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The program
Unlike most graduate and summer programs in the USA, the Rogers Institute trains
conductors for careers in both symphonic music and opera. This breadth of focus
will cut a unique profile for the Rogers Fellow, giving him/her significant
opportunities for technical refinement, artistic growth, and developing a career
in the pit or on the concert podium. Rogers Fellows are coached and mentored
principally by Dr. Thomas
Cockrell, Director of Orchestral Activities and the Nelson
Riddle Endowed Chair in Music. The number of fellows will be two or three,
assuring the highest quality of instruction/coaching and most performance
opportunities for each.
Rogers Fellows should have completed a master’s
degree in conducting and/or have had substantial experience on the podium. Those
with completed doctorates or some doctoral work are also eligible and encouraged
to apply. Whereas Rogers Fellows will enroll in the School’s D.M.A. degree
program, they choose to follow either the curriculum leading to completion of
that degree, or selecting a custom-tailored track, not unlike that for an artist’s
diploma. Supplementing the curricula will be substantial additional training,
outlined below. Length of participation in the Institute will be flexible by
design, determined by the particular needs of the individual.
Rogers Fellows hold School of Music teaching
assistantships for conducting in the UA orchestral and opera programs. These
assistantships cover full tuition and fees, student health insurance, and pay a
nine-month salary of approximately $7000. In addition to a
moving allowance, the Institute also supplies the supplemental, distinctive
features of the program enumerated below, greatly increasing the value of a
Rogers Institute Fellowship.
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Bridging
to the profession The
most distinguishing feature of the Rogers Institute is its focus on serving as a
bridge from graduate school training to the conducting profession. Some
important opportunities afforded Rogers Institute Fellows include:
Professional experience Conducting student ensembles
cannot adequately prepare young conductors for leading a professional
orchestra or opera production. The Institute will provide opportunities to
rehearse and perform with fine professional orchestras in Romania. Permission
to record material for audition and promotional DVDs is anticipated.
Supplemental and summer study Rogers Fellows will receive
additional stipends to help defray the expense of attending summer programs,
master classes and other workshops.
Apprenticeships Rogers Fellows will have
opportunities to apprentice, on a rotating basis, with professional
organizations such as the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera and other
organizations elsewhere. Fellows will serve as assistant conductors, attending
rehearsals, covering performances, and honing the skills expected of a staff
conductor. Apprenticeships may include introduction to a number of the
organization’s operations such as artistic administration, outreach, youth
concerts/education, marketing/public relations, development, library
procedures, etc.
Professional conferences Rogers Fellows and the director
attend a major professional conference of the League of American Orchestras
(formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League), Opera AMERICA, or the
Conductor’s Guild. These conferences offer important opportunities to sample
the professional world, encounter new trends in the field and meet with career
professionals.
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Performance
opportunities Rogers Fellows are given abundant
opportunities on the podium with a variety of UA performing ensembles.
Assignments are made on a rotating basis, assuring a breadth of experience.
UA Philharmonic Fellows share the conducting and administrative duties of the UA
Philharmonic Orchestra with Professor Charles
Bontrager, Assistant Director of Orchestral Activities. "The
Phil" is the School’s university orchestra, a mixture of music majors,
minors and non majors. The Philharmonic rehearses four hours a week and
presents two concerts each semester. Recent works performed include Hanson’s
Symphony No. 2 "Romantic," Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, Dvořák’s
Symphony No. 8, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, excerpts from
Bizet’s Carmen and a full staging of Haydn’s one-act comedy La
Canterina and with the UA Opera Theater.
Arizona Symphony Orchestra
Fellows have both reading and performance opportunities with the School of
Music’s pre professional orchestra while serving as assistant conductors.
All Rogers Fellows accompany student competition winners on the annual
President’s Concert each February.
Arizona Opera Theater As assistant conductor for the
two annual UA Opera Theater productions Fellows conduct musical and staging
rehearsals culminating with "stepping in" to conduct most final
performances. There are additional opportunities to serve as music director,
coach, and conductor of opera scenes programs each semester.
More There are other possibilities to conduct on or off
campus, such as choral, contemporary and ad hoc ensembles. In recent
years orchestral conducting majors have musical theater productions in the School
of Theatre Arts, including Candide, Carousel, and Oklahoma!
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Rogers
Institute Guest Professionals The Institute will bring a
variety of guest professionals to campus for short units of intensive and
focused study. Guests will be not only conductors but other professionals
engaged to assist in the training of well-rounded musical leaders. Local music
directors and guest conductors will meet frequently with Rogers Fellows in
seminar, masterclass or informally. Other conductors and professionals worldwide
could be available through Internet2 distance masterclasses and video
conferences.
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Advanced
conducting training
Young conductors benefit from instruction and coaching in a variety of
forms. The Institute features:
The Rogers Orchestral Leadership Ensemble The Rogers
Ensemble provides weekly coaching not only for the fellows but also the five
Rogers Orchestral Leadership Assistants who serve as the principal string
players of the Arizona Symphony and section coaches of the UA Philharmonic.
While confronting and conducting the most challenging works of the core
repertoire, special attention is also given to effective rehearsing,
"tricks of the trade"and solidifying a compelling technique. The
ensemble includes a staff pianist and occasionally expands to include winds
and soloists.
Seminar Fellows
and the Director meet regularly for sessions addressing a variety of pertinent
subjects: score analysis, study and memorization skills, instrumentation,
performance practice, in addition to topics listed below under "other
skills and abilities."
Study A priority of the Institute is to encourage
fellows to devote several hours to daily score study: preparing works thoroughly
for placement on the "back burner" for quick "reheating"
when needed on short notice in the future.
Body effectiveness and expressivity Joseph
Gifford, a Boston teacher with 25 years’ experience working with
conductors in the ASOL Thulean Workshops, coaches fellows to become more
effective and relaxed, communicators on and off the podium.
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Other skills
Rogers Institute Fellows are trained in a variety of personal, business and
other skills needed to succeed in a highly competitive field. For this training
the Institute draws heavily from Camerata, the School’s nationally-respected
career development program, other university resources, and guest consultants.
This training might include:
Personal time management and career planning Early in
their residency fellows attend a Franklin Covey workshop to identify and
refine goals, chart a path toward achieving them, and fine tune personal
organization skills.
Public speaking and presentation skills Fellows work to
hone public speaking and presentation skills, becoming more comfortable with
concert introductions, donor relations, and social events. Special emphasis is
placed on youth concert delivery and script development.
Programming Fellows study creative programming for
symphonic, youth and pops concerts.
Professional dossier preparation Through Camerata,
Institute conductors will study career strategies, create promotional
materials and a personal website, financial planning, etc.
Innovation Fellows will have opportunities to study and
apply the innovative use of Internet2
and digital recording technologies, blogging and new trends in concert
delivery (PowerPoint, podcasts, etc.).
Recording. The School of Music boasts a fine recording studio and
a superb audio engineer. Fellows will be encouraged to study all aspects of
audio production from microphone placement and recording through mastering and
final production of a CD.
Supplementary studies. The full resources of the School of Music and
The University of Arizona are available to Rogers Fellows. They will be
encouraged to strengthen their knowledge of the operatic languages of Italian,
German and French.
Application and audition
procedures
For further information contact:
Thomas Cockrell, director
The Rogers Institute for Orchestral and Opera Conducting
The University of Arizona School of Music
P.O. Box 210004
Tucson, AZ 85721-0004
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