CCM hosts Conducting Master Class March 5-8, 2026
Participants hone their conducting skills with CCM Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson
UC College-Conservatory of Music hosts the CCM Conducting Master Class on March 5-8, 2026. Open to emerging and established conductors, participants will have the opportunity to learn from CCM Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson while working with the CCM Philharmonia.
The four-day master class coincides with CCM Philharmonia's public Conducting Master Class performance, presented at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, in Corbett Auditorium. The free performance features two legendary masterworks Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98 (1884) and Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60, B. 112 (1880).
All master class participants will have the opportunity to work and perform with the renowned CCM Philharmonia under the guidance of Mark Gibson. Participants and auditors will work together in score study sessions and participants will have the rare opportunity to work with the CCM Philharmonia in sectional rehearsals. Eight participants will share the culminating concert on March 8.
Participants will be selected based on auditions and application materials; deadline to submit is Jan. 20, 2026.
Thursday, March 5
- 2 p.m. |Meet and greet
- 3 p.m. | Score study/ Q&A/ piano session
- 5:30 p.m. | Dinner break
- 7–10 p.m. | Rehearsal with CCM Philharmonia
Friday, March 6
- 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. | Orchestral Conducting Training
- 1:30-3:40 p.m. | Rehearsal with CCM Philharmonia
Saturday, March 7
- 10 a.m. | Bagel breakfast/ Q&A
- 12 p.m. | Lunch break
- 1-2:30 p.m. | Wind/brass sectional
- 3-4:30 p.m. | String sectional
- 7:30 p.m. | Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert at Music Hall (optional)
Sunday, March 8
- Morning | Individual notes/conference sessions
- 12:15 p.m. | Dress rehearsal
- 5 p.m. | CCM Philharmonia Conducting Master Class Concert
- 7:30 p.m. | Final get-together and send-off dinner
Registration Details
- Conducting Master Class Fellow track: $900
- Conducting Master Class Auditor track: $300
Audition Requirements
- Two videos (Contrasting excerpts, no more than 10 minutes total, with ensemble or piano, from the ensemble's perspective)
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae
- Bio
Deadline to submit audition applications: Jan. 20, 2026
Please note: Audition materials must be submitted through Get Acceptd; there is an $80 application fee.
If you have any questions regarding guidelines, requirements, or deadlines please feel free to contact the CCM Summer and Special Programs Manager at ortiznj@ucmail.uc.edu.
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