Join us for the launch of Perspectives on Conducting (Routledge 2024), edited by Róisín Blunnie and Ciarán Crilly.

Thursday 26th September at 6.30pm in the Sculpture Hall of the Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square.

Guest speaker: Dr Nicole Grimes, Associate Professor of Music, Trinity College Dublin.
The event will feature short performances by Patrick Rafter (violin) and Laetare Vocal Ensemble.

RSVP to [email protected] by Friday 20th Sept.

Rooted in research and practice, Perspectives on Conducting presents a multi-faceted exploration of the role of the modern-day conductor. Seeking to bring a more inclusive approach to understanding conducting as a career, this book expands beyond elite pathways to highlight the contributions made by conductors across different areas of musical engagement, including youth projects, community groups, and professional ensembles. Chapters by an international roster of authors address the challenges conductors face in working with a wide range of ensembles, including orchestras and choirs made up of young people, university and conservatory students, adult volunteers, and professional musicians.

The contributors draw on their experience and expertise as practising conductors and scholar-practitioners to explore both the core musical responsibilities and the additional administrative and social demands placed on today’s conductors. With topics including pathways to conducting careers, the creative role of the conductor in shaping new music, conducting mixed-ability ensembles, the experiences of women and queer conductors, and more, the perspectives collected here reflect the versatility required of the contemporary conductor, giving students and emerging professionals a forward-thinking view of the conductor’s role.

Perspectives on Conducting contains chapters on ‘Becoming a Conductor’ by Sinead Hayes, Killian Farrell, Gavin Maloney, and Bernie Sherlock; ‘Orchestral Perspectives’ by Rebecca Miller, Ciarán Crilly, Peter Shannon, Gerhard Markson, Tiffany Chang, and Hannah Baxter; ‘Choral Perspectives’ by Orla Flanagan, Kari Turunen, Róisín Blunnie, László Nemes, Amy Ryan, and Jim Daus Hjernøe; and ‘Changing Perspectives’ by John Andrews, Nadya Potemkina, Thomas Dickey, and Lynsey Callaghan.