Adult collaborations: amateur chamber music programs.(Forum Focus: Collaborative Performance)

Throughout the United States there e a plethora of chamber music festivals from coast to coast. These festivals invite some of the world's leading chamber music performers and provide many wonderful concerts, lectures and continuing education for young professional musicians. Such festivals as the Aspen, Grand Teton, Santa Fe and the Portland Chamber Music Festival allow anyone to participate as an audience member, and you can literally spend weeks listening to some of the finest chamber music performances in the country.

There are also festivals for amateur chamber musicians who want a more participatory experience--one where they can take part as players and receive coaching from a faculty of professional musicians.

I have had the opportunity to participate as a coach and guest artist in the Montana Chamber Music Workshop in Bozeman. The workshop includes playing assignments that vary in instrumentation and musical style. Daily assignments are a one-time playing session with personnel and instrumentation, while "in-depth assignments" or IDAs offer the opportunity to work on the same repertoire with the same group of players and the same coach for several sessions during the week. Performance forums allow ensembles to present short segments. The last forum of the week is a presentation of the IDAS repertoire in a concert setting. Assignments are professionally coached by visiting artists and the Montana State University Music faculty.

In Blue Hill, Maine, is the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival. Here, the amateur player can participate in the Kneisel Hall Adult Chamber Music Institute. This week-long event is coached by four distinguished chamber musicians and 10 teaching assistants who spend the summer at Kneisel Hall and are the chamber artists of tomorrow. The young artists and distinguished faculty meet and work with each ensemble twice daily. Typical days include assigned groups, chamber music lectures, master classes, stage seats for a Kneisel Hall Festival concert and a performance by institute players, Participants are encouraged to attend by themselves or with a pre-formed group or just with a friend who enjoys playing chamber music.

The Lake Placid Institute Adult Chamber Music Seminar offers string players and pianists the opportunity to play and study great chamber music. Participants will work with world-class faculty in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere, focusing on ensemble techniques and general musicianship. Participants may come as individuals or as part of a pre-formed group. A typical day will include coaching sessions, plus optional activities including master classes, a faculty concert, organized sight reading, guest presentations, a participant ...