COLLEGIATE CONDUCTING

The NW ACDA 2026 conference leadership committee is delighted to announce the 2026 Collegiate Conducting Masterclass to be held at the Northwestern Region Conference in Tacoma, WA. The masterclass is offered to acknowledge and develop the conducting and rehearsal skills of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students and to promote student activity at the conference. We welcome and encourage applications from students in both small and large music programs. The masterclass will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 4:00pm - 5:30pm at the Pantages Theater, and it will be led by Dr. Tram Sparks, former Chair of the Department of Choral and Sacred Music and Professor of Practice at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. This masterclass will include four undergraduate and/or graduate students who are enrolled full-time in a music degree program. The masterclass will allow for approximately 12-15 minutes of podium time during the session. Selected student conductors will prepare two pieces to be determined (updates on this soon). Applicants are not required to be enrolled in a conducting class at the time of application, they are only required to be enrolled in a college/university music program. A professor (ACDA Member) from their current institution who is familiar with the conductor’s work will need to provide an endorsement, a very brief letter, in PDF form, of the conductor’s proficiency and qualifications to participate.