Royal Academy of Music in London to Host Inaugural International Musical Director Symposium

On 19-20 July 2020 the Royal Academy of Music in London will host the inaugural International Musical Director Symposium. This exciting event will be the first of its kind in the world, bringing together Musical Directors and leading theatre practitioners to explore the interdisciplinary facets of this unique art form. The keynote speaker will be the renowned Broadway Musical Director, Conductor and Orchestrator Larry Blank.

Presentations, panel discussions and workshops will address key topics relating to Music Direction in theatre, including: 'Working with Actor/Musicians' (with Tony, Olivier and Grammy award winning arranger Martin Lowe), 'The Art of Dance Arranging' (with Chris Walker and Olivier award winning choreographer Bill Deamer), 'Maestra: Working Together Towards Gender Equality in Music Direction' (Panel discussion and workshop led by Caroline Humphris), 'Vocal Heath and Working with Singers' (led by Mary Hammond and Maureen Scott), 'The Art of Ensemble Singing' (choral workshop led by Stephen Hill), 'Pedagogy: Training the Next Generation of Musical Directors' (Panel discussion chaired by Nigel Lilley, with representatives from the Royal Academy of Music, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts), 'Orchestration and Arranging for Theatre' (with Larry Blank), alongside interviews and panel discussions with Stephen Brooker, David Firman, Gareth Valentine, Mike Dixon and Kenneth Alwyn, and new tempo research presented by Dr. Stuart Morley.

The symposium is aimed at seasoned professionals, students and theatre practitioners and there will be many opportunities for informal and semi-structured networking during the event. Chairman and founder Stuart Morley says "I'm excited that this event will provide an invaluable opportunity to bring together Musical Directors from the West End, Broadway and around the world to pool their collective knowledge and spend time together discussing their craft."

The International Musical Director Symposium is proudly presented in association with the Royal Academy of Music, which was the first conservatoire in the UK to introduce formal Musical Director training in 2002.

Tickets are available at: IMDSymposium.com