Cascade Conducting Choral Masterclass
with Dr. Geoffrey Boers

Pacific Lutheran University

June 24th - June 29th, 2024.

The Application Deadline is April 22nd, 2024.

Choral Masterclass Information

About the Choral Masterclass


"Cascade was a transformative experience for me as a conductor and singer. The combination of podium opportunity, vocal science, and collaboration with fellow conductors created a fulfilling and valuable week!"

Led by Dr. Geoffrey Boers, Music Director of Symphony Tacoma Voices, and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Washington,  the Cascade Conducting Choral Masterclass is an in-depth look at artistry and gesture, as well as vocal and rehearsal pedagogy. The class will be a hands-on one-to-one exploration of gesture to find each student’s personal “signature” which communicates deeply with the ensemble. Leading-edge practices of group vocal technique and singer-student based teaching will be explored. In addition to rich hours of learning, the course offers choral conductors 60+ minutes of instructional podium time with the Symphony Tacoma Voices, as well as two sessions with the Cascade Conducting Chamber Orchestra (rehearsal and concert), led by Symphony Tacoma principal musicians.  The final concert on Friday, June 30th, will be professionally video- recorded and made available to participants.  


Participants will experience:

All podium sessions will be video recorded.

Tuition

$750 Full Tuition Cost

More than $1,500 worth of scholarships and financial aid are available.

Repertoire

TBD (excerpts from the following works)

Handel..........................Messiah HWV 56

Haydn...........................Creation Hob. XXI:2

Verdi.............................Requiem 

Faure............................Cantique de Jean Racine Op. 11

Mozart.........................Requiem


Instructor

Dr. Geoffrey Boers

Dr. Geoffrey Boers is Director of Choral Activities and the Ruth Waters Professor of Music at the University of Washington Seattle, where he leads a program widely recognized as innovative and forward thinking, focused on nurturing the whole student as conductor-teacher- scholar-servant-leader. His research is focused toward developing new thoughts on conducting gesture and rehearsal pedagogy as informed by vocal science, neuro-science, and recent vocal pedagogies; and their impact on empathy, perception, learning, and personal transformation. 

His primary passion during his career is to foster the love of choral music in young people, and to equip them with the joy of discovery in becoming a choral artist. When working with young singers and teachers, the word most often spoken is “connection”—singers feel connected to their instrument, each other, and to the music they are singing. Alongside his work with young singers, his hope was to affirm and enable the work of choral teachers, and provide opportunities for growth and inspiration. Over recent years, he has developed the Choral Literacy and Skills rubric which has been adopted by NAfME as the national standards for choral performance. He is currently working on a project to translate and broaden traditional choral pedagogy into globally diverse language and processes.

Application Process

STEP 1: REGISTRATION

Cascade Conducting Choral Masterclass

Application Deadline is April 22nd, 2024

STEP 2: REGISTRATION FEE

Application Registration Fee

Payment Options: Online or by Check

We accept all major credit and debit cards, PayPal, Venmo, and digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Microsoft Pay. 

Check or Money Order: Choose "Pay by check" option after clicking the "Tuition Payment" button.

STEP 3: TUITION PAYMENT

UPON ACCEPTANCE

Tuition Payment

Only upon application approval.

Payment Options: Online or by Check

Submit a tuition payment online using the "Tuition Payment" button.

We accept all major credit and debit cards, PayPal, Venmo, and digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Microsoft Pay. 

Check or Money Order: Choose "Pay by check" option after clicking the "Tuition Payment" button.

Location

Mary Baker Russell Music Building

Pacific Lutheran University

868 Wheeler St S, Parkland, WA 98444 

This Cascade Conducting Masterclass will take place in the Mary Baker Russell Music Building on the beautiful campus of Pacific Lutheran University (PLU).

For more information or questions concerning lodging, food or the event venue, please contact us.