ORCHESTRA PROGRAM 2025
Performing. Professional Development. Networking.
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Over the past several years, many of our orchestra participants have been interested in learning more about the business aspect of running festival and how the industry works and is structured both in the private and public ventures. Therefore, we will be offering a series of lectures surrounding the professional aspects of the industry.
The Vienna Summer Music Festival is keen to develop future leaders in the arts.
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While performing in our main-stage opera productions and orchestra concert, participants of the orchestra program will be attending a series of classes focused on career development, networking, audition techniques, and an in depth discovery of producing concerts from a for profit vs. non-profit venture.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Arrival July 1st - Departure July 22nd
The Vienna Summer Music Festival is a performance based program where participants will be immersed in music during the duration of their stay. The orchestra in their first week will perform works of the famed First Viennese School including symphonies from Mozart, Hayden, and Beethoven. After our first week of rehearsals and performances, the orchestra will begin working on the opera repertoire for the Vienna Summer Music Festival. Below, please see the program for our 2025 season.
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Vienna Masters Orchestra Concert | July 6th, 2025
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Mozart Magic Flute Overture
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Haydn Symphony No. 95
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Beethoven Symphony No. 7
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Opera Performance | July 17th, 18th, 19th, & 20th
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La bohème, Puccini
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PLUTO, Polo
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Giulio Cesare, Handel​
In addition to the performances, participants of the orchestra will attend a series of masterclasses about arts administration.
A SERIES OF CLASSES
Structured to inform you about the industry and how it operates
Profit vs. Non-Profit Ventures
Discover the difference of owning and a operating a for-profit venture vs. a non-profit nature and discover how they are structured, their similarities and differences.
Networking and Trade
Learn the value of networking and skills of developing a network, and how to trade your assets and talents within your network.
Career Development
Establish for yourself a realistic career plan with realistic goals by having your talents evaluated
and producing for yourself a realistic career path that will create a life of music and financial freedom.
Audition Techniques
In a competitive world with limit seats in an orchestra, learn about audition techniques which will allow you to differentiate yourself from your peers. Additionally, learn the importance of networking with any orchestra you plan to audition for.
Higher Academia
Discover the purpose of attaining higher ed degrees, acquiring assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships to cover your costs for a higher ed degree, and experience the importance of the history of higher ed.
Europe vs. North America
Learn how to acquire a position in Europe or North America and the similarities and differences in the different countries on each continent.
Carlos Manuel Fernandez
Director of Orchestral Activities
Carlos Manuel Fernandez is a multifaceted conductor from Colombia, with experiences in Europe, North, and South America that provide him with a wide vision of world music. During his studies and professional upbringing in Vienna, he conducted premieres of modern pieces for new ensembles and the standard orchestral and opera repertoires of the 18th to 20th centuries. He premiered Lepanto by Alexander Kaisser, followed by a collaboration with composer Nancy Van de Vate as principal accompanist and assistant for the recording of her opera, Hamlet, in Olomuc, Czech Republic. Further collaborations included: assistant conductor for the premiere of the operas Edenarabeske by Wolfgang Liebhart and Azrael by Dirk Dase, among others. Further highlights include his debut with the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, guest performances with the AOV orchestra in Vienna, the premiere of Unlimited Imaginations, by Julian Gamisch, and Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the Tolima Symphony in Colombia, in a live open-air concert offered for more than 5000 attendees. He was the artistic director for the Conservatorio de Ibague (2014-2020) and principal conductor for the main Symphony Orchestra. For the years 2014-2020 back in Colombia, he also created two mixed choirs (Coro Polifonico Nuevo Tolima, and Coro de la Excelencia Ibague University) and a symphony orchestra (Universidad de Ibague Symphony Orchestra) and with these ensembles toured through Colombia, Panama and Mexico. Most recently he had the opportunity to attend masterclasses and conduct the Sofia Philarhominc Orchestra and premiere works by Italian and North American composers. During the years 2020-2024 Carlos worked as assistant for orchestra and related classes while pursuing his DMA in orchestra conducting at the University of Southern Mississippi with the tutelage of Dr. Miles. During his time at USM he has served as assistant to the USM Symphony Orchestra 2020-2024 seasons, and has worked as Music Director and Conductor of the Southern Opera Company productions during the 2020-2023 seasons.
Application Requirements
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In order to apply, please prepare a short video (3 - 7 minutes which may include orchestral excerpts, solo work, or chamber ensemble)
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You may provide a Google Drive link or another familiar software for us to download, or you may upload your video to YouTube and send us the link so our application committee can review it.
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After we review your video, we will schedule a phone interview with you.
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You will be assigned an opera(s) to perform in. You are welcome to share you preference of which operas you will perform in.
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