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Greetings my fellow Friend of the Conductors Retreat at Medomak!
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My name is Justin Bischof and I am the Chair of the Board of the Conductors Retreat. I am an orchestral and opera conductor and a proud three-time Retreat Alum.
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These are indeed exciting times for the Retreat! As we gear up for our 25th summer celebration I want to update you about exciting new developments:
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- Our board is active and growing with the addition this year of Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser (Symphony Nova Scotia) and Tara Hollander (Foundation for Inner Peace). They are both exceptional assets for our Board and we are thrilled to have them on the team.
- Thanks to the heroic efforts of our Founder Kenneth Kiesler and our technical support guru Andrew Neer, our redesigned and expanded website is up and running. You can see their work at www.conductorsretreat.org.
- In September, we brought Kelli Gardner Hollander on board as part-time Director of Development as we work to grow our organization. She is dedicated and goes above and beyond in her work for the Retreat.
- The repertoire has been announced for this summer. You can find it here.
- Applications for our 25th summer (June 30-July 18) are coming in with some openings still available. If you know someone who is interested please send them to the application form.
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William Grant Still Initiative
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We have launched our William Grant Still Initiative for Black Conductors. We are in the midst of the first phase as Ken, joined by faculty and guests, just completed last week a series of online workshops for prospective Black conductors. We are extremely proud of this initiative. I encourage you to visit the William Grant Still Initiative page on our website to learn about this important work.
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The second phase of this initiative will take place at the Retreat this summer and features the William Grant Still Fellows who will facilitate our permanent new diversity, equity, and inclusion component. They will guide formal and informal discussions, practical training, and personal strategic planning for all of the Retreat’s participating conductors. We are honored to work with these exceptional individuals.
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2021 William Grant Still Fellows
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Dr. Naomi André is Professor in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and the Residential College at the University of Michigan. She received her B.A. from Barnard College and M.A. and Ph.D. (Music: Musicology) from Harvard University. Her research focuses on opera and issues surrounding gender, voice, and race in the US, Europe, and South …
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On January 1, 2014, Wayne S. Brown was named President and CEO of Michigan Opera Theatre. Mr. Brown had been director of Music and Opera for the National Endowment for the Arts since 1997, where he managed NEA grants for music and opera projects and directed the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, the nation’s highest honor in jazz. Prior to his …
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Music Director, Moores Opera Center Associate Professor of Conducting, University of Houston Music Director Emeritus, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Raymond Harvey (Music Director of the Moores Opera Center) was born in New York City, and received his MM in choral conducting from Oberlin College and his DMA in orchestral conducting from Yale University. He served as Music Director of the Kalamazoo …
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Hailed as “sublime” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nkeiru Okoye’s genre-bending compositions reflect a dizzying range of influences — Gilbert & Sullivan, the Gershwins, Sondheim, Copland, gospel, jazz, and Schoenberg. Okoye writes in both the opera/theatre and symphonic mediums; and her works have been performed on five continents. A musical storyteller, researcher, and historian, Okoye’s best-known works incorporate social science …
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Sebastian Ruth is a musician, educator, and organizer whose work explores new roles for music making in contemporary society. Sebastian is the Founder and Artistic Director of Community MusicWorks, a community based organization that builds cohesive urban community through music education and performance in Providence, Rhode Island. CMW’s programming includes a full season of chamber music performances and commissions by its …
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As we begin our 25th year, we are committed to creating a memorable and meaningful Retreat this summer. Inspired by Ken’s quarter-century of ongoing tireless leadership, we are confident and excited about the coming years as we advance our mission to empower conductors to achieve musical excellence while developing their capacity to inspire the musicians they conduct, the students they teach, and the institutions they lead.
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I will be in touch again as we get closer to the Retreat. In the meantime, as we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, everyone please stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful weekend.
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Chair of the Board | Conductors Retreat at Medomak
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