Report of the 8th International Masterclass Conducting Technique, summer 2024

 

Eight people, not knowing each other before, came to Chiny. They worked, studied, learned, practised, improved, had fun, made a hiking tour together, enjoyed common meals and drinks, and became friends!

From left to right:

Daniël Rouwkema, Esther Damsma – In ‘t Groen, George van Dam, Mourik Jan Heupink (pianist), Johannes Liebig, Eva Kerloc’h (pianist), Astrid Gulikers (hostess), René Gulikers (course leader), Martin Robidoux, Gilbert Coenegracht, Judy Hung, Pavao Masic

 

 

Report of the 7th International Masterclass Conducting Technique, winter 2024

 

A young and dynamic group of seven participants (the eighth unfortunately had to cancel due to illness) enjoyed a week of conducting classes, nature, food and each other’s company. It was the first time, that there were no Dutch participants. Here is a short impression of the week.

 

Saturday, 17-02-2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After breakfast, there was a group lesson, after it the individual lessons and in the evening, after dinner, again a group lesson.

 

Sunday, 18-02-2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The schedule of the day was the same as the day before. The participants do some exercises in score study.

 

Monday, 19-02-2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again the same schedule, technique and repertoire in the individual lessons, working on recitatives and fermatas in the evening, even having time for the sauna.

 

 

Tuesday, 20-03-2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Group lessons about conducting technique in the morning, a nice walk in the afternoon and after dinner again working on fermatas.

 

 

Wednesday, 21-03-2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First day with the two pianists, both in individual as in group lessons. The focus was now on the studied repertoire.

 

Thursday, 22-02-2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shortly before the final presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shortly after the final presentation.

 

 

Nika Kožar, professional opera singer, 4^th year student Orchestra Conducting (Zagreb) about this edition of the masterclass:

I’ve nothing but positive things to say about the wonderful week I spent in Chiny. René Gulikers is, in my opinion, truly doing extraordinary work and providing what many aspiring conductors are lacking: solid and reliable technique. The lessons were the best I’ve ever had; clear and precise, and I truly felt improvements after just one week. I’m happy because I finally know how to practice. Now I can put a name to things I was doing instinctively beforehand, and I finally know why and how they work. He helped me fill the gaps in my knowledge and his feedback was always immensely helpful.

The atmosphere of the masterclass is friendly and cozy, with all participants spending a lot of time together and learning from each other, which I greatly enjoyed. My gratitude goes to René for being a professional and kind mentor, but also to René’s wife, Astrid, for her kindness, hospitality, and cooking for a huge amount of people!

02-03-2024

 

 

Lisa Ritke, music teacher, Lisa Ritke, music teacher, writes about how she experienced the masterclass:

I would like to thank you once again! I am still totally enthusiastic, feel inspired and motivated to really get going now!

I really enjoyed the lessons, you are a great teacher. You speak calmly and it’s immediately clear what you mean. Trying things out and making mistakes is totally fine, which helps a lot with being relaxed and letting go of inhibitions. I also really like the fact that everyone was approachable outside of the one-to-one lessons and happy to socialise. It felt like a family and not just a “student-teacher relationship” and I made great friends. This is also a big factor that made me feel so comfortable. I felt very welcome and safe the whole time.

27-02-2924

 

 

 

 

The whole team.

From left to right:

Evert-Jan de Groot (pianist), Chi-Chun Chen, Futo Yamane, Constant Notten (pianist, seated), Astrid Gulikers (hostess), Nika Kožar, Skye Morris, Lisa Ritke, Apollonio Maiello, Jen-Jen Liu, René Gulikers (course leader)

 

Through this link you get all information about the upcoming masterclass.

Photos by Constant Notten, Jen-Jen Liu, Lisa Ritke, René Gulikers

 

Report of the 6th International Masterclass Conducting Technique, summer 2023

 

The 6th International Masterclass Conducting Technique (from August 18-25) was already fully booked in the beginning of May of that year.

The number of female participants was particularly high this time, namely 6 out of 8. As usual, the participants had very diverse backgrounds, this time ranging from ballet pianist, musicology student, professional harpist and double bass player to assistant concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London.

The structure of the masterclass was as usual. The first three days everyone was individually taught in conducting technique, the prepared repertoire was covered and there were group lessons in the morning and evening. On the fourth day, there were lessons only in the morning and the rest of the day was used to take a wonderful walk together through the beautiful surroundings of Chiny.

 

 

 

 

 

The last two days were devoted to conducting the prepared repertoire with our fantastic pianists Mourik Jan Heupink and Evert-Jan de Groot, however, in the morning and evening, there were still the group lessons.

 

At the end of the course everyone showed by means of a short presentation what he had learned the previous week.

 

The weather was exceptionally nice. Therefore, we were even able to have a group lesson outside  and participants studied around the accommodation or enjoyed some free time. During one of the afternoons, however, lightning struck, leaving us without power and water for a short time, but due to the amazing efforts of all the participants, the problem was quickly fixed.

 

 

As during every masterclass, we enjoyed the common meals, prepared by our fantastic hostess Astrid.

 

Here is the whole team that grew in one week to a close-knit group:

Standing from left to right Evert-Jan, Lonneke, Maximilian, Cécile, Shana, Colombe, Meija, René, Astrid; Sitting from left to right Niccolò, Mourik Jan, Tarana.

 

Participant Tarana Taylor (USA) tells afterwards in this short video how she experienced the masterclass.

Through this link you get all information about the upcoming masterclass.

 

 

Report of the 5th International Masterclass Conducting Technique, winter 2023

 

Shunske Sato

Violin soloist
Concertmaster Concerto Köln
Concertmaster and artistic leader Dutch Bach Society
Professor Barock violin, Conservatoire of Amsterdam

Thank you for the videos and your message, and most importantly for the fun, revelatory, intense week which will remain with me for a very long time…  I was deeply touched by your generous, clear and encouraging way of teaching, and your method and its simplicity and coherence finally gave me the confidence and basis I needed so much.  With all of the non-musical variables that also go into being a convincing conductor, it can all feel rather mysterious, but you helped me dispel this. Thank you so much. Please extend my gratitude to Astrid as well – I enjoyed her company, hospitality and of course her lovely cooking!

 

Stanislav Gres

Cembalist
Artistic leader of NeoBarock

Today, when I practice myself, I feel the positive effect of the course in every respect.

 

 

 

 

Nazar Yakobenchuk

Former chief conductor of Lviv Opera and Ballet

The “International Masterclass Conducting Technique” of prof. René Gulikers is a unique all in one tool to speechlessly make your intention clear to the orchestra in any conducting situation. Working for years in opera  I was neglecting some technique and this masterclass was a great opportunity to improve it. With only hand movements you can achieve 100 percent clarity using this technique based on natural human perception. I was surprised to realise how clear, and intuitively perceived by the orchestra, our gestures are by using the correct technique.

 

Renske Ligtmans

Cembalist
Choir conductor

It was a very intensive week filled with lessons from early in the morning until late at night. The lessons are in a constructive atmosphere, with René always trying to connect to where you yourself are at that moment in your development. The welcome by René and his wife Astrid is very hospitable. Because all daily worries were taken out of my hands, I could fully focus on conducting. In between there was an opportunity to walk and enjoy the river, the singing birds and the colours in the forest. There were very special people in the group, and it was very instructive and inspiring to attend the others’ classes as well. René knows how to build up the tension throughout the week, culminating in a beautiful and exciting final presentation.

 

Helle Cheung

Communication and PR Norwegian Baroque Ensemble

I enjoyed it. And as I said to Astrid on our way to the train station, had I not gone I would have spent the best part of a year to reach the level of understanding that I now have. Thank you so much …

 

 

 

Group lesson: conducting different time signatures while reading texts

 

Individual lesson: conducting two pianos, violin and cello

 

The whole group: Nazar, Martin, René, Stanislav, Helle, Mourik Jan, Astrid, Renske, Jorge, Shunske, Futo.

 

Through this link you get all information about the upcoming masterclass.

 

 

 

Report of the 4th International Masterclass Conducting Technique, summer 2022

 

Impression by pictures of the masterclasses in summer 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jan Gorjanc:

“The Masterclass with René Guilkers is one I wish I had taken years ago, when I started with my conducting studies. He breaks down a ’simple’ 4/4 pattern into its fundamental components, which are vital for the understanding of how conducting ‘works’, yet this part is so often rushed through or skipped. Indeed every move is precisely graphically analysed and explained, and the basic principles are integrated into the entire spectrum of gestures, ranging from a simple 2/4 bar to a complex 11/8 bar with a fermata on the 7th note, followed by a short caesura … Therefore I wholeheartedly recommend this to conductors at all levels, since the approach at daily private lessons is very personal and tailored to ones previous knowledge and abilities. Last but not least, Mrs. Gulikers is a wonderful hostess, making everyone feel at home and cooking scrumptious meals, which rounds up the week of intense learning into a very pleasant and not at all tiring experience.”

 

Masami Iizuka:

“I am glad that I was able to learn your method.
I think that I have developed a new standard for myself. I will try to practice daily so that I can put this into my rehearsal and concert.
I hope to see you again.
Thank you very much.”

 

Through this link you get all information about the upcoming masterclass.

 

 

 

Report of the 3rd International Masterclass Conducting Technique, winter 2022

 

Since the “Château du Bois” was no longer available for rent, I decided to rent the accommodation “Des Fées au bord de l’eau” in the small village of Chiny in the Belgian Ardennes.

The advantage of this accommodation was that every participant had his own bedroom with shower and toilet. For those who wanted to, there was a free, luxurious sauna.

Unfortunately, one participant had to cancel at the last minute. The other seven participants arrived in Chiny in the evening of Friday 25 February after a longer or shorter flight, train and/or car journey. The group was very international: Erik (Canada), Cristian (Colombia), Maren (Germany), Petromila (Croatia), Michiel (Netherlands), Stanislav (Russia) and Christian (Germany).

Unlike previous editions of the master class, this time there was a group lesson every day in the morning (30 minutes) and one in the evening (60 minutes).

This proved to be a good structure for the day. During the first three days, all participants had a daily individual lesson of 50 minutes.

On the fourth day, there were technique lessons in small groups in the morning and in the afternoon we went for a joint walk through the woods of Chiny.

From the 5th day onwards, we had the two excellent pianists Mourik Jan and Evert-Jan at our disposal, who played the repertoire worked on earlier in the week, consisting of the 1st movement from Beethoven’s 1st symphony, Fauré’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” and Debussy’s “Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune”, in an outstanding manner in the individual lessons.

The week ended with a presentation in the dining hall, which was converted into a concert hall for the occasion. Each participant conducted a part of the mentioned repertoire, played by both pianists. I was very proud of all candidates, who one by one showed an enormous progression in one week.

 

Partly due to the extra assignments that the participants received during the course, the master class as a whole was experienced as very intensive. Therefore, every evening, a nice drink and a snack were enjoyed to end the day in a pleasant atmosphere.

As with all previous master classes, everyone was full of praise for the hospitality, friendliness and cooking skills of Astrid, who worked hard all week to provide a generous and nutritious breakfast, a delicious lunch and a tasty three-course dinner every day.

The background and entry level of the participants, although all professional musicians, was very diverse, ranging from baroque musicians who wanted to learn how to conduct, to a conductor who already had his Master’s degree in conducting. Despite all the differences, it was a great and homogeneous group, who started the masterclass as strangers from each other and left it as friends.

Cristian:

“The masterclasses are the perfect opportunity to get into the technique of conducting and the study of scores, a week full of knowledge in a beautiful place with very nice people and an incredible teacher. René Gulikers knows how to guide each student in his personal search and to give the precise advice that each one needs to learn or improve his technique.”

 

Stanislav:

“I was always convinced that every professional musician absolutely had to learn conducting. That contributes above all to a general understanding of music, the mere beating of bars was not my main goal. But without the right conducting technique, you won’t get very far. A conductor’s instrument is his hands, and it is important to train them correctly from the beginning. The course with Mr. Gulikers was just right for me: clear tasks, intensive cooperation, sufficient feedback. Each participant was taught at his or her individual level, and observing the lessons of others was just as exciting as experiencing my personal development day by day.”

 

Erik:

“I wanted to thank you and Astrid for the wonderful experience in Belgium as the Masterclass was rewarding and a great learning experience for me on many levels.”

 

Christian:

“I have learned so much. I can hardly believe it. It will take some time to process everything.
…. Memorising the score is a great thing that I have added to my daily routine. I look at scores in a completely different way. It’s really a great feeling. And it gives me a whole new sense of confidence.”

 

Through this link you get all information about the upcoming masterclass.

 

 

 

Report of the 2nd International Masterclass Conducting Technique, summer 2021

 

Due to an extraordinary interest in the masterclass of summer 2021, the course was fully booked in no time. I therefore decided to organise a second course after the first one. This second week was also soon fully booked.

Both courses took place in the Chateau du Bois in Nassogne in the Belgian Ardennes. In order to create more (teaching) space, I had decided to place a party tent next to the building.

In the first week, after a cancellation, there were 7 students who all brought their own instruments: harp, flute, violins, violas and cello. This enabled us to form an instrumental ensemble that was conducted by all the students during the group lessons in the evening with the following repertoire: Suite for strings by Janacek, Mozart’s 1st flute concerto and Debussy’s Danses for harp and strings.

During the individual lessons, each student got 50 minutes of lessons, which included conducting technique, score study and conducting Beethoven’s 3rd symphony, Schubert’s unfinished symphony and/or Fauré’s Pelléas et Mélisande.

Halfway through the week, there were two group lessons in conducting technique in the morning.

In the afternoon, we went for a walk in the woods with part of the group, which was much appreciated.

On the 5th and 6th course day, two pianists played the mentioned repertoire of Beethoven, Schubert and Fauré in the individual lessons.

On the very last evening, a musical presentation took place: everyone conducted the instrumental ensemble and the two pianists with parts from the complete repertoire.

At the end of each long day of lessons and lots of studying, everyone was happy to enjoy a snack and a drink together in the common room at the Chateau.

 

The second week was filled with an international group: the 8 course members came from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Denmark, Croatia and South Korea.

The setup for this week was basically the same as the first week, except that we did not have an instrumental ensemble for the group lessons in the evening, but a violin soloist (my son Maxime) who played Mozart’s 5th violin concerto and Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto together with a pianist. Accompanying a soloist turned out to be a very valuable experience for all students.

In the middle of the week, after the two group lessons in conducting technique, we also took this group on a large walking tour. In the evening we watched a movie together.

Partly because of some extra assignments, the students worked very hard the whole week. To compensate, they created moments of relaxation themselves, either by going for a walk, having a chat with others or by playing party music.

In both weeks, we enjoyed the delicious meals, which – just like last year – were prepared to perfection by Astrid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a very fruitful and pleasant week with two different, but extraordinarily inspiring groups!

 

Esther:

“As a teacher myself I was impressed by the way René organizes the lessons. The combination of sheer technique and the musical approach of the repertoire works very well. It was inspiring to see how every student made great progress. As a conductor of children orchestra’s I realize the importance of a clear conducting technique. In every rehearsal since the masterclass I could apply techniques I’ve learned. Thank you René and Astrid, for an inspiring week at the start of a new schoolyear!”

 

Marijn:

“To acquire confidence in your conducting technique, this is the place to be!”

 

Myrthe:

“With great expectations I joined this masterclass: as a recording-producer (ex-pianist) with aspirations to learn more about orchestra or ensemble conducting I had already followed some courses, workshops and lessons, and wondered how it would be to work on conducting-skills for a whole week non-stop, in a musicschool-like atmosphere together with a very experienced teacher and other musicians. For me it turned out to be an unforgettable experience. The luxury of a private lesson ánd a group-lesson every day, combined with René Gulikers’ capacity to adjust to anyone’s individual level while providing for new challenges also, resulted for me personally in an increased confidence to express myself musically, and a more clear image of techniques. All this in the good care of Astrid who provided for all our meals, in a beautiful environment, and while sharing enthusiasm and ideas with other participants, made me leave this masterclass at the end of the week in a slightly sad mood because it was over. Fortunately I still feel super-inspired by all the knowledge, impressions and experiences gathered in my head and my heart after this masterclass.”  

 

Martijn:

“I can recommend this conducting course very much. René is a great teacher. It was hard work but I learned a lot!”

 

Oscar:

“René is an incredible pedagogue that adapts to any level and style of conducting students. He perfectly knows what errors to expose and how to solve the problems, going from basics to more complexes issues. This leads to a very fast learning and a good confidence in everyone’s potential. He starts from solid fundamentals and then adapts it to every student.

The week was very intense but it enlarged my perception of music quicker than any other musical study so far, bringing me from 0 knowledge in conducting, to being able to conduct a Symphony Mouvement. The relationship with René and the other student was very relaxed, in a really safe and caring environment. I strongly recommend his conducting class to any motivated person that want’s to discover the beauty of conducting.”

 

Soyoung:

“It was a great time with a great teacher René Gulikers and other participants to learn about technical and also musical things of conducting that I really wanted to study in more detail.” 

 

Douwe:

‘It has been a week where I was and could be fully submerged in conducting, enjoying the peace and quiet of Nassogne. I have improved immensely under careful guidance of René and with lovely hospitality from Astrid. The week was a total success!”

 

Debora:

I can fully recommend this masterclass! René admirably adapts his teaching to every level, gives confidence and security but also pushes for more. The surrounding nature helps to relax and calm down while Astrid’s wonderful cooking and the overall hospitality of the hosts creates an atmosphere where you can come as you are and feel free to try out new things, develop old things further and learn.

 

Through this link you get all information about the upcoming masterclass.

 

Here is an article from the magazine ARCO (Oct. 2021) from the Dutch department of the European String Teachers Association (ESTA), about the Masterclass Summer 2021, written by participant Marijn Drolsbach (for English: see below).

Translation:

More than just conducting technique

We all know that conducting is a special profession. And for music teachers who sometimes stand in front of a group of students or even a group with the size of an orchestra, there was a highly recommended course this summer to better master this subject.

Many of us once had the subject of ensemble conducting during our conservatoire training. I myself do not have many memories of that period, something with an ‘anchor’ on the blackboard for the four-four beat and a self-made arrangement of a piano piece by Ibert for string quartet that I conducted as a conclusion. At the time the focus was mainly on studying the violin, and the thought that years later a situation would arise in which there would be a need for a good conducting technique did not occur to me.

René Gulikers, professor at the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen, can certainly teach you that good technique. For a maximum of eight participants each time, he organised two courses in the Ardennes last summer. At the start of the course, each participant received a booklet made by René in which the conducting technique is visualised in detail. Beating patterns of different time signatures, fermatas, measures, giving entrances and cutting offs on different beats in the bar, it is all explained.

Of course, conducting is more than just beating patterns, which is why the course devotes a great deal of attention to studying scores. The repertoire, partly chosen by the student and partly selected by René, was thoroughly analysed, gone through with René and performed with a pianist during the last two days. How cool is it to conduct Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ or Schubert’s ‘Unvollendete’?

In the evening, the participants formed an ensemble in which they alternately conducted movements from Janacek’s String Suite, Debussy’s Danse Sacrée and the last movement of Mozart’s Flute Concerto. The evenings were concluded with drinks in a convivial atmosphere.

Because all lessons were recorded on video on request, the learning process can also be continued after returning home. In short, a valuable course in a beautiful setting, our Flemish colleagues do not even have to cross the border for it.

Marijn Drolsbach

Violin teacher

Conductor

 

 

 

Report of the 1st International Masterclass Conducting Technique, summer 2020

 

During the first lockdown period, I planned to organise an international masterclass in conducting technique and score study. Finally, it took place under my leadership two weeks ago in “Château du Bois”, a hunting lodge build by Pierre Bonaparte, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte I, in Nassogne (Ardennes, Belgium).

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Six participants with different musical backgrounds worked during 7 days very hard in a beautiful environment.

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The first three days were filled with individual lessons, mainly on conducting technique and score study. The repertoire consisted of two overtures (Hebriden, Freischütz) and two symphonies (Beethoven 5, Haydn 104), but some of them worked on individual repertoire as well.

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Every evening, we worked in group lessons on matters like the Christ-recitatives from Bach’s Matthew-Passion.

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During the day, everybody enjoyed the delicious joint meals and at the end of the day, there was some time to have a drink from the bar.

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The participants and the pianists were a fantastic group. I was very satisfied about all my students and proud of my wife Astrid who cared for the meals.

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Here are some quotes by the participants and pianists:

After this very succesfull week, I am planning already the next masterclasses: one will be in March 2021 and the other one in August 2021. In case you are interested in participating, or in case you know someone who could be, please let me know.

Photos 1, 3: Linda van der Spaa; photos 2, 4, 9: Lonneke Regter; photos 5, 6, 14: René Gulikers; photos 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15: Constant Notten

 

Through this link you get all information about the upcoming masterclass.