Amherst Early Music Festival 2011
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Connecticut College, New London, CT
July 10-17 and 17-24, 2011
Music of Italy and Spain
We have exciting plans for great music and good fun at the 2011 Festival, and we hope you’ll join us. Our supportive international faculty—great players and great teachers—will encourage and challenge you every step of the way.
New to the Festival? Fear not! Our open and inviting atmosphere will make you feel at home right away, and you’ll see why students return year after year.
In early June, detailed class descriptions and schedule will be available. Monday through Friday, the day is divided into four class periods. Saturday is a day of rehearsals and concerts.
Most classes will be at a=440. Viol-only and most Baroque ensemble classes will be at a=415. Workshop student concerts feature music prepared in class. Evening activities: concerts, lectures, informal playing sessions, auction. Morning activities: Tai Chi with Christopher Morrongiello**.
Recorder We have the largest recorder program in the US, this year featuring the Flanders Recorder Quartet (who will give two concerts!) and many other favorite teachers. Classes will include Venetian double-choir music, 8-foot recorder class, technique for the self-taught player, Italian laude & frottole, Baroque ensembles, master classes, and Renaissance recorder ensembles (AEM’s Rogers Breukink consort, Prescotts).
Viol One-on-a-part consorts, voices and viols, master class with Sarah Cunningham, repertoire by Italian composers in England; after-hours playing every evening. Viol classes are in or near dorms.
Historical brass** & reeds Spanish 16th-century music with Douglas Kirk, Italian manuscript sources for alta band with Adam Gilbert, Venetian double choir ensemble, dulcian consort, shawm band.
Vocal program Master class with Julianne Baird, early 17th-century Italian monody, madrigals, voices & viols, motet choir with Michael Barrett, medieval music with Susan Hellauer of Anonymous 4. Sing with a continuo group or viol consort, or a capella. The All-Workshop Collegium performs Renaissance master works.
Baroque oboe*, bassoon*, flute*, violin*, and cello* a=415. Students have joint master classes with the Baroque Academy, Baroque topic classes, ensembles, and Festival Oboe Band.
Historical Dance* Renaissance and Baroque dance classes, costumed performance with Festival Oboe Band. Some dancers will also perform in the Baroque Opera. Read more at New York Historical Dance
Percussion** with frame drum master Glen Velez, and music of Eastern Europe and the Middle East with Nina Stern, recorder. Classes for beginners to advanced. Guest artist Ara Dinkjian, oud, will teach for two days.
Harpsichord Solo repertoire and ensemble playing. Learn about or expand your knowledge of basso continuo playing. More than a dozen harpsichords available.
Early notation with Valerie Horst and Patricia Petersen. Learn to read music from original sources, and get a feel for how notation conveys musical style, tempo, and other information essential to understanding early repertoires.
Lute Society of America Seminar** Italian and Spanish repertoire for lute, Renaissance lute band, master class with Nigel North, ensembles with singers.
In addition to the above offerings, we have the following special programs:
Week One
Baroque Academy and Opera - Download brochure
Recorder Boot Camp
Historical Dance
Week Two
Virtuoso Recorder and Recorder Seminar
Ensemble Singing Intensive - Download brochure
Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut, is situated within a 750-acre arboretum with dramatic views of Long Island Sound. The college has plenty of air-conditioned classroom space, a beautiful concert hall, and comfortable dorms. A college store, snack bar, and post office are available in the student center. The College is just minutes away from beaches, nature preserves, Mystic Seaport, coffeehouses, and bookstores. For more information go to www.conncoll.edu.
Travel Connecticut College is less than 60 miles from Providence, RI, just off of I-95 in southeastern Connecticut. Amtrak trains and Greyhound Bus go to downtown New London, just 2 miles from campus. The closest airport is in Providence, RI (PVD). From Providence, there is a taxi shuttle that connects to the Amtrak train, and curbside taxis available to connect to the train or go directly to New London. Newark Airport and Boston’s Logan Airport have good connections to New London by train. A ferry runs from Orient, Long Island to New London. Please send an email to rideshare@amherstearlymusic.
Tuition
Workshop Program: $535 per week
Half-day tuition: $320
Special Program tuition: $585
Dance Program: $495
Attend full time both weeks in any combination of programs and get $100 off tuition!
Registration Fee Waived before March 15 on all registrations, or before May 1 with one week of full workshop tuition. $30 if postmarked by June 18, $50 after June 18. Non-refundable.
Cancellation policy Tuition is fully refundable before June 18, all but $50 between June 19 and the start of the week you reserved, after which there will be no refunds.
Scholarships and Work-Study Some financial assistance is available. Details and application coming soon. Scholarships are also offered by Early Music America and the American Recorder Society (April 15 application deadline), and the Viola da Gamba Society.
Audition Requirements For the Recorder Boot Camp, Baroque Academy, Virtuoso Recorder, Recorder Seminar, and Ensemble Singing Intensive programs, a recorded audition is required.
Deadline for Baroque Academy singers: April 15.
Deadline for Baroque Academy instrumentalists and all other programs: May 15.
Applicants are encouraged to submit audition materials digitally. Address your e-mail auditions@amherstearlymusic.org, with subject line following the format "Program - Your Name, Instrument/Voice", and attach your résumé, head shot (for singers), and 10-15 minutes of music demonstrating your technical ability, musical expression, and understanding of performance practice. Please include an Italian selection. Recordings should be submitted as MP3s (MP4s); if you would like to send examples in another format, e-mail info@amherstearlymusic.org to discuss. Résumés are accepted in PDF or .doc formats. Photographs (for singers) are accepted in any standard format. If you need to send more than one email due to large file sizes, please label them "1 of x", "2 of x", etc.
ESI applicants have specific guidelines for their recordings - read here for details.
If you are unable to send materials online, you may mail a CD, photo (singers), and résumé to Amherst Early Music, P.O. Box 229, Arlington, MA 02476.
Room & Board Single or double occupancy in the air-conditioned dorms is $360 per person per week, linens included. Single or double occupancy in the non a/c dorms is $160 per person per week, no linens, no meals. Single or double occupancy in the non a/c dorms is $225 per person with linens, no meals. All rooms have shared baths. A meal card for the week is $175. Housing is also available for non-students. Sign up for housing here!
We have also reserved a block of hotel rooms at the Mariott Springhill Suites just down the road from Connecticut College. Our rate is $127/night +tax. Call 888-236-2427 by June 10 with your reservation. 3 night minimum. Space limited so reserve early!
Commuter Fee $30/week for non-resident students covers facilities, insurance, and amenities.
Application Apply on our website, or print and fill out the application form and mail to us with application fee and either full tuition payment or tuition deposit of $100 per week. Payment may be made by check or credit card. Applicants will receive detailed information about classes, housing, transportation, and Festival events in early June.
*First Week Only
**Second Week Only