being, your live, and your career.

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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙤𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧’𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚.

During our training and study, we rarely learn how to program, plan, and curate a concert, because we are often given conducting assignments by our teachers, and had very limited rehearsal time to prepare for a performance.

In this episode, my guest Michelle Rofrano is going to walk you through her process for deciding and researching repertoire for PROTESTRA, a coalition of classical musicians who protest injustices and raise awareness through benefit performances.

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In this episode, I sit down with the diversity-championing, women-supporting, globally-impacting Maria A. Ellis, the girl conductor to chat about entrepreneurship, parenthood, being a minority in the profession and how to change the lens and look at things from a different perspective to have a positive mindset.

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In today’s episode, I will share exactly how to prepare your next conducting video for applications in a professional manner.

By walking you through the five biggest mistakes to avoid in your conducting videos, I’m going to show you how to edit the format and the content of your conducting video to maximize your chances of getting noticed and reviewed more carefully in a selection process.

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Welcome to the Conductor’s Podcast. I am your host, Chaowen Ting, founder of Girls Who Conductor who has mentored hundreds of conductors from across the globe. I created the Conductor’s Podcast to share all the behind the scene secrets with you while I interview conductors, musicians, and business gurus from around the world. This is a space created for conductors, conducting students, musicians, and non musicians who are curious and interested in learning more about the profession, crafts, industry, and business. I will give you simple, actionable, step–by–step strategies to help you take action on your big dream, move through the fear that’s holding you back, and have a real impact. Now, pull up a seat, make sure you’re cozy, and get ready to be challenged and encouraged while you learn.

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Chaowen Ting

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