<p>BassDad....that Oberlin in Italy program sounds absolutely amazing. Do they take all instruments and what are the age requirements (do you have to be a college student?) Cosmos...check it out!</p>
<p>It depends on what you are looking for. Oberlin in Italy provides a wonderful cultural immersion and the opportunity to play music about half time. For bass players, it will provide an ensemble coach who is probably not going to be a bass player. It provides more for singers, with language and diction classes being taught by native speakers and a good voice faculty on hand. If Cosmos wants to concentrate on technique with top bass players, spend pretty much full time on music and work on making contacts for the future, then Oberlin in Italy may not be the best program around.</p>
<p>The instruments that they take vary with the repertoire that they have planned. They always need singers, pianists, strings and the more common woodwinds. Brass and percussion opportunities vary from year to year. It appears that they are fine with applications from the post college crowd since they mention that the program is for college age and above. They may be willing to accept high school seniors under certain conditions, but the audition standards are set with conservatory-level college students in mind and there is no supervision provided after the scheduled activities are done for the day. The kids are expected to fend for themselves.</p>
<p>Thanks BassDad...it does sound more like cultural immersion, but still looks like a great program, especially for singers!<br>
I also wanted to post for brass and percussion players that Chris Martin (principal trumpet, Chicago Symphony) and Gene Porkorny (Chicago Symphony Tubist) will be at the Summer Brass Institute here in the San Francisco Bay Area in July, giving master classes and instruction. Percussion players will be coached by the percussion section of the San Francisco Symphony. The Institute has featured Bud Herseth and Jens Lindemann, as well as members of the Bay Brass. For more info, check out Summer</a> Brass</p>
<p>Cosmos - As you are aware, most of the programs to which you are applying are highly competitive. A couple more highly competitive programs to look at for chamber music are the Steans Institute at Ravinia and Kneisel Hall. I don't if they take basses, though.</p>
<p>Thanks, shennie. I looked into Steans and they don't take basses. I'll give Kneisel Hall a look, too. I think I've pretty much maxed out on my apps for this summer... I feel pretty good about my list and I added the Kennedy Center/NSO training orchestra program and Yellow Barn, too (not sure if I noted that one on my last post). </p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions!</p>
<p>Just to bring this thread back up to the top... </p>
<p>No news on my applications yet. NRO audition's on February 16... my Pacific application was confirmed to have been received in Japan... </p>
<p>Anyone have news?</p>
<p>No news, but I'll add this link for those interested [url=<a href="http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/viola/message/51801%5DYahoo">http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/viola/message/51801]Yahoo</a>! Groups<a href="the%20viola%20list">/url</a></p>
<p>Anyone interested in summer camps emphasizing jazz should pick up this month's issue of Downbeat magazine. By the way, anyone have any experience with Purchase College's program?</p>
<p>Jazz program at Purchase, not really. But I do know that they have a great double bass teacher in their classical division - I studied with him in HS and he's principal of the Met Opera. Great, great player & teacher. If he's any reflection of the quality of faculty there, I'd say that Purchase is a good program to take a look at.</p>
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<p>Just found this thread... I suppose I'll add mine and join you guys in the waiting game, since I haven't had any news either.</p>
<p>Clarinet, senior in high school</p>
<p>~Eastman Music Horizons, Eastman School of Music (this is my backup, I went there last year too)
~BUTI, Orchestra/Wind Ensemble/Clarinet workshop, Boston U
~Brevard, Instrumental
~Interlochen, Instrumental ensemble program
~Centre d'arts Orford, master classes, Canada - this is a long shot, but I was told by faculty there that I should give it a try.</p>
<p>I have all my apps in except for a few supplementary materials for Orford, but I don't think any of them are going to tell me anything until March at the earliest...</p>
<p>lostinthemusic-
How did you like Eastman? D (flute, hs junior) was at CMU and NYSMF last summer. Looking and waiting from some of the same programs you are! Eastman's program did catch our eye....any input would be great!</p>
<p>I am interested if anyone has every sent their YOUNG children to Interlochen, Jr. Program, of course-or anywhere else, for that matter. My 8 year-old cellist is begging to go for a few weeks this summer. S2 has attended a prestigious local 1 week string festival for 2 summers (with a 3+ hour roundtrip commute each day), but wants more... More chamber, more orchestra and more time to do both as well as to do camp things. Interlochen tells me they have approximately 4 cabins/session filled with 3rd graders. Could that have been anyone that is reading this? </p>
<p>Adding tremendously to the dilemma is that we are in NJ/NY area and Interlochen is so far away. Hard to get there and back with cello in hand. If anyone has other suggestions more local (anywhere from DC to the Berkshires) that would be helpful too.</p>
<p>My son went to Interlochen when he was 11 and loved it. He was a singer who was doing solo opera work and Interlochen had the only program for a boy his age to study voice. It was a good program, but it is quite different from the instrumental program. </p>
<p>I had the impression it was very well supervised which I appreciated. One issue for him was that the boys' cabins are far from the main campus. He has orthopedic problems and the walking was quite strenuous for him. Outside of that, he made good friends and enjoyed it a lot. The food and the cabins were pretty bad, but this was about 10 years ago - perhaps it's better. I know there were a lot of complaints.</p>
<p>My younger son went to Camp Greenwood, Jr. in the Berkshires. I think they had some very little ones there. He was about 10. It is two weeks and sleepaway. The musical level is very high and the people are nurturing. The food is good there and the cabins quite clean and attractive. It's a beautiful place which I recommend. This is much closer for you than Interlochen.</p>
<p>My S was accepted into this program in the Czech Republic to study with Steve Shipps and Cyrus Forough. He has a friend who has been and liked it very much. A lot of Czech musicians also go and teach. It looks quite interesting. He has applied to others so we'll see, but he's leaning in this direction.</p>
<p>Thanks stringfollies-
Camp Greenwood looks perfect..except he is too young to attend. I will keep it in mind for next year. Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>team_mom, you may want to look for a "day" program for your 8 year old. In my experience, most overnight programs (camps or music programs) do not accept students who are that young. Check universities near you that have music programs...there might be something that is a day program for a week or two. Is there a Suzuki program near you? Maybe networking with them might give you some ideas for young string players.</p>
<p>Strings International near Philadelphia has a good shorter program that takes young ones and can be done either as an overnight or a day camp. Strings</a> International Summer Music Camp Home Page</p>
<p>hey stringfollies,
i know a whole bunch of kinds who did pilsen last year and really liked it! there are these two amazing czech kids - one of whom was in ny string orchestra with me and goes to curtis now - who did that last year. another friend of mine who's a violinist at cmu did it and loved it.</p>
<p>Levine School of Music in NW Washington, DC, may still have a "Strings" and "Strings Plus" programs--week-long day programs. My kids did them several years ago (we stayed with my parents) and it was very good.</p>
<p>My cellist son went to Point CounterPoint Chamber Music Camp in Vermont for two years and thrived. I'm not sure how young the kids are there, but it is much smaller than Interlochen. Same son previously went to Blue Lake in Michigan but it's large and more regimented. Depends on the kid...my son was happier focusing on chamber music than orchestral music, and being in smaller programs.
PCP probably is very similar to Greenwood and Kinhaven. (As a cellist, it does get complicated. To get his cello to PCP from Pittsburgh, we were lucky to have indulgent grandparents who would drop it off on their way to visit their daughter, and we'd pick him and the cello up. Vermont is a VERY nice place to have to pick up your kid in the summer.</p>
<p>Thanks, Cosmos. That's very good to hear. My S is very enthusiastic about it.</p>