ANBOC 2026

* (Sometimes, it is what we do)
Let's take a hard look at the classical music concert rituals. Are they helping or turning off our audiences? Session includes practical ideas to try, should we dare!

The wise, patient counsel of a trusted mentor. The shining example of a valued colleague. That rarified “aha” moment of discovery following painstaking trial and error. Lessons learned, accumulated over the course of a career, provide guidance and inspiration in the classroom and concert hall. This keynote will explore a litany of “life hacks” with the potential to enhance your musicianship and pedagogy.  

Effective rehearsals begin with score study: from “Dragonhunter” to the Mahler Adagietto, scrutiny of any well-crafted piece will reveal the best strategies for preparation and performance. Excerpts from string pieces by Copland, Hofeldt, Meyer, Newbold, and Walker illustrate how elements such as formal design, compositional arrival points, and expressive hierarchies may increase rehearsal efficiency and productiveness.

A practical overview of common conducting issues that inhibit music-making and might even be unhealthy. Bring a baton!

What happens to musicians as a result of being in an ensemble that we conduct?

Professor Benjamin Northey draws on his experience across professional orchestras, conductor training and music education to explore how conductors can create the conditions for musicians to thrive. Moving beyond notes, technique and performance outcomes, the session considers how rehearsal culture, creativity, communication and leadership can develop confident, curious and independent musicians.

Benjamin will also explore the conductor’s own development - including self-leadership, wellbeing, presence and the energy we bring into the room - and share perspectives from his over twenty-five year professional orchestral practice that can translate meaningfully into educational settings.

Ultimately, this session asks how conducting can become not simply the leadership of music, but an opportunity to develop the people making it, and even ourselves.