Music Fest Perugia is enlarging it's conducting program.

After discussion with many of our professor pianists and especially our artistic director - Ilana Vered, it became obvious that for most instrumentalists it is important to know how to read an orchestra score. That will help instrumentalists in their public performances with the orchestra and also help them to better collaborate with the conductor of the orchestra. There are many examples of instrumentalists who have turned conductors in the middle of the career. For piano we can mention Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Evgenij Kissin, Valery Gergiev, Riccardo Mutti and Andras Schiff. Violinists who have turned conductors were Lorin Maazel and Charles Munch. Among cellists were Casals and, of course Toscanini, who has become the legendary conductor, taking over in the middle of a concert. We had this happen in Perugia; ten years ago at the concert in Basilica di San Pietro, the conductor had disappeared. Dan Wen Wei, who was a most talented student of Ilana, came to her when the public started to get nervous and said "I know the Prokofiev concerto. I have played it." Ilana said: "But you are pianist, not a conductor." Dan Wen Wei said: "I think I can conduct the orchestra." And indeed, he conducted successfully the orchestra without a score and got a big applause. Of course, he continues to conduct in China, and maybe, because reading those lines, he decided to return to Perugia in 2026. The conductors we have, who are doing this workshop, are Marius Stravinsky, Andrea Fornaciari, Eitan Globerson and Alessandro Alonzi. In our workshop there is no age limit and no need of previous conducting experience.

It is possible to do one lesson for 200 euro or the entire course of 7 days for 1200 euro. The course includes critique score reading with the conductor, baton technique and conducting a chamber format in the morning. For the best students, there would be opportunity of real podium for a short piece with the festival orchestra.

If you wish to sign-up please call or write soon to musicfestperugia@hotmail.com "conducting course".