DMA Conducting

Degree Type

Doctorate

Formats

In-Person

Location

On-Campus

The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Conducting at BU School of Music combines rigorous study of choral and orchestral conducting techniques and literature with related work in performance, music theory, and musicology in a vibrant and intimate setting, all within a major research university. DMA candidates will join a diverse community of scholar-performers led by a renowned faculty. In addition, the rich intellectual and artistic environment of Boston provides many further opportunities for amateur and professional collaborations.

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Curriculum requirements for the DMA in Conducting program can be found on the Academic Bulletin.

Program of Study

ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTING

Dive deep into the artistry of orchestral conducting while embracing the symphonic realm. Our conductors not only master their principal area but also enrich their skills with immersive training in choral conducting. Imagine the thrill of leading rehearsals and performances with our esteemed School of Music orchestras, where every gesture shapes the harmonies of tomorrow. Beyond the podium, Boston’s dynamic musical landscape invites you to explore countless opportunities for collaboration with both amateur and professional ensembles.

With a select cohort of two to six resident graduate students at any time, our DMA program ensures ample podium time within our ensembles. Drawing on their seasoned musical backgrounds, orchestral conducting students join a community where individual growth fuels collective excellence. Through personalized mentorship and collaborative seminars, they actively contribute to each other’s journey toward mastery.

CHORAL CONDUCTING

In the world of choral conducting, we celebrate the rich tapestry of vocal expression through comprehensive literature surveys and graduate seminars. Explore the depths of choral repertoire, from historical perspectives to contemporary interpretations, as you refine your understanding of style and performance practices. These studies seamlessly integrate with the academic rigors of our doctoral program, preparing you to lead with both artistry and scholarship.

Joining a close-knit cohort of two to six resident graduate students, choral conducting scholars take the helm of our School of Music ensembles, nurturing their leadership skills while honing their craft. With individualized mentorship and collaborative learning environments, every student actively shapes their path while contributing to the vibrant musical community at Boston University.

Daniel Parsley, a CFA School of Music assistant professor of choral conducting, director of choral activities, and director of graduate conducting programs, conducts the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson, part of their We Are One festival series, October 26, 2022. Photo credit: Mark Lyons Photography Inc.

Program Highlights

Master Both Orchestral and Choral Conducting

Experience the thrill of mastering both orchestral and choral conducting, expanding your musical versatility and artistic expression.
Take the podium with confidence, leading our School of Music orchestras and choral ensembles through dynamic rehearsals and exhilarating performances.
Engage with the renowned Boston University Opera Institute, enhancing your understanding of vocal performance and collaborative skills through interdisciplinary opportunities.

Thrive in Boston’s Musical Hub

Immerse yourself in Boston’s vibrant music scene, collaborating with a diverse array of amateur and professional musical groups. Some of our recent collaborations include the Boston Children’s Chorus, Handel & Haydn Society (H+H), Juventas, Boston Arts Academy, and the National Children’s Chorus.
Engage in exciting extracurricular opportunities that amplify your learning experience and enrich your musical journey. Highlights include ensemble work with professional level church choirs, community ensembles such as BackBay Chorale, Boston Choral Ensemble, and Seraphim Singers, and professional opportunities with ensembles such as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Nightingale Vocal Ensemble

Elevate Your Skills on the Podium

Maximize your podium time within our program, where a select group of five to seven graduate conductors ensures personalized attention and ample performance opportunities. Opportunities exist to serve as assistant for the Boston University Singers, Boston University Symphonic Chorus. Qualified DMA and MM candidates may serve as associate conductors and principal director for the Boston University Soprano-Alto Chorus and Boston University Choral Society.
Hone your craft through hands-on mentorship and collaborative learning environments that foster growth and innovation.
Refine your conducting technique through our graduate conducting seminars, studying with both major area, primary instructors in choral and orchestral conducting studios.

Uncover the Heart of Musical Expression

Embark on a journey through extensive choral and orchestral repertoire studies, deepening your understanding of musical history, style, and interpretation.
Dive into graduate seminars that dissect repertoire nuances, equipping you with the knowledge to command performances with artistry and precision.
Delve into extensive choral and orchestral repertoire surveys, deepening your understanding of historical context, performance styles, and artistic interpretation.
Participate in graduate seminars that offer in-depth exploration of repertoire, fostering a thorough examination of musical style and performance practices. Our comprehensive choral literature sequence spans four semesters while our graduate conducting seminar offers opportunities for refining conducting technique as well as leading chamber performances with our graduate conductors chorus.
Each graduate conductor shares a cycle each semester for the graduate conductors chorus, producing ample lab experience combined with masterclass style instruction.

Cultivate a Community of Excellence

• Join forces with a tight-knit community of talented peers and distinguished faculty, where collaboration fuels creativity and mutual support propels success.
• Engage actively in peer learning, group projects, and ensemble leadership roles that prepare you to excel as a leader in the world of conducting.

Forge Your Path to Artistic Leadership

Develop robust leadership skills as you take charge of our School of Music ensembles, shaping musical narratives and inspiring audiences with your vision.
Receive personalized mentorship from world-class faculty who are committed to nurturing your unique talents and guiding your professional growth.

Leadership and Artistic Excellence

Develop strong leadership skills as you assume leadership roles within our School of Music ensembles, preparing you to excel in professional conducting roles.
Receive personalized guidance from faculty mentors who are dedicated to nurturing your artistic vision and career aspirations.

Opportunities

Because the School of Music Conducting enrollment is intentionally small, students enjoy close contact with their mentors, colleagues, other musicians and composers, and conducting opportunities of an informal nature present themselves with some frequency. Both Orchestral and Choral graduate conducting students also have a history of involving themselves in the large, active professional and amateur Boston musical communities beyond the School of Music, numbers of them having become assistant conductors for some of these organizations. In addition, quite a few have formed their own choral ensembles, chamber ensembles, new music ensembles and orchestras, some of which have thrived beyond the conductor’s study at BU and continue to contribute to the wealth of musical activity in Boston.

Graduate conductors work closely with the School of Music orchestral or choral ensembles. The orchestral conductors appear with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra and/or Chamber Orchestra, both leading performances and serving as active assistant conductors to the ensembles’ conductors. When appropriate to the needs of the ensembles and the skills of the graduate conductor, students also lead sectional rehearsals on the repertoire under preparation.

Learn & Apply

Likewise, the choral conductors serve on a rotating basis as assistant conductors with the Boston University Symphonic Chorus and the Boston University Singers, leading performances and sectionals as need arises, and as skills and experience permit. Conducting Fellowships are also available at Marsh Chapel for graduate students in choral conducting.

Featured Faculty

Notable Alumni and Principal Positions

David Arrivée, MM

California Polytechnic State University, Associate Professor; Cal Poly Symphony, Director

Zachary Bruno, DMA

Skyline College (CA), Associate Professor; Director of Orchestras and Bands

Tiffany Chang, DMA

New England Repertory Orchestra, Founder and Music Director; Berklee School of Music, Conducting Faculty

Michalis Economu, MM (Conducting), DMA (Composition)

Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor; Athens Technical University Music Department, Chairman and Artistic Director; Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Past Music Director

Neal Hampton, MM

Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, Music Director

Jin Kim, AD

Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MA), Music Director

Geneviève Leclair, DMA

Boston Ballet Orchestra, Assistant Conductor; Parkway Concert Orchestra (Boston), Music Director

Eric Lindholm, MM

Pomona College Orchestra, Conductor; Pomona College, Professor

Daniel Meyer, MM

Asheville (NC) Symphony, Music Director; Erie (PA) Philharmonic, Music Director; Pittsburgh Symphony, Former Resident Conductor; Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, Former Music Director

Francisco Noya, MM

Berklee College of Music, Assistant Professor; Conducting Faculty; Rhode Island Philharmonic, Resident Conductor

Samuel Pascoe, DMA

Coro pro Musica (Mexico City), Music Director; Academia de Mexico Orchestra, Conductor; National Autonomous University of Mexico Chamber Orchestra, Conductor

Kostis Protopapas, MM

Tulsa Opera, Artistic Director

Lan Shui, MM, AD

Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Music Director; Copenhagen Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor; Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Former Associate Conductor; Baltimore Symphony, Former Conducting Affiliate

Lidiya Yankovskaya

Chicago Opera Theater Music Director

Jenny Bent, BM, MM

Sonoma State University (Rohnert Park, CA), Director of Choral Activities

Martín Benvenuto, DMA

Peninsula Women’s Chorus (Bay Area, CA), Artistic Director; WomenSing (Bay Area, CA)

Jason Bishop, MM

Drew University, Director of Choral and Vocal Studies, Assistant Professor
The Greater South Jersey Chorus, Artistic Director

Sean Burton, MM

Brian Cliff University (Sioux City), Director of Choral Activities, Associate Professor; Siouxland Choral Artists, Founding Artistic Director and Conductor; National Collegiate Choral Organization, Chief Editor of Publications

Andrew Clark, DMA

Harvard University, Director of Choral Activities

Drew Collins, MM

Connecticut State University, Director of Choral Activities; Central Connecticut State University (New Britain), Director of Choral Activities

Eric Esparza, DMA

DePaul University, Director of Choral Activities

Miguel Felipe, MM, DMA

University of Arizona, Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music; Lutheran Church of Honolulu, Director of Music and Liturgy

Katherine FitzGibbon, DMA

Lewis and Clark College (Portland, OR), Director of Choral Activities, Assistant Professor; Resonance Ensemble (Portland, OR), Artistic Director

Matthew Garrett, MM

Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland), Director of Choirs, Assistant Professor

Jamie Hillman, DMA

Gordon College (MA), Assistant Professor of Music

Scott Allen Jarrett, MM, DMA

Music at Marsh Chapel (Boston University), Director of Music; Back Bay Chorale (Boston), Music Director; Charlotte (NC) Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Conductor, Director of Choruses

Stephen Kingsbury, MM

Southwest Minnesota State University (Marshall), Director of Choral Activities, Assistant Professor; Kol Arev (Boston), Music Director; Hebrew College School of Music, Faculty; New England Conservatory, Former Director of Choruses

Michael McGaghie, MM, DMA

Macalester College (St. Paul), Director of Choral Activities, Assistant Professor

Ryan Murphy, DMA

Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Salt Lake City), Associate Music Director

Joshua Nannestad, DMA

Southeastern Oklahoma University, Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education

Christine Noel, MM, DMA

Providence (RI) Singers, Artistic Director; Rhode Island Children’s Chorus (Providence), Founder and Artistic Director

Anthony Trecek-King, DMA

Associate Professor of Choral Music, Director of Choral Activities at Hartt School, University of Hartford; Boston Children’s Chorus, Artistic Director

Timothy Westerhaus, MM, DMA

Gonzaga University (Spokane), Director of Choral Activities

Beth Willer, MM, DMA

Lorelei Ensemble (Boston), Founder and Artistic Director; Radcliffe Choral Society, Harvard University, Resident Conductor

Katie Woolf, MM

Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts, Director of Choral and Vocal Music

Nathan Zullinger, MM, DMA

Haverford College, Assistant Professor and Director of the Choral and Vocal Program; North Carolina School of the Arts, Faculty; University of Rhode Island, Faculty

Next Steps for Applicants

The best way to determine if BU is right for you is to explore our admission requirements, financial tools, and resources to determine if the program is the right match.

Reach out to Graduate Admissions at visitSOM@bu.edu with any questions along the way or to request information. We are happy to discuss your educational interests and career goals.