ABOUT THE COURSE
L’Auditori and the Banda Municipal de Barcelona announce the fifth edition of the Wind Band Conducting Course.
The course, which is also supported by the Federación Catalana de Sociedades Musicales, will be taught from July 7 to 11 at L’Auditori and is directed by José R. Pascual-Vilaplana, principal conductor of the BMB.
This year, the ensemble welcomes conductor and composer Josep Vicent Egea as guest maestro.
Conductors, conducting students, or musicians interested in this specialty can register until May 15.
L’Auditori and the Banda Municipal de Barcelona (BMB), with the collaboration of the Federación Catalana de Sociedades Musicales, open the call for registrations for the V Wind Band Conducting Course. Thus, until May 15, those interested—conductors, conducting students, or musicians interested in this discipline—can register for the course, which will take place from July 7 to 11, 2025 at L’Auditori, and which is directed by the principal conductor of the BMB, Maestro José R. Pascual-Vilaplana.
This year, the guest professor will be the Alicante-born conductor and composer Josep Vicent Egea, who joins the list of great maestros who have already participated in the course in previous editions, such as maestros Luis Serrano, Salvador Brotons, and Christian Janssen.
As in previous editions, the Wind Band Conducting Course will select a dozen students who will actively follow the course and will also admit other students as auditors, who will be able to take part in the theoretical classes and attend the practical classes as spectators. Classes will be held morning and afternoon. Those interested can write to cursdirecciobandes@gmail.com for more details about the course.
Content of the V Conducting Course
The objective of the course is to contribute to the training of conductors through theoretical and practical sessions. The students will work with the Banda Municipal on the repertoire proposed by the course and will reflect on aspects such as the study of gestures, the analysis and study technique of scores, rehearsal planning, tuning, as well as necessary aspects considering the reality of wind bands, such as programming or tactics to maintain motivation and stimulate the evolution of the members of these ensembles.
J. Vincent Egea, as guest professor, will teach the theoretical sessions for one day, adding to the work carried out by Pascual-Vilaplana as course director. This year, the course repertoire that students will have to prepare includes a work by the Alicante conductor (Poema Sanférmico), alongside other authors such as Franz von Suppé, Vincent Persichetti, Cindy McTee, Philip Sparke, and Frigyes Hidas.
The last day of the course, Friday, July 11, will be dedicated to the preparation of the closing concert, in which the active participant students will conduct the Banda Municipal with the pieces they have worked on during the week. The concert will be held in Sala 2 Oriol Martorell of L’Auditori and will be free of charge with an invitation.