Donald Portnoy, who holds the Ira McKissick Koger Endowed Chair for the Fine Arts in the School of Music, will conduct and teach in China twice, in Taiwan, and in Argentina. He also led the Conductors Institute at USC in June and, beginning June 25, will lead a USC alumni group in and around Salzburg, Austria.

On May 26, Portnoy was at the New Century Theater in Beijing to conduct the 110-member China Philharmonic.

"Where a guest conductor in this country might get a pair of rehearsals at most, I was given seven rehearsals with the China Philharmonic," he said. "At one point, I dismissed the musicians because we were running the risk of over-rehearsing."

In Taiwan, Portnoy conducted master classes in conducting and violin in the city of Taichung. Then, three days after the Conductors Institute ended at USC, he was off to Austria with a group of alumni to explore the music history of that city, including a visit to Mozart's home.

On July 10, Portnoy will return to China for a two-week Conductors Institute session in Beijing and X'ian. On Aug. 1, he is off to Argentina for a round of conducting and master classes in Rosario and Sante Fe. Later in August, there will be auditions for the USC Symphony and rehearsals for the orchestra's seven-concert season, which begins Oct. 4.