Conducting is a highly competitive career field that promises both reward and satisfaction to those exceptional students with ample amounts of both talent and perseverance.
Shenandoah Conservatory’s conducting program is designed to develop and refine conducting, analysis and interpretive skills.
Concentrations available in:
- Band/Wind Ensemble
- Orchestra
Career Possibilities
Dong-Keun Paul Kim, Conducting ’87, ’89 is a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea where he is an ordained minister and directs the chapel choir. “Shenandoah is the main power of my success. Shenandoah provided me with excellent faculty members and inspirations,” states Kim.
Classes
The Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance curriculum focuses on your artistic development in a specific performing medium at the highest possible professional level. You will also broaden and deepen your knowledge of repertoire, music history, theory and literature, and pedagogy.
You Will Learn:
- Advanced musicianship as a solo performer or conductor
- An extensive, high-level repertoire to either perform or conduct
- The versatility to be able to perform or conduct in a variety of settings
- A deep knowledge and appreciation of music theory and music history
What Makes Our Program Unique?
Our low teacher-to-student ratios mean you will receive individual attention from our faculty, which is nationally and internationally recognized for their professional experience. Upon completion of the program, you will be prepared for a career in performance or teaching at the collegiate level or in a studio setting.
Performance Opportunities and Ensembles
Shenandoah Conservatory produces more than 400 performances each year. Enroll in a dynamic curriculum and start preparing for a meaningful career in the arts. You will practice your craft in front of audiences and develop a plan for your professional launch into the industry that focuses on your personal desires and aspirations.
Embrace extensive performance opportunities with top-tier facilities from theatres, concert halls and dance studios. Unite with fellow artists and join an alumni family that takes center stage from Broadway to the concert halls of Europe.
Shenandoah Conservatory Performances
Ensembles
Shenandoah Conservatory is home to more than 20 instrumental, vocal, and dance ensembles that present numerous performances every year. These performances take place throughout Shenandoah University’s vibrant campus on its various stages, including a concert hall, recital hall, proscenium stage, black box studio, outdoor amphitheater and more, to venues and performance spaces in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and around the world. Ensembles constantly engage with Shenandoah’s dynamic faculty and an array of distinguished guest artists through residencies, workshops and unique performance opportunities.
Faculty
Shenandoah Conservatory’s prestigious faculty is dynamic, creative, and passionately committed to the highest levels of artistic excellence. A deeply caring community, they mentor students with a wealth of professional expertise, balancing rigorous expectations with compassion and wisdom. At Shenandoah, you will study with, and perform for, award-winning composers, Metropolitan Opera singers, Grammy Award winning conductors and international competition winners. You will learn from leading scholars in music and premiere works created by accomplished dance artists and cutting-edge directors. Shenandoah Conservatory’s faculty embodies the highest levels of professional accomplishment and the deepest commitment to furthering the artistic growth and creative aspirations of students in every discipline.
Jan Wagner
Director of Orchestral Studies; Conductor; Chair of Instrumental Division; Professor, Conducting
Full BiographyApplication and Audition Information
Admission to Shenandoah Conservatory graduate programs is highly competitive and the audition schedule fills rapidly. Early application and audition registration is recommended.
