International Conductors Workshop and Competition
January 14-18, 2010
Adrian Gnam, Director
Mercer University, in cooperation with the Macon Symphony Orchestra, announces the seventh annual International Conductors Workshop and Competition, which will be held January 14-18, 2010. This intensive five-day program is open to conductors at all levels of experience. Faculty will include Maestro Adrian Gnam, director; Gregory Pritchard (orchestra); Douglas Hill (wind ensemble); and Stanley Roberts (choral).
Each participant will conduct on a public performance. At the conclusion of the workshop, up to three participants will be selected to conduct on a concert of the Macon Symphony Orchestra during the current or a future season, depending on the orchestra's and the winner's availability. Following previous workshops, fifteen individuals have conducted the Macon Symphony, six were selected to participate in the International Academy of Advanced Conducting held in St. Petersburg, Russia, and one was selected to conduct the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society.
Application deadline: December 11, 2009
Participant fees are $1,650 and include accommodations and lunches. Upon notification of acceptance, a $500 deposit must be submitted with the balance due by Dec. 18, 2009. Up to 12 participants will be selected. Auditor fees are $950. No refunds will be made after Jan. 2, 2010. Checks should be made out to "Mercer University-ICW". Submit: A completed application (available on-line), a $50 non-refundable application fee, a short resume, and a videotape or DVD (if available). Send to:
Mercer University - ICW
Townsend School of Music
1400 Coleman Avenue
Macon, GA 31207
For additional information, contact Patty Crocker at 478-301-2748, or e-mail: crocker_pc@mercer.edu.
Fax: (478) 301-5633
Workshop Faculty
Adrian Gnam, Director
and Orchestra
Adrian Gnam has been the music director and conductor of the Macon Symphony Orchestra since 1983. A versatile musician, Maestro Gnam has conducted symphonic, opera, ballet, choral, pops and young people's concerts. A former principal oboist of the Cleveland Orchestra, under George Szell, and the American Symphony, under Leopold Stokowski, Mr. Gnam has studied under some of the major figures in the field: Pierre Monteux, Max Rudolf and George Szell. He has guest conducted and performed as an oboe soloist in more than a dozen countries and thirty-six states. He is a former music director of the Midland , Eugene and Tuscaloosa Symphonies. He was Principal Guest Conductor of the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia for fifteen seasons and the Florence Chamber Orchestra for four seasons. Maestro Gnam is a former director of the music program at the National Endowment for the Arts, where he was awarded a special Distinguished Service Award for "outstanding, innovative and precedent-setting contributions to furthering the goals and missions of the Endowment and enhancing the Arts on a national scale." He is also the recipient of the National Federation of Music Clubs President's Award. He is a former president of the Conductors Guild (1995-97). Maestro Gnam is a Distinguished Artist in Residence at Mercer University, where he teaches oboe and English horn and conducts the Mercer University Orchestra.
Gregory Pritchard, orchestra
Gregory Pritchard was appointed as the Music Director of the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra (GA) in May of 2005. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestral Conducting from Michigan State University and was a student of Leon Gregorian, Catherine Comet, and Elizabeth Green. He has had additional training with Gustav Meier, David Lobel, Neeme Jarvi, and Adrian Gnam. He previously served as Music Director of North Georgia Symphony and Opera Company of Mid-Michigan for three seasons each and has also held faculty positions at Georgia State University, University of Evansville (IN), Indiana Wesleyan University, Taylor University (IN), Konservatori Seni Halus (Fine Arts Conservatory, Penang, Malaysia), and Hope College (MI). Additional conducting positions include Fellowship Conductor of Grand Rapids Symphony (MI), and Associate Conductor of Kokomo Symphony Orchestra (IN). In 2004 he was awarded guest conducting appointments through the International Conductors Workshop in Macon, Georgia and the Advanced Conducting Workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia. Also in 2004 he was named a Semifinalist for the National Conducting Institute in Washington D.C. Dr. Pritchard is also deeply committed to education and serves as Director of the Orchestral Program at Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia. He made his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in April 2002 with the Brookwood Philharmonic.
Douglas Hill, wind ensemble
Douglas Hill is a professor of music in Mercer University's Townsend School of Music. He serves as director of Instrumental Ensembles and coordinator of the Music Education Degree Program, a position he has held for the past 16 years. In addition, he teaches courses in music education and instrumental conducting and applied trumpet lessons. Dr. Hill holds degrees in music education from Ohio University and the University of Illinois, as well as a doctor of musical arts in Conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He remains active as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator across the country and regularly supports commissioning consortiums to promote new wind band compositions of composers, such as Daren Hagen, Nebojsa Zivkovic and Eric Ewazen. While at Mercer, Dr. Hill has produced two compact discs featuring the Mercer Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble; the first, "Bands At Mercer," and the most recent, "World Notes." In addition, Dr. Hill participates in several professional organizations including the Georgia Music Educators Association, College Band Directors National Association, World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles and the International Trumpet Guild.
Stanley L. Roberts, choral
Stanley L. Roberts is in his fourteenth year of teaching in the Townsend School of Music of Mercer University where he is the Arthur Lowndes Rich Professor of Choral Conducting. In this position, he conducts the Mercer Singers and the Mercer University Women’s Choir, while teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting, choral literature and techniques. Since becoming director of the Mercer Singers that ensemble has sung on numerous programs for the Georgia Music Educators Association and the Southern Division of MENC. Additionally, the Mercer Singers are featured annually with the Macon Symphony Orchestra where Dr. Roberts is a frequent guest conductor. The choir under his direction has made three CD recordings, and completed five highly successful international tours of England and Wales (May 2000), Italy (2002), Austria & Czech Republic (2004), Germany, Poland, Slovakia, & Hungary (2006), and Japan (2007). A passionate educator, Dr. Roberts was chosen as Mercer University’s Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year (2001) and Professor of the Year (2004) by Mercer’s Student Government Association. Highly regarded as a conductor and clinician he has conducted All-State Choirs, Honor Choirs, and Festival Choruses throughout the United States and the U.K. as well as workshops in universities, colleges, churches, and schools. An engaged member of the Music Educators National Conference and the American Choral Directors Association, he has served in numerous leadership capacities for both organizations.
Dates, faculty, repertoire and locations subject to change.