London Conducting Workshop 2026
Veranstalter
Kurs
London Conducting Workshop 2026
Format
Chamber Music (Masterclass)
Workshop
instruments
Conductor
Bewerbungsfrist
July 02, 2026 23:59 (London)
Veranstaltungsdaten
Juli 26 - August 1, 2026
Location
Royal Academy of Music
Marylebone Road
NW1 5HT London, United Kingdom
Kontaktdaten
Email: [email protected]
Webseite
London Conducting Workshop 2026
The London Conducting Workshop Summer Workshop returns!
One of the leading European masterclasses for aspiring and developing conductors, takes place 26 July – 1 August 2026. Designed for those eager to gain real orchestral experience and enhance their conducting technique, the course blends intensive practical sessions with professional musicians and culminates in a public concert.
Over six days you’ll work on repertoire including works by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Sibelius, Bizet and Berlioz, rehearsing with piano, string quartet, and the LCW Festival Orchestra, before leading a final performance.
Held at the Royal Academy of Music with a concert at St. James’s Church Sussex Gardens, this workshop offers daily podium time with musicians who work with the leading UK orchestras.
Personalised feedback, and invaluable podium time come under the expert guidance from tutors Dr John Farrer and Professor Howard Williams.
Places are limited; apply now.
One of the leading European masterclasses for aspiring and developing conductors, takes place 26 July – 1 August 2026. Designed for those eager to gain real orchestral experience and enhance their conducting technique, the course blends intensive practical sessions with professional musicians and culminates in a public concert.
Over six days you’ll work on repertoire including works by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Sibelius, Bizet and Berlioz, rehearsing with piano, string quartet, and the LCW Festival Orchestra, before leading a final performance.
Held at the Royal Academy of Music with a concert at St. James’s Church Sussex Gardens, this workshop offers daily podium time with musicians who work with the leading UK orchestras.
Personalised feedback, and invaluable podium time come under the expert guidance from tutors Dr John Farrer and Professor Howard Williams.
Places are limited; apply now.
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John Farrer was Music Director of the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, California for over 30 years, was formerly President of the Conductors Guild and has been Music Director of the Roswell Symphony Orchestra for over 40 years. He is also Music Director of the Santa Maria Philharmonic.
Mr Farrer is a frequent guest with orchestras in England, and visits London on a regular basis in the capacity of guest conductor. As senior guest conductor of the English Sinfonia he has toured with the orchestra throughout England and northern France. His eight recordings with the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and English Sinfonia have received high praise from critics around the world. He has been associated with the San Francisco Symphony as a cover conductor for the orchestra's subscription concerts.
Mr Farrer was a speaker in the San Francisco Symphony's series of Inside Music talks, led the orchestra in Concerts for Kids, and conducted a programme at Stern Grove which attracted 20,000 listeners. Mr Farrer is also a member of the music advisory committee of the Young Musicians Foundation of Los Angeles, and has been appointed a national trustee of the National Symphony Orchestra of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.
Maestro Farrer recently received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University of California Fine Arts System.
Howard Williams, one of Britain’s most experienced conductors on the international platform, has covered a formidable range of work both in the opera house and concert hall. In the UK, he has conducted most of the leading orchestras.
In Europe Howard has appeared with the Austrian Radio Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Belgian Radio Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Slovak Philharmonic, Hungarian National Philharmonic, Hungarian Radio Symphony, Budapest Philharmonic, Orchestre Nationale de Lyon, Orchestre de Strasbourg, Orchestre Symphonique de Montpellier, Orchestre de Picardie, RTE Symphony Orchestra, Dublin and the Portuguese National Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted at the BBC Proms and at the Edinburgh, Leeds, Bath and Brighton Festivals, as at festivals in Budapest, Hong Kong, and throughout France and Spain.
Following his appointment in 1989 as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Pécs Symphony Orchestra (now Pannon Philharmonic), Hungary, Howard devoted much time to working with the leading orchestras in that country. He has been awarded the Artisjus award and Bartók Medal for services to Hungarian music. On leaving Pécs in 2000, Howard was created Permanent Guest Conductor by the orchestra. In the same year he was appointed Head of Conducting at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Since 2013 he has been Musical Director of the Sinfonia of Cambridge.
His six years’ in Cardiff enabled him to explore and develop his attitude to training conductors and student orchestras. He is now a Professor of Conducting at the Royal College of Music in London.
- Each participant will receive a minimum of 100 minutes of podium time during the Workshop sessions. These are distributed as 40 minutes with string quartet and piano, and 60 minutes with the orchestra.
- In addition, participants will also lead a rehearsal and conduct in a concert, which are not counted in the podium time.
- All sessions will be recorded and made available for participants.
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Workshop
July 26 (PM): Participants will look at how technique can impact and affect musical interpretation
July 26 (PM): Participants will look at how technique can impact and affect musical interpretation
July 27 - 28: All repertoire covered with string quartet and piano
July 29 - 30: All repertoire covered with the LCW Festival Orchestra
July 31: Full programme in a guided rehearsal with the LCW Festival Orchestra
Each full Workshop day will begin at 10:00 and end at 17:00, with an 1 hour break for lunch at 13:00
Each full Workshop day will begin at 10:00 and end at 17:00, with an 1 hour break for lunch at 13:00
August 01: Participants will lead a rehearsal and conduct a public performance
MENDELSSOHN Hebrides Overture
MOZART Symphony No. 39
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 5
BERLIOZ Menuet des Follets from The Damnation of Faust*
RAVEL Mother Goose Suite*
* We will be using a reduced orchestration for these pieces, which will be provided to all participants and observers.
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- Active Participants: £2,465 plus a £53 application fee*
- Observers: £50 a day or £275 for the full workshop.**
*Applicants who have attended any LCW since 2022 are not required to pay the application fee.
** Full Workshop observers will be entitled to conduct a session with the piano and string quartet, and will be able to observe all other sessions. Observers may also be asked to assist with minor aspects of concert management.
To apply as a participant or an observer, please click here.
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Accommodation
You will be able to find accomodation on all the regular booking sites. We recommend booking.com.
It is worth looking for accomodation outside of Central London. Most suburbs of London are around 30 minutes travel on public transport.
Travel around London
The Transport for London network is fully integrated. This means you can travel on the Underground, Overground, National Rail (within London), London Busses, Trams and Light Railway using a single contactless card, Apple or Google Pay, or an Oyster Card.
For any other queries, please contact [email protected]
You will be able to find accomodation on all the regular booking sites. We recommend booking.com.
It is worth looking for accomodation outside of Central London. Most suburbs of London are around 30 minutes travel on public transport.
Travel around London
The Transport for London network is fully integrated. This means you can travel on the Underground, Overground, National Rail (within London), London Busses, Trams and Light Railway using a single contactless card, Apple or Google Pay, or an Oyster Card.
For any other queries, please contact [email protected]