The certificate in instrumental conducting is ideal for students preparing for graduate study in conducting, to conduct professionally, or to pursue careers as conductors on an academic track.
Our new program is unique nationally, and admission is highly competitive. Students accepted into the program will earn a certificate in instrumental conducting in addition to a music degree in performance, composition, or music education. Certificates are available in orchestral conducting and band conducting.
Conducting certificate students will have the opportunity to conduct full-size orchestras, chamber orchestras, and opera as part of their studies.
Each year, graduates of Concordia’s orchestral conducting program are securing graduate offers at programs across the country, being praised for their strong technical foundation, thorough score study and analytical skills, and their unusually large amount and variety of practical experiences.
Conducting lessons will be taught by Dr. Kevin Sütterlin (orchestra conducting) or Dr. Peter Haberman (band conducting) depending on your area of interest.
Students will build a substantial professional network during their time at Concordia. Concordia’s orchestral conducting program has strong ties with arts organizations, professional orchestras, youth symphonies, and other academic institutions, such as the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Memphis and Sinfonietta Academy, Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival, Northern Valley Youth Orchestras, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and others. Students will frequently get to work with guest conductors in masterclasses and lessons.