Forum Dirigieren (Conductors Forum)

The Forum Dirigieren is the German Music Council's nationwide support program for young conductors. It promotes young talent in the fields of orchestral conducting and choral conducting and stands for the artistic encounter of the young generation of conductors with nationally and internationally renowned personalities. The scholarship holders of the Forum Dirigieren are accompanied over several years on their way into professional life. During conducting masterclasses, the scholarship holders are given the opportunity to rehearse and conduct concerts with professional orchestras and choirs under the guidance of renowned mentors. Through the placement of assistantships, concerts and engagements, the young conductors are positioned in the theater and orchestra scene. Scholarship holders who have demonstrated their artistic quality for several years and have reached the second level of support are also included in the artist list „Konzertförderung Forum Dirigieren“, which is financially supported by the "Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten GmbH" (GVL). The Forum Dirigieren also organizes the German Conducting Award in Cologne and the German Choral Conducting Award (Deutscher Chordirigentenpreis) in Berlin.