SKU: GI.G-9533

ISBN 9781622772407.

All our truth, or all but a few fragments, is won by metaphor. We don’t grasp the meaning of a word or concept until we have a clear image to connect it with. — C.S. Lewis   Understanding artistry and those “things” that contribute to honest and direct musical expression are concepts that are both difficult to teach and difficult for us to understand as conductors and teachers. Born out of his teaching at The Choral Institute at Oxford each summer, James Jordan has realized the power of metaphor for teaching the highest artistic concepts involving human connection and deeper listening. The home of The Choral Institute at Oxford is St. Stephen’s House, the very place that C. S. Lewis worshipped. In this book, Jordan adapts Lewis’s love of powerful and effective metaphors. Jordan uses metaphors as a guide to help conductors engage the most profound the concepts of artistry in music, concepts that are often elusive to teach or learn. These metaphors can be effective doorways to understand our role as artist teacher/conductors in new and vibrant ways. In this book, Jordan explores: The metaphor of conductor as a refractive prism connecting musicians to conductors within constant communicative connection The light-generating source for conductors The power of abiding Polishing one’s metaphorical prism for the most powerful refraction to others Rethinking the “sublime” in music making Understanding and avoiding musical “kitsch” The power of predictive audiation as ultimate trust The artist’s necessary journey into loneliness   GRAMMY-nominated conductor James Jordan is Professor and Senior Conductor at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. He is conductor of the internationally acclaimed Westminster Williamson Voices and the Westminster Schola Cantorum, and is Artistic Director and Conductor of The Same Stream (thesamestreamchoir.com). He is Director of The Westminster Conducting Institute and is Co-Director along with James Whitbourn of The Choral Institute at Oxford. James Jordan talks about his new work, Conductor As Prism:.

SKU: GI.G-10605

ISBN 9781622776160.

This advanced orchestral conducting resource features concise discussions of advanced technical and interpretive issues for 44 major orchestral works that all conductors will perform during their careers. The brief discussions that precede each score cover the full range of issues encountered in real conducting situations, and the accompanying online videos show Maestro Itkin demonstrating the techniques for each excerpt. All music examples have been faithfully reproduced from original scores, and Maestro Itkin has also arranged each excerpt for string quintet, ideal for the conducting class setting. With nearly a thousand performances to his credit, acclaimed conductor David Itkin shares the knowledge he has acquired over his decades in the profession. The Conductor’s Craft is for both up-and-coming conductors and seasoned professionals alike, equally beneficial for personal study or for use in a classroom or ensemble setting.   This volume is a real breakthrough aid for anyone studying or teaching conducting at any level. Written by David Itkin, a most distinguished and experienced conductor and teacher, it concentrates on all the vital techniques in the teaching of the craft. The accompanying video recordings also make this volume unique. This addition to the material for teaching conducting is truly revolutionary, and the selection of examples gets successfully to the point of each subject discussed. —Samuel Adler     Composer, conductor, author     Professor Emeritus, The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music The Conductor’s Craft outlines a detailed plan and method for executing conductor training in advanced conducting studios. Itkin’s book is also an excellent reference for any teacher who instructs advanced students in a collegiate orchestral conducting program, as well as for up-and-coming professionals who are studying for a career in the field. Perhaps most important, an individual conductor can manage their own self-study with Maestro Itkin’s clear statements and explanations of the technical issues presented with each excerpt. This book gives individual conductor’s freedom to explore choices and alternatives to fix tricky passages in the provided musical examples. I love the book and will be using it in my studio. —Julius P. Williams     Artistic director and conductor, Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra     President of the International Conductors Guild How refreshing to review a conducting book that deals with specificity of gesture as it relates to the music rather than mere concepts. Bravo to Maestro David Itkin for holding the aspiring conductor to task on issues of score study, execution, and style! —Mark Gibson     Director of Orchestral Studies, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati     Author of The Beat Stops Here.