What is “Behind the Baton?”

You may well ask!  And ERSO are here to help…

At ERSO we have a long traditions of working with emerging professional musicians and May sees us working with some of the most talented in the next generation of conductors.

This project will provide a valuable development opportunity for emerging conductors to consolidate and develop their conducting skills and rehearsal technique whilst extending their knowledge of orchestral repertoire. Conductors will be nominated by the leading conservatoires and four will be selected to take part in the concert based upon an initial selection round in which each candidate will have a short rehearsal with ERSO.

Each of the four selected will conduct a part of the ERSO May 2018 concert. The young conductors will also illuminate the role of the conductor to the concert audience, helping to develop their presentation skills, essential to conductors today.

We have engaged Mark Shanahan, a highly respected conductor, to act as a mentor for the young conductors during the project.  Mark will advise the young conductors on ways to improve their conducting technique and to work more effectively with the orchestra. Each conductor will be able to observe the all of the rehearsal sessions to learn from each other and ERSO will give each conductor feedback after rehearsals and the concert.

The concert programme will be:
Brahms; Variations on a Theme of Haydn
Rachmaninov; The Rock
Tchaikovsky; Romeo & Juliet
Gershwin; An American in Paris