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Important Retreat Information from Kenneth Kiesler
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I'm looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks as we begin the 26th summer of the Conductors Retreat at Medomak. Every summer, the experience of the Retreat is created and shaped by the unique qualities of the individual participants and the “personality” of the entire group. Every Retreat is new and different, so I’m writing to you with great anticipation and excitement about what lies ahead.
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Below, you’ll find a great deal of important information, which you will need. I hope it will answer questions you may have, and that it will be helpful as you prepare for your trip to Maine and your time with us in Maine.
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Arrival at Medomak
Please allow more than enough travel time to ensure your on-time arrival. Because it is very important to begin the Retreat with everyone present, I would like to reiterate that it is a requirement to be on time for registration on Wednesday, June 29, between 2:00 and 4:00pm, It is important to be registered, begin your “move-in,” and be on time for our first meeting, which begins at 4:30. If you are traveling by car, it would help streamline the process if you were to arrive between 2:00 and 3:15 if possible, before the airport bus arrives around 3:30.
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Note: On our first day, if for any reason you are having difficulty making it to the Retreat on time, please call the Retreat office: 207-845-3219. It would be a good idea to save this number to your phone.
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COVID Health and Safety Measures
The Medomak Retreat Center requires full vaccination, and recommends being “up to date” (getting a booster once eligible), as defined by the CDC.
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NB: For everyone 12+ who is 5 months past their initial J&J or final of the 2 dose mRNA series, the definition of “up to date” is having had a first booster. The 2nd booster, for people 50+ or immunocompromised, is currently available, but not required to be considered “up to date.”
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We are committed to doing our very best to create the safest and healthiest environment for everyone who comes to Medomak. The management of the Medomak Retreat Center (our landlords and hosts), are equally committed to protecting our health and wellbeing.
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Obtaining Scores
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It is essential to obtain a score for every piece on the repertoire list:
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If you don’t already own the Mozart, Brahms, Tchaikovsly, Debussy, and James Lee III pieces, I highly recommend purchasing them from Rob Bethel at Yesterday Service Sheet Music. Rob offers wonderful customer service, and he provides a discount for us.
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I work with Rob to select the best editions, weighing their quality and price. Whether you purchase your scores from him or not, please be sure you have the editions that we have listed on the repertoire page. If we’ve listed more than one publisher, feel free to choose any one of them.
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A Note about the Debussy
We have listed two editions: the Baerenreiter, which is a large score, and the Norton, which is a study score. The Norton has quite useful information in addition to the score. It’s useable for conducting, but it is small. I own both scores, but you could buy one or the other if you prefer. If you decide to buy only the Barenreiter, I would suggest referring to a library copy of the Norton for the differences in the musical text, essays, and other commentary. etc. It has the Mallarmé poem as well, but that is widely available.
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Please click below to place your order:
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Score Study
We will do score study together during the first few days, and there will definitely be some time to study on your own. Nevertheless, it is important to have studied the repertoire in advance. One of our goals is to practice delving deeply into a score. Depending on your learning characteristics and your level of experience, you may choose to focus on smaller sections or movements rather than whole works. Even if you decide to focus on shorter sections or movements, you should be reasonably familiar with all of the works on our repertoire list in their entirety. Please understand that we schedule only one or two works each day, so if you are not familiar with at least one section of each work, you may miss an opportunity to conduct on a particular day. I would like to gently, but highly, recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity conduct in every one of the sessions, so you will need to be ready to conduct at least a section of every piece.
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What to Bring
Please see the attached list of items we suggest that you bring to the Retreat. If you would like to send some of them in advance, so you don’t have to carry them with you, it would be a good idea for them to arrive at Medomak on or after June 22.
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Books
You’ll see that the list of items includes these two books, which are required:
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Bach Chorales 1-91 in open score, which is available through Yesterday Music Service, and Music for Score Reading by Melcher and Warch.
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Music for Score Reading is out of print, so we are making it available to you through a special arrangement with the publisher. You may order the printed book alone, or a combination of the printed book and the digital version here. We will send you the ordering information as soon as we receive it.
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We’re happy that we’re able to make Music for Score Reading available to you. Please know that The Conductors Retreat at Medomak receives no funds from their sales, and we have no control over the prices.
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Weather
The list of What to Bring includes a warning that nights in Maine often bring very cold temperatures, and that the cabins have no heat. Every summer, there are people who don’t take this warning seriously, thinking that it is summer so it will be warm. Please, please be prepared for frigid overnight temperatures. For the first day or two of some Retreats, we’ve even had a bit of frost on the ground in the mornings. (I sometimes wear socks on my hands, like gloves.)
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Faculty
My faculty colleagues, Bill Marvin, Elinore Morin, Rotem Weinberg, Stephen Whiting, and I are looking forward to working with you. As usual, we have a fantastic consort of resident professional musicians who are eagerly looking forward to making music with you.
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I’m delighted that you will be with us at Medomak this summer, and I wish you all the best in your score study and preparation. I’m looking forward to our work and to everything that we can learn, create, and achieve together this summer.
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Conductors Retreat at Medomak
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