Horizon Orchestral Studio

The studio
where conductors
are formed.

Conducting fellows mentored through intensive 3-day rehearsal and performance blocks within a professional orchestral environment, culminating in a public-facing Horizon Classical concert.

What It Is

A professional
orchestral environment

01

Fellowship

Each project is entrusted to a single Conducting Fellow. One principal Fellow is appointed annually.

02

Level & Format

For advanced, pre-professional conductors operating at a professional standard. Projects are delivered as intensive 3-day blocks.

03

Preparation & Leadership

Conducting Fellow prepares and leads all rehearsals. Responsible for musical direction and rehearsal strategy.

04

Rehearsal Process

2 × 3-hour orchestral rehearsals. 30–40 minutes of repertoire. Structured to reflect professional orchestral conditions.

05

Orchestral Environment

Performed with a professional-level orchestral cohort. Every decision is tested in real time with live musicians.

06

Mentorship

Guided by an experienced concertmaster. Feedback from the musicians' perspective on clarity and leadership.

07

Artistic Development & Outcome

Fellow presents the musical vision through a short documentary. Conducts the final public concert presented through Horizon Classical.

Artistic Team

The people
in the room

The Studio is led by artists who believe that mentorship is one of the most serious things you can do.

Dr Susan Collins Concertmaster & Artistic Mentor

Dr Susan Collins

Dr Susan Collins is a conductor and violinist with a distinguished career spanning performance, leadership, and education. From 1992 to 2001 she served as Deputy Concertmaster of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, and has held guest concertmaster positions with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist she has performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and toured Australia, the USA, and Europe. She holds a Doctor of Creative Arts from the University of Wollongong and a Master of Music from Indiana University Bloomington.

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Hans Sangtoki Founder & Inaugural Conducting Fellow

Hans Sangtoki

Hans Sangtoki is an emerging conductor based in Sydney, and the founder of Horizon Orchestral. He is currently the inaugural Honours in Conducting student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Professor Benjamin Northey. He has participated in masterclasses with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra, and serves as Artistic Director of Cantate Deo Youth Orchestra.

Full biography →
For Emerging Conductors

A rehearsal environment
with real stakes

If you are an advanced pre-professional conductor looking for genuine orchestral experience, the Studio is built for that. Real musicians, real repertoire, real feedback — from the first rehearsal.

01
Conduct the Orchestra

You lead the room from the first session. The ensemble is professional, the music is serious, and what you bring shapes what happens. There is no simulation here.

02
Work with Mentors

Close guidance from artists who have spent their careers in rehearsal rooms. Technique, interpretation, the capacity to listen and communicate — the things that only develop through practice with real musicians.

03
Perform

The work leads to a concert before a real audience. Formation through preparation, then the test of delivering. This is what the Studio is for.

Express Interest
For Musicians

The musicians
in the room

The musicians who work with Horizon Orchestral Studio are part of the artistic process. Their contribution shapes what the music becomes.

The Studio holds a high standard. It is also genuinely collegial. The standard exists because the music deserves it.

Every rehearsal is a collaboration between the conductor, the ensemble, and the music itself. What happens in the room belongs to everyone in it.

Register interest or apply to play
The Ensemble

Professional orchestral musicians working with advanced conducting students in a structured rehearsal environment.

The Repertoire

Each programme is chosen for its artistic depth and its value as a learning environment: music worth spending time with.

The Standard

High, because good music calls for it. Musicians deserve to be in a room where that is taken seriously.

"Formation is the work.
Listening, refinement, shared intention.
The gradual shaping of something real."

Horizon Orchestral Studio
Get Involved

Work with the Studio

Register interest or apply to play Collaborators Get in Touch