Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival

About the Artist

Founded 1943 in Hancock, Maine by renowned French-born conductor Pierre Monteux, the Pierre Monteux School trains conductors to competently handle any conducting situation and trains instrumentalists to meet the many demands of orchestral playing. It offers an unrivaled opportunity to learn a large and varied repertoire during its six-week summer program. Musicians are full-time, active participants. Players rotate within their sections and remain in the orchestra. Conductors receive weekly rehearsal time on the podium and perform in concerts. Instrumentalists and conductors work and learn together. Conductors are required to play in the orchestra and learn from both sides of the podium, while instrumentalists learn the music in exacting detail. The School accepts approximately twenty conductors and forty instrumentalists to comprise a full symphonic orchestra. The School's rigorous weekly schedule, equivalent to that of a full-time orchestra, prepares musicians for a professional career. Each week's schedule includes seven symphony masterclass rehearsals and a public symphony concert led by the student conductors. Weekly concerts of smaller ensembles offer additional opportunities to perform for the public.