Conducting Lessons

Maestro Vladimir Gorbik

Choir Director, Moscow Metochion of Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra
Professor of Conducting, Moscow Conservatory

In one-on-one online lessons students enjoy unparalleled attention to technical detail and personal growth under the instruction of our Artistic Director, Maestro Vladimir Gorbik. Drawing on the conducting schools and styles of Herbert von Karajan, Boris Tevlin, Igor Dronov (and Dimitri Kitayenko) and Archimandrite Matfei Mormil of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, Maestro Gorbik instructs conductors simultaneously in technical precision and stylistic expressiveness. Both through-composed hymns and texts set to pattern melodies are studied, along with their respective conducting techniques.

Materials: (provided, subject to change)

• The Cherubic Hymn, “Vladimirskaya,” Kastalsky (English)
• The Cherubic Hymn, No. 1, Kalinnikov (Slavonic)
• The Cherubic Hymn, Rachmaninov (Slavonic)
• To Thee Our Champion Leader, Trubachev, arr. B. Sheehan
• Selected settings of proper texts in English

Dr. Peter Jermihov

Founder & Artistic Director of St. Romanos Cappella

Students will receive intensive one-on-one lessons in conducting technique based on the precepts of Il’ya Musin-master teacher of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. Peter Jermihov was also a student of Eric Ericson, Kurt Masur, Helmuth Rilling, and Robert Shaw and integrates their teaching into his method. Students will study ways of beating, preparatory beats, fermatas, recitative, mixed meter, baton technique, among many other skills and techniques, and will systematically cultivate the full range of motion of the arm and wrist with special emphasis placed on conducting espressivo legato. The core principle of this approach is expressive conducting that ‘leads’ the sound of the choir or orchestra and engages the musicians in a cooperative and heartfelt manner. Students are also asked to do extensive reading from major treatises by Berlioz, Chenokov, Green, Malko, Musin, Rudolph, Schuller, Wagner, and Walter and maintain a thorough journal. Maestro Jermihov is fluent in both Russian and English and teaches in both languages.

Materials: (provided, subject to change)
The repertoire is set in accordance with the level and needs of the student.