<p>Does anyone have experience with the Festival Orchestra at Idyllwild? How is it?</p>
<p>Thanks, operamom, notfromme and momnipotent for your earlier posts of info and encouragement about Tanglewood! DS received acceptance letter today for Young Artists Vocal Program. Yaay! For those who are waiting: it comes in a regular white envelope even if it is an acceptance. My DS was too busy to open his for a while and I really wondered if he was in until he opened it.</p>
<p>Congratulations to those going to BUTI. DS spent two wonderful summers there. Your kids are going to have a fabulous time.</p>
<p>The people who heard from Tanglewood, where do you live? I live in New Jersey and haven't heard from them yet...</p>
<p>We live in Massachusetts, but know another family in Massachusetts who did not hear today. They applied in piano and we applied in voice. Good luck. Hope you hear good news soon!</p>
<p>Yeah - I live in New York and we haven't heard you. They were mailed on Thursday, so we figure that we will hear on Monday. If you don't hear by Tuesday, I'd say don't hesitate to call - they're very nice about it.</p>
<p>Also, do you know about how many apply for the piano program each year?</p>
<p>i had to call on thursday for my decision because i needed to respond to another program by the next day. none of my friends who applied (on cello, violin, bass, or voice) have heard yet. i'm sure most of you will hear on monday -- </p>
<p>i've been going to tanglewood for bass for 4 years, and i have to say that it's the most phenomenally enlivening summer music program i've ever attended. it's a great, great program with wonderful teachers and fantastic opporunitites for playing and developing.</p>
<p>Hey guys--the only reason we know is because of email communication. We have not yet received snail mail.</p>
<p>I got my letter :) I'm in at BUTI piano program, but I already sent my deposit to another camp. After lunch, I'm trying to call both programs to see if one would be willing to defer my admission for next summer.</p>
<p>S got into BUTI again. He's completely thrilled. We heard by letter and we live in California.</p>
<p>Have any of you had kids go to BUTI for the 6-week YAO program as full-pay?</p>
<p>Has anyone successfully appealed a scholarship denial from BUTI?</p>
<p>My daughter (16-yr old cellist) was accepted, but with no scholarship offered.
We're agonizing a bit about this -- I didn't feel she played well at her audition (I'm kind of surprised she got in, actually. but that probably explains the scholarship situation.) She could go back to her chamber-music camp, where she would probably again have $1500 or so scholarship (from a total tuition similar to BUTI's).</p>
<p>I have a few more questions about the program: How big is it? Does everyone who wants chamber music placement get placed? I see that you have to arrange for lessons privately (for mega bucks, too!) -- do most kids do that? Weekly? How about master classes - who gets to play, just Tanglewood Fellows types or also some YAO's?</p>
<p>How's the social life? What do kids do in the evenings? </p>
<p>Thanks for any info you experienced parents and kids can share.</p>
<p>Daughter attended 6 weeks of YAO plus the 2-week double bass workshop at full price. She was about in the middle of her section that year, but it was a very talented group - at least seven of ten are in top music schools/conservatories.</p>
<p>The program accepts several hundred - a slightly larger than normal orchestra, well over a hundred singers, and varying numbers in several other categories. There are opportunities for small group playing within BUTI, but I think there is a specific program for chamber music if you prefer to spend all of your time with small ensembles. I think they try to get all of the YAO instrumentalists into at least one small group. Most of the kids I knew of did take advantage of the additional-cost private lessons because it was an opportunity to study with some of the top teachers in the profession. Not cheap, but a lot cheaper than a separate trip to study with them would have cost. Don't know much about the masterclasses since I did not actually see one, but my daughter did get to play in at least one of them.</p>
<p>In the evenings, the kids attend the festival performances and head into town for pizza and ice cream. The social life was very good and my daughter still corresponds via email with several people from that summer.</p>
<p>I think is great congratulations! .. Im going this summer to Aspen , but is not the first time i go i went to skii once and its beautiful! .. I hope You have a great time</p>
<p>As a disclaimer, I'm a bass player so I can't really answer questions based on what students who study other instruments get to do at BUTI. I'll do my best to answer your questions in any case though. </p>
<p>I attended YAO and the bass workshop last summer. I can't answer your question about the scholarship appeal, but I can tell you that I know of other students who are attempting to appeal their scholarship denials this year, so your daughter is not the only one who is trying this route (I hope it works out for her). </p>
<p>YAO last year was probably between 120 and 130 students. Everyone is placed two chamber groups (one during the first half of YAO, and a different one during the second half of YAO). The faculty tries to give students different chamber music experiences in the two chamber sessions. For example, during the first half I played in a Boccherini trio with two violinists, while during the second half I played in a bass quartet. </p>
<p>As far as lessons go, I can comment on the bass lesson situation, but I don't know if it's the same for the other instruments. For basses, we can sign up for from 0-6 lessons with the bass teacher on the BUTI faculty, Eric Larson, and from 0-3 lessons with a BSO member, Ben Levy. Lessons aren't required and are scheduled based on when the teacher can see the student privately. I pretty much had one lesson per week with Eric, but some kids had two one week and none the next week. It varies. Students also frequently approach BSO members or members of the resident quartet and ask for lessons. These lessons have to be arranged between the teacher and the student, not through BUTI. </p>
<p>The master class situation: Last year, the bass students were invited to hear TMC master classes with BSO players at the Tanglewood Main Grounds every few weeks. We also had master classes with the principal bassist of the BSO twice. During workshop, we had master class almost every day with our teacher, a BSO bassist Todd Seeber, and every now and then with another BSO member. A few years ago Larry Wolfe, assistant principal bass of the BSO, did a class...Eric also tried to get Hal Robinson, principal bass of the Philly Orchestra, last year but Philly came to Twood on the day YAO ended so it didn't work out. In the past, I know masterclasses have been presented by Yo Yo Ma, Midori, Emmanuel Ax and other musicians who come to Twood to solo with the BSO. If you really want to play for a lot of people, the best thing to do is pluck up the courage to go up to someone in the BSO and ask for a lesson. They're all pretty nice so, if they have time, they usually are alright with that! </p>
<p>The social life is great at BUTI, especially during YAO. Almost every evening everyone goes to a concert given by the BSO, TMC Orchestra, or a quartet or soloist at Ozawa Hall. There is a curfew which is enforced, so students can't be out too late, but a lot of kids spend most of their time in Lenox going for ice cream, pizza, or sushi. Kids also hang out on the BUTI grounds playing basketball, tennis, or frisbee. The BUTI staff also frequently organizes trips into Pittsfield to go to the movies or the mall, trips to nearby museums, or shuttles to the beach owned by the BSO which is about a 10 minute walk from the Tanglewood Main Grounds. On Sundays, some students also get up early (meaning 9:00am - early for the only rehearsal-free day!) to go to the BSO rehearsal at 10am on the Tanglewood Main Grounds.</p>
<p>Also, students spend a lot of time outside of rehearsals practicing. Classes pretty much end by dinner-time, but there's so much music to learn during YAO that students do spend a lot of free time practicing.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how many applicants there were for Interlochen Advanced Choral and Operetta?</p>
<p>I think I just read there were 210 voice applicants for Tanglewood.
and only 25 sopranos selected. D is a soprano</p>
<p>We are a bit confused as to why D was accepted to Tanglewood and not Interlochens Advanced Vocal. Tanglewood appears to be more selective</p>
<p>We are leaning more towards Tanglewood now thanks to all of your great responses on the board.</p>
<p>D was offerd a merit award at Interlochen and nothing at Tanglewood. Would it be wise to mention this to Tanglewood to see if they might review her scholarship application or should we just pay and be happy that she got in?</p>
<p>It seems to be a small investment in her future when you look at the possibilities of merit aid for college if she improves over the summer.</p>
<p>It is a good idea to mention it. I was offered nothing at BUTI, but when I told them EMF offered me 750, they offered me 1000. I still chose EMF over BUTI (the piano program is much stronger at EMF).</p>
<p>Just picked my music kid up from the airport! Home for sister's graduation. Heads to Korea in a few weeks for a couple gigs, then to California for the summer. I'm excited for him, for all he's got going, and that he was able to get all the details worked out. And I'm also very happy to have him home even if only for a little while.</p>
<p>He had a rough couple of weeks with everything needing to be done at once, and I think he's really happy to be here, too, ready for a break.</p>
<p>Hope everybody else is gearing up for great summers, too.</p>
<p>Son has a fellowship at Hot Springs Festival and flies out a week from today for two weeks. Comes home for a week, then off to Pennsylvania as faculty in a two week chamber program. He's waiting for one more response from Shenandoah Performs scheduled immediately thereafter.</p>
<p>He's bypassed some options that conflict with the PA teaching gig.</p>
<p>My violist daughter will be attending the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. Haven't run into anyone that's attended, but it's tuition free and they have a pretty impressive faculty. The recordings on the website sound great.</p>