“The Art of Rehearsing the Orchestra” – masterclass in Sofia Oct 15–20, 2023

Sep 10, 2023

Finnish Conducting School Masterclass in Sofia, Bulgaria October 15–20, 2023
“The Art of Rehearsing the Orchestra”

The Finnish conductor Sasha Mäkilä will be leading a special workshop for advanced conducting students in Sofia, Bulgaria on October 15–20, 2023. Ten students will have the opportunity to work with Sofia Sinfonietta on masterpieces by Mendelssohn, Mozart and Rossini, and gain insight into the difficult art of rehearsing the orchestra. The course consists of lectures, planning sessions, feedback sessions, rehearsals with the orchestra and a public concert at the cultural center “Nadezhda”. Each participant will enjoy approximately 20 minutes of daily podium time with the orchestra.

The themes of this masterclass will be:

– How to study the score from the rehearsing point of view
– How to plan and schedule a rehearsal
– Editions, parts, erratas, bowings
– Rehearsal etiquette (and concert etiquette!)
– How to speak to the orchestra
– How to maintain a positive and productive working atmosphere
– Rehearsing priorities (general and personal)
– Different needs of the different instrument groups
– Troubleshooting
– Rehearsal techniques
– How to know if the problem is you?
– Sectionals

REPERTOIRE:

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 “Reformation”
Mozart: Symphony No. 33
Rossini: La scala di seta overture
Mozart: Magic Flute overture

ORCHESTRA: Sofia Sinfonietta is a professional orchestra working in the Bulgarian capital. http://oki-nadejda.com/en/main-page/музикални-състави/симфониета-софия/

VENUE: The venue for all sessions, rehearsals and the final concert will be “Nadezhda” Cultural Center right next to the metro station Han Kubrat. The address is 2 Lomsko Shosse street, Sofia.

FEES: The course fee is €1600 which does not include accommodation. To reserve your place on the masterclass you will have to pay a €200 € non-refundable reservation fee, and the rest of the fee you can either pay before the masterclass starts, or on the first day of the masterclass. Note that there is an EARLY BIRD FEE of €1550 for those accepted applicants who pay their fee in full before September 10, 2023! We also accept PASSIVE PARTICIPANTS this time. By paying a fee of €200 you can observe all the sessions.

DEADLINE: Early Bird deadline September 10. After that we will be accepting applications until the course is full (maximum 10 students).

LODGING: Every student takes care of their own accommodation. There are many affordable hotels in Sofia, and the public transport is good. Remember also to check AirBnb and Couch-surfing options!

APPLICATION: You can apply through the Finnish Conducting School website at https://www.finnishconductingschool.fi/masterclasses/masterclass-in-sofia-bulgaria-october-15-20-2023/