Gwinnett County Public Schools will host its 17th annual International Conductors Workshop and Competition this weekend. Sponsored by the Gwinnett Online Campus and Mercer University Townsend School of Music the event is scheduled for Jan. 17 to 20 at the Campus in Lawrenceville.
This popular, intensive, well attended and well- respected workshop and competition is open to conductors at ail levels of experience and is based on the techniques of major conductors of our time Ferrara, Monteux, Musin, and Szel.
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Faculty includes Adrian Gnam, director and Gregory Pritchard, associate director and conductor of the Gwinnett Sympyony Chamber Orchestra.and the Gwinnett Online Campus Fine Arts Department Chair.
Each participant will conduct the professional ICWC Orchestra in works by Barber, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Mozart, and Strauss, Tchaikovsky and Verdi throughout the workshop and on a public performance at 2 p.m. on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 20 in the Gwinnett Online Campus Auditorium.
The winner of the competition will be announced at the end of the workshop. Past participants have recently gained positions with the Cincinnati, Ft. Worth, Detroit, New Jersey, Portland, Maine, St. Louis, Oregon and Minnesota orchestras.
The 11 conductors chosen to participate in the January ICWC are: David Michael Galant, music director of the Creighton University Orchestra and Kanesville Symphony; Keith Miter, a music technical support consultant; Rob Tomaro, music director of the Beloit Janesville Symphony: Francesco Attardi, guest conductor from Milan, Italy; Kenny Lee, music director of the Stetson University Symphony; Joseph Valent, freelance conductor, composer. pianist and organist; Raphael Arenas Fernandez, undergraduate student; Joshua Cole, adjunct faculty at West Virginia State University; Ezra Donner, director of the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society; Scott Gentile, a graduate of Pyeongkang Park, graduate student at Georgia State University and music director of the Atlanta Christian Men's Choir.
A free concert open to the public is at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 at the Gwinnett Online Campus Auditorium, 713 Hi Hope Rd, Lawrenceville.
