Ryan Dakota Farris, conductor Marcelo Lehninger, and Valery Saul smiling together at the Bellingham Festival of Music Conducting Institute, dressed in coordinated white attire.

Bellingham Festival Conducting Institute

2024 marked the launch of the Bellingham Festival of Music Conducting Institute.

The Conducting Institute is the newest chapter in the Bellingham Festival of Music’s commitment to music education. It is also the realization of a dream of Maestro Lehninger, who as Boston Symphony Assistant and Associate Conductor, was inspired by the Tanglewood Music Center’s conductors seminar. He saw a rich opportunity for such a program on the West Coast.

The orchestra is the conductor’s instrument, he said. But it’s hard for an emerging conductor to get podium time and the opportunity to network. The BFM Orchestra offers a wealth of knowledge with its musicians coming from all over the country. So there is this wonderful chance for our conductors to form long lasting friendships and professional relationships.