Learning the craft
Instrumentalists often become conductors. But only rarely does a renowned singer decide to learn the craft of conducting – whether to delve deeper into a work for the sake of better operatic and concert performances, or simply to broaden the skills at their command in the long term. In this specific case, it was above all the singer’s interest in “how it’s done”: what is the process of creating the very sound you hear in your own head, how do you make a group of musicians respond and phrase like a single resonating body?
This singer, who had already been extremely interested in these questions for years, was given an introduction to the craft of conducting thanks to the Colla Parte Foundation. It took place over five days in December 2018 at a renowned music college in Germany. At the same time, students of the university could participate in this course free of charge, learn the basics of conducting technique and conduct a chamber ensemble. The course was led by Prof. Jorma Panula from Helsinki, with whom renowned conductors like Esa-Pekka Salonen and Andris Nelsons have studied.