<p>Could parents whose kids have pariticpated in the classical voice summer programs at Northwestern, Oberlin, Interlochen, Tanglewood, or others they might recommend, please comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the programs? Competitiveness of the audition process? Overall quality of the students' experiences? Thanks!</p>
<p>DS did not do the choral program but he did do the instrumental program at Tanglewood for two summers. He thought it was fabulous. Just being in the atmosphere of the Tanglewood grounds with all that fabulous music day in and day out was terrific. The ensembles (orchestra, wind ensemble and chorus) were top notch...we heard them all. This is a program for serious musicians...it's all music. The audition process for all the programs is competitive, especially for sopranos and flute players...but really for all musicians. They take a small percentage of the students who apply. Strengths...the ensemble conductor is terrific. The music chosen is outstanding and a challenge. Performing at Ozawa Hall or at the Shed is a great. All participants get a pass to all Tanglewood music events during their program stay. Master classes were very good (for the instrumentalists, I can't comment about the vocalists). Weaknesses....the housing and of course the food. AND getting inexpensive food in Lenox is a challenge. But the town is charming and welcomes these young musicians. I hope you've gotten your application in already if you plan to do this this summer. The auditions are in February.</p>
<p>My D (now a freshman vocal performance major) went to Tanglewood the summer of 2002 (after her hs sophomore year). She had a fabulous experience there -- similar to thumper1's S -- loads of other students interested in music, free admission to Tanglewood concerts, great faculty. She did not do an in person audtion but, rather, sent in a CD. It was her first choice for a summer program that year and off she went. There were about 70 singers (she was one of about 25+ sopranos -- the other voice types evenly represented). It is definitely a competitive program to get into but well worth it for the instruction, environment, and contacts. The year she went she was one of the younger singers -- most had finished their Jr. year or had graduated. My D had no complaints about the food or accommodations. In the summer of 2003 (after hs junior year), my D went to Rising Star Singers -- a two week program run by two CCM faculty and held in a small resort town on the Ohio River near Cincinnati. She applied to and got into both the NW and Oberlin programs that year but had concerns about both. NW's program had a large choral element (which she didn't want) and Oberlin's program was only a week. Rising Star was a hidden gem of a program with faculty from CCM and other excellent voice faculty. The singers received voice lessons, coaching, did solo concerts and opera scenes. She got fantastic one on one attention -- my D's voice teacher was Barbara Honn ( an excellent soprano teacher) -- who is fantastic. Less than 30 singers participate and they live in small homes together and buy their own food (she had just turned 17 when she went -- supervision was fine!) Go to <a href="http://www.risingstarsingers.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.risingstarsingers.com/</a> for more information (Barbara Honn's email link is incorrect - if you have questions -- it's <a href="mailto:Barbara.Honn@uc.edu">Barbara.Honn@uc.edu</a>). My D is probably going to do the program again this summer and study with her. Apparently, what used to be two separate summer sessions (one for younger and one for older singers) have now been consolidated into one timeframe (mid-July-August) but the two groups are separated within the program. This past summer (after my D graduated hs) she was the youngest singer to go to the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, another program sponsored by CCM (how she found out about it!). It is a five week residential program in Lucca, Italy (a beautiful city between Florence and Pisa). Most of the singers are older (sophomores, juniors in college and some grad students in the advanced group). My D had a fantastic experience -- Italian class, diction, solo singing, Art Song cabaret. I can't say enough about the program (I visited her there and saw her performances and the operas put on by the more advanced singers). She would like to go again in the future but this year's program starts too soon after her spring semester ends so she will consider it at some other time. The link to this program is <a href="http://www.ccm.uc.edu/Lucca/%5B/url%5D">http://www.ccm.uc.edu/Lucca/</a> I don't have firsthand knowledge of Interlochen although my D knows some singers who went there -- it seems to emphasize G&S operetta work. A good friend of my D's went to Oberlin's program last summer. Oberlin Conservatory at the time was his first choice to apply to this fall and he felt he could check the place and faculty out. He enjoyed the program but felt the caliber of the singers there was very inconsistent (some he described as 'terrible'!!!!). On the other hand, my D felt the level of singers at Tanglewood when she went was very high with a few exceptions. This boy who went to Oberlin got a firsthand look at a few teachers there (probably the most important part of the college/conservatory admission process if you want to major in vocal performance) and liked what he saw. He also thought the program might help him in the admission process -- the jury is still out on that strategy -- he applied EA and was deferred!! and now is looking seriously at other places. I hope this information helps. There are other summer programs out there for hs students (both here and abroad). We limited our initial search to the Eastern US before the Italy program last summer. I know there is a program in Portland, Orgeon -- the Bel Canto Northwest International Vocal Institute - <a href="http://www.fpa.pdx.edu/Music/belcanto.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.fpa.pdx.edu/Music/belcanto.html</a> that a friend of my D's (she met her at Tanglewood) went to and enjoyed it. Hope this helps -- even though my D is now a freshman I still check this forum occasionally. Let me know if you have other questions.</p>
<p>Sopranosmom, sounds like our Ds were at Tanglewood together! Ask your D if she remembers a mezzo from Texas. The dorm was sort of an old house.
I can comment on Interlochen. My D graduated from there and worked at the camp for the last two summers. She is a soph voice major at Rice now.
I think it would be an awesome experience and the voice faculty is great.</p>
<p>MomofWildChild -- yes, I think my D knows your D -- she was an Arts finalist, right?</p>
<p>Yes! I'll send you a PM.</p>
<p>Whoops- no I won't. You can't get PMs. Where is your D in college? Or-you can PM me.</p>
<p>MomofWildChild -- My D is a freshman double-degree student (BM/BA) at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. She didn't audition at all for conservatories -- she wanted to be able to get both degrees so it came down to Lawrence, Oberlin, Ithaca, and BU. Then it came down to the teacher (she had sample lessons everywhere) -- she is very happy with her choice (vocally, academically, socially). Rice would have been a good place, too, but she didn't want to go south!</p>
<p>MomofWildChild --- Forgot to ask you if your D is doing a summer program this coming summer.</p>
<p>Tell your singers to look on the back page of the little yearbook thing they got at Tanglewood in 2002. The kid standing in the wading pool playing the trumpet is my son.</p>
<p>She is looking into a program in NY state somewhere. I think it is some kind of French music thing. She has to get head shots done and send a CD. Not sure what else she is considering.</p>
<p>Thanks so much Thumper1, SopranosMom, and MomofWildChild! Very, very helpful info and much appreciated.</p>
<p>Funny that Thumpson, Soprano, and WildChild were all at Tanglewood at the same time (2002). Thumpson was also there summer of 2003.</p>
<p>I have to say that WildChild is actually Child #2, the son- NOT the singer-daughter. But it is fascinating that our three kids were all at Tanglewood. My D thinks I have really lost it with my new addiction to this forum.</p>
<p>I’m not a parent but I went to NHSMI last summer my impression the order of them for best classical private instruction:</p>
<p>Tangelwood
CMU
NHSMI
Interlochen (don’t they ruin people’s voices)</p>
<p>I know nothing about Oberlin</p>
<p>NHSMI has the best choral program by far. Erin Freidman, the director, blew me away.</p>
<p>^^^This thread is five years old.</p>
<p>Want to say belated thanks for this thread, though. When it first posted, it lead my child to a glorious summer at Tanglewood – we hadn’t really known much about it. She’s still close to a group of her Tanglewood friends and still singing. Another plus – she auditioned into BU’s music program at Tanglewood at the end of the program, so she had a nice back-up during the college application process.</p>
<p>For those that want additional options, there’s this <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/510498-music-festival-master-list.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/510498-music-festival-master-list.html</a> and specific program threads<br>
on the music major forum, and I’m sure the mt forum has similar lists for summer intensives.</p>