Strings, Winds, Brass and Percussion
Instrumental Fellows participate in four primary activities during the summer: weekly individual lessons, masterclasses, and orchestra and chamber performances.
LIVE AUDITIONS AVAILABLE FOR STRINGS, WINDS, BRASS & PERCUSSION!
2012 Application Deadlines & Audition Dates
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Bassoon
Horn
Trumpet
Trombone/Tuba
Percussion/Timpani
Harp
Violin
Viola
Cello
Double Bass
weekly private lessons
Each Fellow is offered a weekly private lesson by his/her studio faculty member. Lessons are often accompanied by the Collaborative Piano department.
Orchestra
Instrumental Fellows comprise the Academy Festival Orchestra, which performs four concerts during the Summer Festival. Led by distinguished guest conductors chosen both for their artistic skill and their dedication to making great music with pre-professional musicians, these concerts are Festival high points. Each program is preceded by a week of rehearsals.
Toward the end of the summer, two additional orchestras are formed, the Academy Opera Orchestra and the Academy Chamber Orchestra, each performing a single program. Orchestra assignments are determined by the Academy faculty at the beginning of the summer. String principals, chosen by audition, also participate in the Academy's unique Seminar in Orchestra Leadership.
Chamber music
Each instrumentalist participates in one or more chamber ensembles during the summer. Ensembles, formed during the first week of the Festival, receive weekly coaching from faculty members and are afforded the opportunity to perform in weekly student chamber concerts (Picnic Concerts), in the student/faculty Chamberfest at the end of the summer, and at community concerts in venues throughout Santa Barbara.
Concerto competition
Instrumentalists are invited to enter the annual concerto competition, and are encouraged to study a concerto in preparation for this exciting event. At least three winners, chosen by a panel of eminent judges from the music profession, are awarded the opportunity to perform with the Academy Festival Orchestra.
Masterclasses
Public masterclasses are a vital part of the Music Academy experience. Weekly masterclasses for individual instruments as well as for chamber ensembles - including string and piano, brass, and collaborative piano groups - are presented throughout the summer.
String Quartet Seminar — new this year!
The Music Academy of the West is pleased to offer an intensive String Quartet Seminar (SQS) as part of its 65th anniversary Summer School and Festival. Sixteen string Fellows (eight violinists, four violists, and four cellists) will be selected to participate in this two-week program. Featuring intensive coaching with Academy faculty members Peter Salaff and David Geber as well as masterclasses with the celebrated Miró Quartet, the seminar will conclude with a String Quartet Performance Marathon. This new program is designed to improve musicianship, teach rehearsal and problem-solving skills, and expose participants to an essential repertory.
All accepted violin, viola, and cello Fellows are eligible for this unique program. Separate applications will be made available during the audition process. Enrollment is limited and will be determined by level of interest and experience. The SQS will take place during weeks five and six of the Summer School and Festival (July 16-29). The four string quartets chosen for this program will study and rehearse together daily, and will be relieved of all orchestral and other chamber activities for the duration of the SQS. Participants will continue to receive private instruction and attend related masterclasses during this time period; they will remain eligible to compete in the Concerto Competition.
Additional information is available at .
