WASBE Conducting Scholarship 2026
- WASBE Marcom
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
In association with Sherborne Summer School of Music (UK)
2 - 9 August 2026
WASBE is proud to support the participation of two active WASBE members wishing to train at this prestigious academy with a scholarship covering up to half of their tuition fees.
Sherborne Summer School of Music
This internationally recognised course is for conductors at intermediate and advanced levels with an interest in wind repertoire, or a desire to immerse themselves in issues relating to conducting wind and brass instruments. Up to twenty-five students will be accepted as “active” participants. Observers are also encouraged and will be fully involved in the course, but they will only conduct at the discretion of the tutors.
An integral feature of the week is that all active participants receive podium time with an ensemble each day and a performance opportunity at the end of the week. This year we are fortunate to have the eminent composer Martin Ellerby join us. Martin will not only spend time with the class but will also assist in the preparation of his works for performance.
The course will begin at 14.30 on Sunday afternoon in order that all participants will have the opportunity to conduct on the first day.
Participants will explore the physical language of conducting, score preparation, rehearsal technique and repertoire knowledge. All conducting sessions are filmed by camcorder and students are asked to bring a standard SD memory card to create a record of their work. This will also be used for regular review sessions during the week. The course runs concurrently with the Wind Ensemble Course and there will be close liaison between the two including the opportunity for selected students to work with that ensemble.
All participants should bring any instruments that they play to accommodate ensemble work within the class. (If for any reason you are unable to bring your instrument[s], please let the summer school office know when you enrol). Students should, as a minimum, prepare thoroughly the works marked with an * before commencement of the course. You may then wish to select further pieces from the remaining repertoire – it is usually more beneficial to know some of the music well, than all of it not so well. More experienced students may also wish to prepare works from the Wind Ensemble repertoire list.
Application deadline: March 31, 2026
Announcement of results: April 15, 2026
To apply, visit https://wasbe.org/scholarship#apply
