2026 SEASON MASTERCLASSES
The 2026 season is structured as a sequence of thematic masterclasses, each designed to address a specific aspect of conducting practice through a shared working method: score study → gesture → sound → rehearsal.
Masterclasses may be attended individually or combined as part of a broader training path, allowing conductors to engage with the Academy according to their artistic needs and current stage of development. Participants who choose to attend more than one masterclass benefit from pedagogical continuity and cumulative feedback, supporting a deeper consolidation of technique, interpretation and personal working method over time.
The programme unfolds through a combination of online and in-person formats, with on-site activities taking place in Porto, Portugal at ESMAE (Superior School of Music and Performing Arts), a leading Portuguese and internacional reference for higher education in music and arts.
Across the 2026 season, the masterclasses explore:
preparation and interpretative decision-making (from score to priorities)
phenomenology of conducting gesture
sound, balance and orchestral colour (listening as technique)
musical continuity and long-range thinking
form, proportion and architectural time
clarity and control under pressure (efficiency, pacing, reliability)
Masterclasses 2026
”Thinking Before Conducting”(March)
“The Language of Conducting: Gesture, Time and Clarity”(April)
“Sound Without Weight”(May)
“Inside the Musical Line”(July)
“Time as Architecture”(September) Applications Open (Deadline 31 July 2026)
“Gesture Under Pressure”(October) Applications Open (Deadline 31 July 2026)
Explore the individual masterclasses below to learn more about their focus, format and working context, and to identify those that best align with your current artistic goals.
APPLICATIONS OPEN
Masterclass 5 “Time as Architecture”
Dates: September, 1 (online) · 4 – 6 (in person) · Post Masterclass follow-up (online)
Programme
Franz Schubert — Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759 “Unfinished”
Johannes Brahms — Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Most conductors treat form as something given. This masterclass trains you to treat it as something you build — measure by measure, in real time, under pressure.
Time as Architectureworks with two symphonies that expose the same fundamental problem from opposite angles. Brahms's First demands relentless structural control: the density never lifts, the pressure never drops, and only long-range thinking keeps the architecture from collapsing. Schubert's Unfinished demands something harder to teach — the ability to sustain direction in music that refuses to resolve, and to hold a line together when the harmony keeps withdrawing.
One online session for score study and guided discussion. Three in-person days conducting with the Chamber Orchestra, with individual coaching throughout. A closing informal performance — conducted by the participants. And a follow-up session, online, to consolidate what changed. Six conductors in total. Guided throughout by Luis Miguel Clemente, one of the most sought-after conducting pedagogues in Europe today.
This masterclass may be attended individually or as part of the full 2026 season. Places are limited. Application deadline: 31 July 2026.
Masterclass 6: “Gesture Under Pressure”
Dates: October 13 (online session) · 16 – 18 (in person) · Post Masterclass follow-up (online)
Programme
Carl Maria von Weber — Der Freischütz, Overture, Op. 77
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Every conductor has impulse. This masterclass trains you to use it — and to know exactly when not to.
Gesture Under Pressure works with two scores that respond to the body with unforgiving immediacy. Tchaikovsky's Fourth amplifies everything: energy, contrast, orchestral weight. The music rewards clarity and exposes excess in equal measure — you cannot hide behind the sound. Weber's Der Freischütz Overture removes whatever protection remains. Transparency and rhythmic precision leave no margin for ambiguity, forcing a precise recalibration of intention, timing and physical presence.
Together, these two works create the ideal laboratory: one that teaches you when to trust your impulse, when to restrain it, and how to transform raw energy into clear, purposeful direction.
One online session for score study and guided discussion. Three in-person days conducting with the Chamber Orchestra, with individual coaching woven in. A closing informal performance — conducted by the participants. And a follow-up session, online, when the dust has settled. Six conductors in total. Guided throughout by Luis Miguel Clemente, one of the most sought-after conducting pedagogues in Europe today.
This masterclass may be attended individually or as part of the full 2026 season. Places are limited. Application deadline: 31 July 2026.
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Format: Hybrid (online + in person)
Active participants: 6
Passive participants: no limit
Fee
Active: €780
Passive: €100
Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra (15 players)
Language: English
Location (in person): Porto, Portugal
Certification: Certificate of participation issued at the end of the masterclass
(Further logistical details provided after confirmation of participation.)
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Podium Time: Approx. 100 min. with Chamber Orchestra
+ Individual Coaching: Approx. 90 min.
Schedule
Masterclass 3: May 26 (online), 29-31
Masterclass 4 : July 1 (online), 3-5
Masterclass 5: September 1 (online), 4-6
Masterclass 6: October 13 (online), 16-18
Msterclasses general structure
Day 1 (online) 20.00 - 22.00 (PT time): Score study and guided discussion (no conducting)
Day 2 (in person): Silent conducting session; individual coaching
Day 3-4 (in person): Conducting sessions with Chamber Orchestra; individual coaching
Informal end-of-masterclass performance conducted by the participants with the orchestra.
Date tbc (online): 30-minute individual follow-up session
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Application deadline:
Masterclass 5 & Masterclass 6 — 31 July 2026)
Applications close on the application deadline or earlier if all places are filled.