Counterpoint was represented at the annual Conductors’ Guild Conference June 15-18/13, this year held in beautiful St. Louis, Missouri, at the historic and beautifully restored Union Station – the former train station and gateway to the West. This conference attracts many conductors in different stages of their careers, from student conductors, to those with many years experience. Highlights of the conference, included sessions by Amy Kaiser, the Director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, speaking about preparing the chorus; David Robertson, Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Donald Hunsberger, former conductor of the famous Eastman Wind Ensemble, at the Eastman School of Music, and Jamie Bernstein, who is continuing her father Leonard’s music education efforts. She is a filmmaker and education, who gave a presentation with a film excerpt about El Sistema, an ongoing project in West Philadelphia. It showed the encouraging and wonderful things happening with children at risk, who are refocusing on music and enthusiastically learning.
The special feature on the last day was a Retrospective on the conductor Walter Susskind, along with a panel discussion after the presentation, which included his son, Peter Susskind, and members of the St. Louis Symphony, who were conducted by him during his tenture in St. Louis.
As part of this conference there are three sessions focusing on new and recent compositions. I presented a segment in the Publishers’ New Music Project session, on Malcolm Forsyth’s violin concerto Trickster Coyote — Lightening Elk, premiered in 2008 by Tara-Louise Montour and the Edmonton Youth Orchestra. You can view the one-page handout with all the details,
Trickster Coyote Details
I am pleased to announced that the excellent violinist Stephen Sitarski is looking for engagements to perform this work. You can learn more about him through his website www.stephensitarski.com
Click this link for our Latest Highlights which has an article about the Conference and this work, as well as an article on Malcolm Forsyth’s Atayoskewin which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2014.
Please contact me, Jean-Marie Barker, to learn more.
