<p>In your opinion/experience which music programs (undergrad) have strong chamber music programs/opportunities? </p>
<p>My son will be applying in the fall for BM Viola Performance. He is passionate about chamber music and has been fortunate to play with an amazing trio/quartet in our small midwestern city. His current group includes a recent conservatory grad (CIM), a current music major at a local university and another high school student. </p>
<p>Because Chamber Music is such a big part of his life, I'm afraid he wouldn't be happy with an undergrad program that didn't have a strong chamber music component.</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore studying Cello performance at University of Michigan. His passion is chamber music and he is enjoying the opportunities at UM very much. He has been involved in chamber groups through the formal chamber music classes offered as well as other groups such as playing in chamber groups for other students recitals. It took him until the 2nd semester of his freshman year to really get involved in chamber groups, but he has had many opportunities since then. Currently he is in two chamber groups, a string quartet and a piano quintet through the string chamber class. He also recently played a clarinet quintet and a clarinet trio for other students recitals. For the class they receive regular coachings from faculty members and he spends large chunks of time each weekend rehearsing with his groups. For the student recitals they also receive coaching usually from the student’s studio teacher. I would think a viola player would have no trouble finding opportunities at UM for playing in chamber groups.
When my son was auditioning we were very impressed with the chamber music programs at CIM that are run by the Cavani String Quartet that is in residency there.</p>
<p>At some conservatories, chamber is hit-or-miss. Training and opportunities can be excellent, but it’s really up to the students to seek one another out, find coaches, and make it work, schedule and performance-wise. My daughter loves chamber music, but has been a bit frustrated in this regard during her conservatory years, mainly due to the hit-or-miss component. By this I mean that she forms a group, then someone drops out – this has happened repeatedly – or the coach simply cannot match their schedules, so there is almost no coaching. Maybe she is just having bad luck. She actually has done less chamber in college than she did in high school (not that she isn’t incredibly busy with many other aspects of her training.) Although of course you could argue that her experience is a bit more like the real world, so it’s good preparation for the future. Word on the street is that CIM and NEC are the best schools for chamber, but you can do well in other conservatories, with luck, perseverance, and hard work.</p>
<p>Hartt offers a full tuition scholarship for students accepted into the 20/20 program, which involves participation in chamber music and other small ensembles. They also offer Foot In The Door, which is a collection of new music ensembles. Any student may join FITD, and all students participate in chamber music after their first year (some choose to begin right away).</p>
<p>We keep hearing such great things about University of Michigan! Wish we were in state…</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences. This is so helpful as we try to select schools with the “best fit” for our son to audition. Hopefully we will find several schools with that right balance between teacher, program and cost.</p>
<p>Re: Hartt’s 20/20 program MOST students in this program are grad students, not undergrad (Esp. in the strings area - I think one violinist in the program currently is an undergrad) the rest are working on MM and artist certificates. Yes, it is a great program, but the chances of an undergrad getting to be involved in it is pretty small…</p>
<p>The bios are quite impressive:
<a href=“The Hartt School - University of Hartford”>The Hartt School - University of Hartford;
<p>MWstringmom, I would recommend casting a wide net, as results are unpredictable with auditioned programs. Scholarships are also unpredictable. It can end up costing less to attend a private conservatory with a merit scholarship than an in-state school.</p>
<p>alexmariejp, you are correct that most of the 20/20 participants at Hartt are grad students. One reason for that is that the program has high demands in terms of time, and many teachers discourage their undergrads from auditioning for a variety of reasons, including time management, injury prevention, and of course for some, skill level. (And you are correct: those musicians are very, very good.)</p>
<p>For a talented musician, Hartt may well offer a full scholarship with no strings attached, so to speak, with no required participation in 20/20. These students often do chamber music with one another or with 20/20 students.</p>