Choral Conducting Symposium

Updated December 1, 2023

Applications for 2024’s program are now open! See below for application requirements

The SMTD Choral Conducting Symposium is an exciting program devoted to the enhancement of beautiful and communicative choral singing.  Sessions on rehearsal techniques, Dalcroze, vocal technique, African and African-American music, social justice repertoire, score study, and movement will take place during the Symposium.

Students will conduct in call and be videotaped to aid in the evaluation of their work.  Reading sessions of new repertoire will take place daily as well as practical opportunities for workshop participants.  Katerina Gimon will appear as our composer in residence.

Program Dates: July 8 – July 12, 2024

Application Deadline: March 1, 2024

 

See below for Tuition & Housing Information, as well as Application Requirements

*Submissions received after the application deadline of March 1, 2024, may be accepted if space is available. Those interested in selecting the housing + meal option must submit their application by March 1st, 2024.

Symposium Faculty

Eugene Rogers

Director of Choral Activities

A two-time Michigan Emmy Award winner, a 2017 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient, and a 2015 GRAMMY® Award nominee, Eugene Rogers is recognized as a leading conductor and pedagogue throughout the United States and abroad. In addition to being the founding director of EXIGENCE, Dr. Rogers is the director of choirs and an associate professor of conducting at the University of Michigan. Recently, he was named as the fifth Artistic Director of the two-time GRAMMY® Award-Winning Ensemble, The Washington Chorus (Washington, D.C.).

Rogers holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in choral music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in choral conducting from U-M. He currently serves on the board of Chorus America and is the former national chair of the Diversity Initiatives Committee for the American Choral Directors Association.

Mark Stover

Mark Stover

Associate Directors of Choirs

Regarded as a leading conductor and pedagogue in the U.S. and abroad, Mark Stover shares his passion for people and building community through pursuing the highest levels of artistry. He joined SMTD in 2018 as associate director of choirs, conducting the Men’s Glee Club and the University Choir, teaching undergraduate conducting, and serving as the conductor of the Michigan Youth Chamber Singers.

Stover has been featured as a conductor and pedagogue throughout the United States and abroad and has led ensembles in Ukraine and France. In 2014, Stover guest-conducted the famed St. Olaf Choir and led the ensemble in performances throughout the Midwest. Upcoming guest engagements include 2018 Together In Hope Project, a professional touring choral ensemble from the Twin Cities who will travel to perform several concerts in Rome, and the 2019 Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools in Singapore.

Julie Skadsem

Associate Professor of Music Education

Julie Skadsem is associate professor of choral music education and conducting at the University of Michigan where she conducts the Women’s Glee Club and teaches courses in conducting, choral techniques, and vocal methods. Before coming to Michigan in fall 2006, Skadsem was associate professor of music education at the University of Alabama, where she taught courses in choir, conducting, and music education, and was the founding director of the Birmingham Children’s Choir. She taught vocal music (7-12) in Ironwood, Michigan and is an active clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor.

She is a member of the VoiceCare Network and is certified in Dalcroze eurhythmics, Orff-Schulwerk, and Kodaly. In addition to her choral work, Skadsem is also an active researcher. Her research on choral conducting and rehearsal techniques has been presented at MENC, ACDA, and the Southeastern Music Education Symposium, and is being published at the state, regional, and national levels. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Southern Music Education Journal.

Program Highlights / Selected Repertoire

Composer in Residence

Information on 2024’s Composer in Residence will be posted in the coming months. Check back soon for more details! 

Selected Repertoire

Selected repertoire for next year’s symposium will be posted in late December 2023

Sample Schedule

A final schedule for next year’s symposium will be posted in 2024. For a sample of what next summer’s program will entail, click the link below for a final schedule from this year’s Choral Conducting Symposium:

2023 Choral Conducting Symposium Schedule

Tuition & Housing Information

Tuition options for the 2024 Choral Conducting Symposium are listed below. Applicants will be able to select their preferred option via the workshop application.

Program Tuition

WITH HOUSING + MEALS 

  • $1000 – Participant + Housing & Meals

WITHOUT HOUSING + MEALS

  • $0650 – Participant WITHOUT Housing & Meals

IMPORTANT NOTE: Cost provides housing 3:00 P.M. Sunday, July 7, 2024, through 12:00 P.M. Saturday, July 13, 2024. Meals provided will include breakfast, lunch, and dinner, beginning with dinner on Sunday, July 7, 2024, and ending with brunch on Saturday, July 13, 2024.

Housing / Meal Information

Participants will be housed in the following dormitory: Baits Housing

Participants will receive meals in the following dormitory: Bursley Dining Hall

Participant tuition will include all program activities for the duration of the week. Participants must pay for their own travel to and from Ann Arbor, MI, and should plan to arrive by July 7, 2024, and depart on July 13, 2024.

Application Requirements

Those wishing to participate in the 2024 Choral Conducting Symposium should complete the application form by including the following:

  • A description of their musical activities
  • Alink to their resume in the application

Participants are also responsible for securing / bringing the following items to the symposium: 

  • A conducting baton
  • A personal recording device (i.e. phone, iPad, etc.)

Applicants should be aware that there is a non-refundable $50 application fee in addition to the program’s tuition cost listed above. Please email smtd-youthandadult@umich.edu if you have any questions regarding the application process.

    Contact Us

    Office of Engagement & Outreach-Youth & Adult Programs
    University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
    Stearns Building │ 2005 Baits Drive │ Ann Arbor, MI 48109
    Phone: (734) 936-2660
    Email: smtd-youthandadult@umich.edu

    Engagement & Outreach Staff monitors emails and phone lines at the following times
    Sunday – Thursday, 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. EST