<p>Hello All,</p>
<p>I am just wondering whether or not Greenwood is on par with Interlochen and BUTI.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Greenwood is a wonderful camp/festival - with a focus on chamber music (though there is also an orchestra and chorus - all campers participate in these), challenging repertoire, some very talented participants, many of whom go on to top conservatories and top colleges. It’s in a lovely setting, and it has “camp” activities as well as music, e.g., a popular treasure hunt. Kids fall in love with music, the Berkshires, and each other there.</p>
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<p>I will second the Greenwood endorsement. It is a great “family” style camp with a tremendous chamber music program. They do have an orchestra which performs weekly, but the emphasis is on the chamber groups and chorus which also perform weekly. They have a resident composer as well as several student composers and their works are performed as well.</p>
<p>It is very “campy”, although the cabins are nice and there is a swimming pool. The students all have chores and eat family style at large tables on an outside deck.</p>
<p>The level of playing is very competitive. Many of the students are part of either the Juilliard or NEC pre-college programs. Last year’s graduates went on to Eastman, Juilliard, NEC, Harvard and other great schools.</p>
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<p>thanks for the answers!
do you know what the audition music is? Because i can’t find it on their website.</p>
<p>Is it on a par with BUTI or Interlochen? It’s hard to compare directly. Huge differences:</p>
<p>Size - Greenwood has about 60 kids, BUTI and Interlochen are much bigger.</p>
<p>Visiting faculty/big-name teachers - doesn’t really happen at Greenwood. If your child is at a prestigious pre-college program during the year and has access to master classes, etc. this may not be as much of an issue. If your child is in a musical backwater the other 10 months of the year and wants some exposure, then a summer at BUTI, Interlochen, Bowdoin or Aspen offers more options.</p>
<p>Playing level - on average, overall, for strings, better than BUTI and Interlochen. Harder to say for woodwinds - there are so few of them at Greenwood, some are outstanding and some (to me) sound just OK.</p>
<p>Greenwood has a special scholarship fund for winds, by the way.
If you’re not already a Greenwood alum, chances of getting in are impossible to predict - depends a great deal on number of openings, which obviously can be severely limited in a camp this size.</p>
<p>All the above considerations apart, my idea of paradise is summer at Greenwood. Most of the kids there feel the same way. If you like the idea of a camp like Greenwood, it’s certainly worthwhile (because of the uncertainty of chances of getting in) to also apply to Kinhaven, which is very similar but is about twice the size. If you are in the area (roughly between Northhampton and Pittsfield, MA) and want a chance to hear the kids and get a feeling for the spirit of the place, you can attend the free weekly concert, each Saturday evening while camp is in session. Look on the website for times and directions.</p>
<p>Audition music - i wouldn’t think these are prescribed. 2 contrasting pieces of your choice, plus some scales…</p>
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<p>It’s any two contrasting pieces. They didn’t ask for scales last year.</p>
<p>thanks for all the information!</p>
<p>are the instrumental students also required to sing in the orchestra?</p>
<p>sing in the choir*</p>
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<p>yes - all campers do everything. They also sing in the local congregationalist church on Sundays, and sometimes there are choral pieces sung with instrumental accompaniment.</p>