Hi friends - here is a fun exercise for us today. I have uploaded three different conductors leading Brahms Symphony No. 1. Each of them approach the beginning differently. Which one do you prefer and why? Is there one among them that, if they were one of your fellow Ictus members, you could give them some guidance? What would that be? Karajan https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxPwPiVdKEds-GHOwMYf3jePnAk0hoAd9y?si=g8067D0yq4uuGL4E Haenchen https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxnlC7UU2hA_kVrE2Yx54UU5NXKKCNk6JW?si=ynHyG7CLibatvJOs Franz Welser-Möst https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxDMXpHJx_jmxOflk_yYJ8--bXSC9Xa3rl?si=USJsrtfYBS4zAnhK

Remember registering for college classes when you’d connect with your friends to make sure you got into the same section? This is that moment for Ictus. Until now, it’s mostly grown by personal invitation. On March 15, we’ll open it more broadly and the membership rate will increase (not yours, just new members). If there’s a conductor you respect...someone thoughtful, serious about growth, and generous in conversation...you’re welcome to invite them to join you at the founding rate ($10/month) before March 15th. I'm excited about the way this founding group is shaping the Institute and I’d like that trajectory to continue. If someone comes to mind who should be in the room with us, please reach out to them. Grateful for each of you! Rob

Hi friends! This Thursday, I will be interviewing Mark Scatterday, director of the Eastman Wind Ensemble!. What would you like to learn from one of the preeminent band conductors of our time? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Scatterday

So, a week ago, I conducted this piece with the Region V honor choir. And, boy am I glad I did this preparation! Honor ensembles are tricky because, like I said in the video, you never know what you're gonna get. So, you choose your repertoire in advance, and you choose your battles in the moment. (Someone write that down 😂) This regional choir was made up of two district honor choirs, and I had to include two pieces from each of those choirs in the repertoire for this one. "Leron Sinta" was one of those. And, just like I suspected, the choir got faster and faster during the mixed meter section because the dotted quarter note was collapsing. I asked the students from that regional choir how they handled it in rehearsal, and they said that they just got faster and faster to the end. One kid said she's never sung anything so fast in her life! 🚀 So, because the composer did not write "accelerando poco a poco", I pulled out my metronome app and we spent 15 minutes drilling it. I'm happy to report that they ended up singing it perfectly in performance. By the way, my colleague who conducted that regional choir is amazing, and this is no shade thrown in their direction. Like I said, you have to choose your battles. Thankfully, the students showed up well prepared for this festival so I was able to have enough time to stabilize this section of music. Also, there are now 200 amazing high school singers who have learned the importance of using a metronome when practicing their music! A link to the video is below, it's also in the Skool Classroom.