The 6-day intensive masterclass is suitable for advanced conducting students and professional conductors.
Besides individual lessons with pianists, you work with a big professional orchestra, which gives you huge emotional satisfaction and a new impulse to continue your professional career.
Qualified candidates will be selected gradually until the application deadline, early applying candidates have more chances to participate in the masterclass. Less experienced conductors can take part as Semi-active participants.
The Certificate of participation will be provided to all the participants who have completed the masterclass for conductors.
There is no age limit.
Program:
Béla Bartók - Divertimento for String Orchestra,
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 7,
Sergei Prokofiev - Symphony No. 1,
Camille Saint-Saëns - Cello concerto No 1. a-moll
Soloist: Jakub William Gráf (ČR /UK)
Conductors are expected to purchase and study their scores before the start of the masterclass. It is important that you prepare them as much as possible to gain the maximum benefits from the masterclass.
Each Active participant will be entitled to:
• 90 minutes of podium time conducting Prague Philharmonia
• 60 minutes of podium time in four hand piano sessions
• attending all meetings, classes and rehearsals
• each Active participant will conduct a Dress rehearsal and the Final concert Each Semi-active participant will be entitled to:
• 90 minutes of podium time in four hand piano sessions
• attending all meetings, classes, rehearsals and the final concert, without an opportunity to conduct the orchestra
• Sat. Oct. 5: Arrival
• Sun. Oct. 6: Rehearsals with pianists
• Mon. Oct. 7: Double orchestra rehearsal & session with pianists
• Tue. Oct. 8: Orchestra rehearsal & session with pianists
• Wed. Oct. 9: Orchestra rehearsal & session with pianists (reserve session)
• Thu. Oct. 10: Orchestra rehearsal & video analysis session
• Fri. Oct. 11: Dress rehearsal at 10.00 & final public concert at 19:00
The concert program will be divided among participants.
Maestro Alim Shakh (Šach)
Maestro Shakh was taught by famous Russian conductors and teachers - Fyodor Kozlov (1927–2003) and Ilya Musin (1904–1999), he maintains and spreads traditions of St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory.
Maestro Shakh was the Principal conductor of St. Petersburg State Conservatory Opera and Ballet Theatre, Principal conductor of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra (the top chamber orchestra in Russia).
Maestro conducted the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Novosibirsk Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Kazan State Opera and Ballet Theatre, Opera and ballet theatre of Saint-Petersburg conservatoire, International Symphonic Orchestra in Great Britain, Weimar Chapel Orchestra (Germany), Chamber choir Grand Rapids (the USA), Californian opera theatre (the USA), Prague Symphony Orchestra, la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Costa Rica, Slovak State Philharmonic, Philharmonie de Paris, Moravian Philharmonie and many others. Read more about Alim Šach (Shakh) here: https://www.alimsach.cz/en/biography/
ORCHESTRA
The Prague Philharmonia was founded in 1994 on the initiative of the conductor Jiří Bělohlávek (1946-2017) under the original name Prague Chamber Philharmonia, by the spring of 2024, it operated under the name PKF — Prague Philharmonialater. Today it is one of the most recognised orchestras, not only among Czech but also world ensembles. Regular invitations to tour abroad as well as recording projects with the most renowned international labels bear testimony to this. Since the 2015–16 season the orchestra has been led by the French conductor Emmanuel Villaume.
Freshness, energy and perfectionism are characteristics inscribed in the orchestra’s 'Birth Certificate', as well as a love of music expressed in each of their concerts. Behind the highly valued distinctive sound of the Prague Philharmonia is partly its key repertoire, which has been from the beginning Viennese Classicism, namely compositions by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, to which works from the period of Romanticism, as well the 20th and 21st centuries, are added.
Over the period of its existence, the orchestra has recorded over 90 CDs released by leading Czech and world music publishers, such as Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Supraphon, EMI, Warner Classics and Harmonia Mundi. A number of them have been awarded prizes, such as the Gold Record RAC Canada in 2000, Harmony Award in 2001 and Diapason d’Or in September 2007. The CD Heroique with Bryan Hymel was in 2016 nominated for an International Opera Award and a recording of Bohemian Rhapsody with the trumpet player Gábor Boldoczki for Sony Classical was nominated at the Classical Music Award 2018.
You can read more about the orchestra here.
Website of Prague Philharmonia is https://www.prgphil.cz/
Venue & Accommodation
The course will take place in Prague, KD Ladvi - the base of the Prague Philharmonia.
Address: Burešova 1661/2, 182 00 Praha 8 - Kobylisy, the Czech Republic. Metro - line "C"
Travel and accommodation costs are not included in the masterclass fee, must be covered by each participant.
Language
The masterclass will be taught in English.
Recording
Video recording of all orchestra rehearsals and the concert with one camera is included in the price.
All conductors will receive his/her videos via Internet. Wish you get copied video directly at the masterclass, please bring your memory card or USB stick.
You can use your own devices for recording rehearsals with pianists.
Masterclass fees
Active participant fee is €1950.Active participant fee includes:
- conducting the Prague Philharmonia | * 90 minutes
- individual lessons with Maestro Alim Shakh (Šach) | * 60 minutes of podium time in four-hands piano sessions;
* 120 minutes - an analytical study of videotaped rehearsal and conducting;
- participation in all meetings, classes, rehearsals;
- the final concert;
- recorded orchestra rehearsals and the final concert.
Semi-active participant fee is €600 Semi-active participant fee includes:
- 90 minutes of podium time in four hand piano sessions
- listening all the meetings, classes, rehearsals and the final concert
- possible time with the orchestra
Please email the Masterclass manager regarding other options. Daily Visitors' (passive participation) fee is €40
There is no registration/application fee. Payment schedule
- 25 % of the participant fee has to be paid upon the organizers` confirmation of your participation;
- the rest of the fee has to be paid via bank transfer 30 days before the masterclass starts at the latest.
The deposit is 100% refundable only in case of cancellation or postponing of the masterclass by the organizer.
For an individual payment plan please contact the Masterclass manager.
Masterclasses for conductors with a full-size orchestra. Conducting Programs include Opera & Orchestral Conducting masterclasses and workshops, Masterclass venues & locations: Prague, Olomouc, Pardubice, Marienbad, Karlovy Vary.
