Our goal is for you to graduate with a personal profile that is as unique as possible. Therefore, you can imagine yourself to be a sponge to everything we offer. You develop into a conductor who embodies leadership and technique, and who has a broad and deep knowledge of repertoire.

Why study Conducting at Codarts?

The diversity Codarts offers meets the need of you as a conductor to receive an education that is as complete as possible. For example, during the Bachelor’s degree, we offer you the possibility of a side subject. This means you will have lessons with the other main subject Conducting teachers: an orchestral conductor has weekly side-subject lessons in Choral and Wind-Band Conducting; and the other way around.

About Orchestral Conducting

When you study Orchestral Conducting at Codarts the focus is on you and your development. We coach you one on one. There is flexibility and space, and also time for you to develop your skills outside Codarts.

Codarts offers a stimulating team of teachers, who are very different from each other. Sander Teepen and Hans Leenders will teach you a combination of approaches, not just one way of conducting. You meet a diverse and inspiring cast of guest teachers and get podium time in front of an orchestra.

You will focus on developing  leadership and knowledge of music within a wide variety of music and the interaction and communication with the orchestra. Not only related to gesture but also to rehearsal technique itself.

We prepare you for the professional landscape by working together on your portfolio and guiding you to find your unique profile at the highest level.

Programme

During the year you will be involved in practicum lessons with different (professional) orchestras around the Netherlands. You get to know the role of assistant conductor as you assist our main subject and guest conductors in diverse projects. This gives you a broad insight into the skills a conductor needs to have.

Codarts also offers projects inside school like Conductors Week: a week focused on preparing a big orchestral programme with the Codarts Symphony Orchestra, coached by a guest teacher. In the past years, our students worked on great symphonic pieces like Scheharazade by R. Korsakov. In collaboration with our singing department, they worked on opera repertoire like Mitridate by W.A. Mozart.

Every week you work on your skills and get lessons in the other two conducting disciplines, as this is very valuable for your profile. Getting to know how to work with a choir and wind-band and gaining insight in the repertoire, gesture and treatment of the music is a very enriching opportunity that Codarts offers you throughout your Bachelor’s degree.

In the past years we have worked with great guest conductors who inspired our students, such as Jurjen Hempel, Antony Hermus, Conrad van Alphen, Valery Gergiev, Arjan Tien and Karel Deseure. In addition, our students had the chance to participate in workshops by Igor Gruppmann, concertmaster of Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, who taught about string section treatment and leadership as a concertmaster. With Mike Schäperclaus the students explored film soundtrack conducting.

About Choir Conducting

When you study Choir Conducting at Codarts the focus is on you and your development. We coach you one on one. There is flexibility and space, and also time for you to develop your skills outside Codarts.

Wiecher Mandemaker is the main subject teacher for choir conducting. In one-on-one lessons he works with you on a variety of facets of conducting, including technique, knowledge of repertoire, and historical context. Every week you also have the opportunity to learn to work with a choir. These lessons are about training your ears, rehearsing technique, ensemble singing and inspiring leadership skills. The focus is always on your development.

We prepare you for the professional landscape by working together on your portfolio and guiding you to find your unique profile at the highest level.

About the programme

During the year, you will be singing in the Codarts chamber choir. Here you learn to sing in an ensemble yourself and you get to know guest conductors. Also, you are part of the Laurens Symfonisch in their big projects with professional orchestras like the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. You can see how famous conductors work with choir and orchestra! Next to the weekly practicum, you will take part in practicum lessons with an external (professional) choir, the Laurens Collegium. You sing together with these professionals, but you also have the opportunity to rehearse and perform with them. This gives you a broad insight into the skills a conductor needs to have.

Every week you work on your skills and get lessons in the other two conducting disciplines, as this is very valuable for your profile. Getting to know how to work with an orchestra and wind-band and gaining insight in the repertoire, gesture and treatment of the music is a very enriching opportunity that Codarts offers you throughout your Bachelor’s degree.

About Wind-Band Conducting

Information will follow.

Main subject teachers

Hans Leenders - Orchestral Conducting

Sander Teepen - Orchestral Conducting

Wiecher Mandemaker - Choir Conducting

Vacancy - Wind-band conducting

Admission requirements

Check here on the admission page which steps you need to take and which admission requirements you need to meet.
You can find the admission requirements of Classical Conducting here.

Contact
Interested? Mail your questions to classicalmusic@codarts.nl.