Conducting Fellows lead the extraordinary Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (TMCO), sharing the podium with internationally renowned conductors, who serve as teachers and mentors. Fellows participate in masterclasses with BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons and work daily with the Head of the Conducting Program, Stefan Asbury.

Two Fellows are chosen each year to conduct both orchestra and smaller ensembles. Fellows interact with BSO guest conductors, soloists, and musicians in a variety of formats, including rehearsal observation, masterclasses, score study sessions, and informal discussions. Conducting Fellows work closely with other TMC faculty on special projects, including classes on concerto accompanying with such artists as Emanuel Ax and Garrick Ohlsson, and in concerts that involve Vocal Arts Program Fellows and Faculty, under the leadership of Dawn Upshaw. Conducting Fellows have significant involvement in the Festival of Contemporary Music, often giving the world premieres of TMC-commissioned works.

As part of the Boston Symphony's new alliance with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, 2022 applicants accepted to the TMC Conducting Program will be considered to participate in a residency of up to eight weeks in Leipzig, during which they will work closely with Andris Nelsons, conduct a program with the Mendelssohn-Orchesterakademie of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and work with other major musical organizations such as St. Thomas' Church and Opera Leipzig.