EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES 2007-2011

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE IN DETMOLD
January 11-15, 2011
Kurt Masur will lead a conducting mastercourse in Detmold, Germany, January 11-15, 2011. The works studied will be Brahms: Haydn Variations, Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Schumann: Symphony No. 4, Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche. The course will be held at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, and participants will work with the Orchestra of the Hochscule, but for the study sessions and the culimating concert, to be held the evening of January 15.

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE IN BONN
December 13-16, 2010
Kurt Masur will lead a special conducting mastercourse in Bonn, Germany, December 13-16, 2010. This course is the culmination of Maestro Masur's series of courses on the symphonies of Beethoven, held in the city of the composer's birth. Beethoven's other symphonies have been covered during four previous mastercourses: Nos. 1 and 2 (October 2006); 3 and 4 (April 2008); 5 and 6 (October 2009); and 7 and 8 (November 2009). For the Ninth Symphony, Masur has invited back three outstanding participants from the earlier courses: Christoph Altstaedt, Mirga Grazynite and Joshua Kangmin Tan, each of whom will conduct one movement in the ending concert. They will be followed by Maestro Masur, who will lead the performance of the last movement, joined by soloists Malin Bystrom, soprano; Renata Pokupic, mezzo-soprano; Jorma Silvasti, tenor; and Georg Zeppenfeld, bass.

CONDUCTING SEMINAR AT MAHNATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC
November 8-10, 2010
Following the highly-sucessful conducting seminar in 2009, held at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, and continuing his long-standing releationship with the Manhattan School of Music, Kurt Masur will lead a conducting seminar from November 8-12, 2010. The repertoire for seminar is Schumann: Symphony No. 2, Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5, Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3. These works will be led my the Maestro Masur and the student conductors at a culimating concert, held on the 12th at the school. For more information, visit the Manhattan Scool of Music website.

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE IN BONN
October 26-November 4, 2009
Kurt Masur will lead a pair of conducting mastercourses in Bonn, October 26-November 4, 2009. This continues Maestro Masur's series of courses on the symphonies of Beethoven, held in the city of the composer's birth. The first, in October 2006, covered the first two symphonies, and in April 2008 Symphonies 3 and 4 were studied. This year's courses will include Symphonies 5-8, with 5 and 6 to be presented in concert on October 30, and 7 and 8 on November 4. Maestro Masur is Chairman of the Beethoven House in Bonn.

For more information:
Download brochure (English) [PDF]
Download brochure (German) [PDF]
Download questionnaire (English) [PDF]
Download questionnaire (German) [PDF]

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE IN VERBIER
July 27-August 2, 2009
Kurt Masur will lead a conducting mastercourse in Verbier, Switzerland, July 27-August 2, 2009 in conjunction with the annual Verbier Festival. The repertioire for the course will be: Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 ("Italian"), Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1, and Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 ("Scottish"). These works will be presented publicly in a pair of concerts with the festival orchestra, on July 31 and August 2. At these concerts, the student conductors will lead the Italian Symphony, with Maestro Masur conducting the Scottish Symphony and the concerto, in which he will be joined by soloist Yuja Wang.

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE WITH MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC
April 22-25, 2009
Kurt Masur will continue his long relationship with the Manhattan Scool of Music when he leads a conducting seminar April 22-25, 2009, to be held at the Park Avenue Armory. Maestro Masur has worked with the student orchestra of this conservatory and has led numerous mastercourses there since coming to New York as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. This year's repertoire recognizes the 200th birthday of Felix Mendenlssohn with three of his works: Symphony No. 5 in D Major, op. 107 ("Reformation"), Symphony No. 4 in A Major, op. 90 ("Italian"), and the Ruy Blas Overture, op. 95. The seminar, for conductors between the ages of 24-35, will culminate in a public performance at the armory on April 25. For more info, visit the Manhattan School of Music website.

Coverage of the seminar from The New York Times can be found in the Reviews section.

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE IN BONN
April 5-9, 2008
Kurt Masur will lead a mastercourse in Bonn, May 5-9. This continues Maestro Masur's series of courses on the works of Beethoven, held in the city of the composer's birth. The first, in October 2006, covered the first two symphonies. This year's course covers the 3rd and 4th Symphonies, both of which will be led by the conducting students at the culminating concert on April 9, along with the Egmont Overture, conducted by Maestro Masur. Maestro Masur is Chairman of the Beethoven House in Bonn.

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE AT MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC
March 24-28, 2008
Kurt Masur will continue his long relationship with the Manhattan Scool of Music when he gives a conducting mastercourse there March 24-28, 2008. Maestro Masur has worked with the student orchestra of this conservatory and has led numerous mastercourses there since coming to New York as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. The repertoire for the course will be Matthus: Manhattan Concerto, Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 and Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 1. These works will be presented publicly by the conducting students in the culminating concert on March 28.

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE IN RIO DE JANEIRO
May 26-29, 2007
Kurt Masur will lead a conducting mastercourse in Rio de Janeiro from May 26-29, 2008. Taking place in conjunction with Maestro Masur's concerts with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, this marks his third mastercourse in Brazil since 2003, with previous mastercourses having taken place in Campos do Jordão and São Paolo.

CONDUCTING MASTERCOURSE IN LEIPZIG, GERMANY
January 22-26, 2007
Kurt Masur will lead a conducting mastercourse in Leipzig, Germany from Monday, January 22 through Friday, January 26. Maestro Masur's close association with Leipzig dates back to 1970, when he began his 26-season tenure as Kapellmeister of the legendary Gewandhaus Orchestra. He continues this association though conducting visits to the Gewandhaus and through courses such as this.

The works covered in this mastercourse will by Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 ("Scottish"), Schumann: Genoveva Overture, Liszt: Mephisto Waltz, and Wagner: Overture to Die Meistersinger. As with Maestro Masur's other mastercourses around the world, the focus will be on the students working directly with the orchestra, with a culminating concert allowing for live performances of the works being studied. The final concert for this mastercourse, taking place on the evening of January 26, will feature the student conductors leading the Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Liszt, with Maestro Masur closing the concert with the Wagner.