BCO

preparation
Markand Thakar <mthakar@aol.com>
Mar 30/04/2019 20 14
Para: wonee@hotmail.com <wonee@hotmail.com>; jd4@juilliard.edu <jd4@juilliard.edu>; deconomou13@gmail.com
<deconomou13@gmail.com>; finchman@gmail.com <finchman@gmail.com>; hasega430@gmail.com
<hasega430@gmail.com>; jordan.korth@msdmartinsville.org <jordan.korth@msdmartinsville.org>;
lastsymphony@nate.com <lastsymphony@nate.com>; gmvmaestra@gmail.com <gmvmaestra@gmail.com>;
mudussirq@gmail.com <mudussirq@gmail.com>; noahgpalmer@gmail.com <noahgpalmer@gmail.com>;
pablopegalajar@gmail.com <pablopegalajar@gmail.com>; isaacterceros@hotmail.com <isaacterceros@hotmail.com>;
laceythwing@gmail.com <laceythwing@gmail.com>; alannntruong@gmail.com <alannntruong@gmail.com>;
fyuan@oberlin.edu <fyuan@oberlin.edu>; jeffrey.mosher@icloud.com <jeffrey.mosher@icloud.com>;
hhhsu1@gmail.com <hhhsu1@gmail.com>
CC: michaelavagliano@gmail.com <michaelavagliano@gmail.com>; lock@thebco.org <lock@thebco.org>
Dear BCO Summer Conducting Seminar participants,

I'm very much looking forward to seeing you in a few short weeks!

PARTICIPANTS

Cho Eun wonee@hotmail.com
Ding, Jiaying jd4@juilliard.edu
Economou, Diana deconomou13@gmail.com
Finch, Nicholas finchman@gmail.com
Hasegawa, Ryo hasega430@gmail.com
Korth, Jordan jordan.korth@msdmartinsville.org
Lee Hae lastsymphony@nate.com
Mitchell-Velasco, Gigi gmvmaestra@gmail.com
Quraishi, Mudussir mudussirq@gmail.com
Palmer, Noah noahgpalmer@gmail.com
Pegalajar, Pablo pablopegalajar@gmail.com
Terceros, Isaac isaacterceros@hotmail.com
Thwing, Lacey laceythwing@gmail.com
Truong, Alan alannntruong@gmail.com
Yuan, Fanye fyuan@oberlin.edu
Mosher, Jeff jeffrey.mosher@icloud.com,
Hsu Hsing-Hui hhhsu1@gmail.com

Looking for a roommate? Feel free to contact other participants;

PLEASE BRING: staff paper, pencils, scores.

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PREPARATION

Cantus firmus
In preparation for the first day’s study of single lines, read Chapter 1 of my book Counterpoint:
Fundamentals of Music Making (Yale University Press, 1990). The book is available in most good music
libraries, and you will also find the first 42 pages available for download:

from Dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lg5quf2yi7ydg6j/Counterpoint%20Chapter%201.pdf?dl=0


When you finish working through Chapter 1, compose and bring with you to the Seminar one good
cantus firmus in a major key and one good cantus firmus in a minor key.

L’histoire practice
For the six mixed-meter movements as listed below, conduct the meters with your arms while you step in
even quarter notes with your feet. That means some of your conducted beats will coincide with your feet,
and some will come against your feet. (For the 7-16 bar in Airs by a Stream give one stamp for the whole
bar. Similarly in the Triumphal March, conduct the two bars before rehearsal 9 as one quarter note beat
and one beat worth seven 16th notes.)


Head start
At the Seminar each participant will receive a copy of my book, Looking for the “Harp” Quartet: An
Investigation into Musical Beauty (University of Rochester Press, 2011), Nonetheless you may also be
interested in getting a head start on the musicianship component of the Seminar by becoming familiar
with it. It is available at most good music libraries, and
on [http://jstor:%20http//www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.ctt81hns]JSTOR:http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7
722/j.ctt81hns

Each participant will also receive a copy of my most recent book: On the Principles and Practice of
Conducting (University of Rochester Press, 2016).

Fellows
For the conducting component I’ll ask you to conduct everything (other than the Stravinsky) without a
score. Prepare the movements as described below, with an emphasis on the quality of your preparation,
not the quantity of the material.

You will almost always conduct only one movement per day: the evening sessions offer another
opportunity to address issues that arise in the morning sessions; we will also address them further in the
afternoon video reviews. I ask you to prepare two contrasting movements; we will choose the one that
best addresses the issues in your conducting that we are working on.

If you can prepare more than two movements, so much the better, but at least two to the absolute
maximum of your ability - at a minimum be able to conduct them without score.

Associates
To take advantage of the Seminar I recommend that you study all movements to the best of your ability.
Although you may be anxious to conduct, there is often more to be learned from observing, and thinking,
and digesting, without the pressure and the more narrow focus of conducting a new movement each
day.

And you will have an opportunity to conduct a movement of Stravinsky’s L’histoire with the instrumental
ensemble.

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REPERTOIRE
DVOŘÁK Serenade for Strings
BRAHMS Serenade No. 2 in A Major, Op. 16
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
STRAVINSKY L’Histoire du Soldat Suite
Soldier’s March
Airs by a Stream
 Royal March
Petit Concert
Devil’s Dance
Triumphal March

Plus assorted smaller works, including:
BACH Contrapunctus I from The Art of the Fugue
BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 14 in C# Minor, Op. 131, mvt. 1
BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 10 in Eb Major, Op. 74, mvt. 2
SCHUBERT String Quartet No. 14 “Death and the Maiden,” mvt. 2
MOZART Eine Kleine Nachtmusik


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VIDEO
Each Fellow will receive an individual memory card; your conducting sessions will all be recorded on
your memory card, which you can take with you and use without restriction.

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EMAIL ME
Fellows: please let me know which movement(s) you’d like to prepare for each day. I’d like to have all the
movements of each work covered, so if there are too many requests for the same movements I will
request that you make alternate choices. Thus – the sooner you email me your movement preferences
the more likely you’ll get to stick with them.

All participants: email to conductingprograms@thebco.org the following
• lodging address during the Seminar
• cell phone

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SCHEDULE

All sessions will take place at the Mattin Center on the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins
University; located at E 3/4 on the campus map:

https://www.jhu.edu/assets/uploads/2014/10/homewood_campus_map.pdf

Specifically we will the building just below the green/white no. 48 on the map, just inside the
campus near the intersection of North Charles and 33rd Streets.

Schedule

I. Boot Camp

Part 1 - Fundamentals of Technique
and Music-Making

Monday, June 10

11:30-12:00 check-in
12:00 Initial Meeting
 1:30 Technique
2:30 Music Making I: Single lines

Tuesday, June 11

9:00-10:00 Technique
10:00-11:00 Music Making II: harmonization
11:00-12:00 Technique
12:00-1:00 Lunch conversation
1:30-4:00 Free
4:00-5:00 Technique
5:00-6:00 Music-making III: Chorales
6:00 Free


Part 2 – Forms

Daily Schedule for Days 3-5

9:00-10:00 Technique
10:00-12:30 Small Ens. Session
1:00-2:00 Lunch conversation
2:30-4:30 Video review sessions (12 mins each)
Fogel consultations TBA
6:00-7:00 Technique
7:00-9:30 Small Ens. Session

Wednesday, June 12 - Theme & Variations
SCHUBERT String Quartet no. 14
“Death and the Maiden,” mvt 2
BEETHOVEN String Quartet op. 74 mvt. 2

Thursday, June 13 - Fugue
BACH Contrapunctus I - Art of the Fugue
BEETHOVEN String 4tet Op. 131, mvt. 1

Friday, June 14 - Sonata Form
MOZART Eine kleine Nachtmusik



II. Career Day with Henry Fogel
Saturday, June 15

Tentative schedule
11:00-12:15 MD Interviews & discussion
12:30-2:00 LUNCH conversation with Mr. Fogel
2:00-3:15 AC Interviews & discussion
3:30-4:45 Univ Interviews & discussion


Sunday June 16 – Free Day


III. Ensembles


L’histoire Day
Monday, June 17

STRAVINSKY L’Histoire du Soldat
Soldier’s March
Airs by a Stream
Royal March
Petit Concert
Devil’s Dance
Triumphal March


8:30-11:00 L’Histoire practice
(begin w/ technique warm-up)
11:30-1:00 Lunch conversation
1:30-3:00 L’Histoire practice
3:00-5:30 L’Histoire with ensemble
5:30-7:00 Free
7:00-9:30 L’Histoire with ensemble


Orchestral repertoire

Daily Schedule for Days 9-11

9:00-10:00 Optional Technique
10:00-12:30 Small Ens. Session
1:00-2:00 Lunch conversation
2:30-4:30 Video review sessions (12 mins each)
6:00-7:00 Mixed meter exam
7:00-9:30 Orchestra Session

Tuesday, June 18 DVOŘÁK Serenade for Strings
Wednesday, June 19 BRAHMS Serenade no. 2 in A major
Thursday, June 20 BEETHOVEN Symphony no. 5

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LODGING

You will be responsible for your lodging and meals, other than lunch which will be provided.

Participants have found lodging in the JHU area via Airbnb. (search for Johns Hopkins University – NOT
Johns Hopkins Hospital)

Participants have also found lodging in the Mount Vernon area near the Peabody campus; a free shuttle
bus is available at regular hours.

There is also a hotel (expensive) in walking distance:

Inn at the Colonnade
4 W University Pkwy
colonnadebaltimore.com
(410) 235-5400

Dining options near JHU are plentiful, and range from fast food to fine dining.

If you're planning to drive, note that there is 10-hour parking on Charles St., north of 33rd St. I expect
that there will be spots available as the university is in summer session, especially as you’ll be arriving
early.

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MEALS

Lunch will be provided for the noon conversations (sandwiches & salads - you’ll be able to select from
different options). You will find a plethora of dining options for breakfast and dinner a short walk from
campus.

Note: for the coffee aficionados there’s a spot nearby on campus that offers $0.99 refills with a selection
of good coffees, so by all means bring a travel mug!

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PREPARATION SUMMARY

To sum up your work in the next 6 weeks:

• Read Chapter 1 of my book Counterpoint: Fundamentals of Music Making. Compose and bring one
good cantus firmus in major and one in minor.

• IMPORTANT!!! Practice L’Histoire as described above.

• Fellows: Pick two contrasting movements for each day. Be prepared to conduct them without score.
(With the exception of the Stravinsky, we bring no scores to the podium!)

• Associates: get familiar to the extent possible with all the repertoire. And if you’re interested in
conducting a movement with the ensemble, prepare a movement.

Finally, feel free to contact me with any questions.

Happy studying!

Markand Thakar

Markand Thakar
Music Director, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra