Ensemble Singing Intensive

June 29, 2025-July 6, 2025

Muhlenberg College
2400 W Chew St
Allentown, PA 18104
United States

Tuition:
$730

Directed by Geoffrey Williams

Amherst Early Music Festival, June 29-July 6, 2025

Nun singet!

The music of Johann Sebastian Bach provides a great opportunity to examine the marriage of text and music. Participants in this intensive course will explore the development from plainsong chant melodies into Renaissance polyphony and the end result in the German Chorale. The repertoire for study, rehearsal and performance will include J.S. Bach's predecessors Senfl, Isaac, Luther, Vulpius, Praetorius, Schein, Kuhnau, and Johann Michael Bach. Special focus daily will be given to studying Johann Sebastian's unique harmonic and textual approach to the Chorale.

The Ensemble Singing Intensive is a high-level, auditioned program for pre-professional and advanced amateur singers with an interest in working in depth with repertoire from the 15th and 16th centuries.
ESI gives participants the opportunity to work closely with like-minded colleagues and professional coaches to refine their skill set for vocal chamber music performance. Students participate in daily rehearsals, ensemble coachings, discussions, and masterclass, working towards a performance at week's end. Along the way, special attention is given to issues such as vocal production and vocal health, approaches to language in singing including diction and rhetoric, as well as development of ensemble leadership skills, including conducting gesture, rehearsal preparation, and communication.

New application due date is May 1st!

A message from ESI Director, Geoffrey Williams!

Image
Ensemble Singing Intensive in Concert

Audition Due date

May 1, 2025

Faculty

Geoffrey
Williams *
Voice
Michael
Barrett *
Voice
Emily
Eagen **
Voice
Paul
Guttry *
Voice
Daniel
Johnson
Voice
Temmo
Korisheli *
Voice

Where

View larger map

Festival FAQs

TRAVEL
Muhlenberg College: 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA
Closest Airport: Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), is approximately 7 miles from the Muhlenberg campus.
Trans-Bridge Lines offers service from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC, and Newark Airport to the Allentown Transportation Center, 603 Linden Street, Allentown, PA (2.3 miles from campus)
Greyhound offers service from Philadelphia to the Allentown Transportation Center.

MEALS
The meal card is $280 and covers one week of meals starting with dinner on Sunday, June 29, (July 6 for second week) thru breakfast on Sunday, July 6, (July 13 for second week).

ROOMS
All standard rooms are air-conditioned. Budget rate housing is not air-conditioned, with hall baths. Basic linens (sheets, pillow, and towels) are included with all housing. Beds are twin, extra long.
Standard rooms with private baths are in Taylor Hall. Standard rooms with hall baths are in Martin Luther Hall, Kitchenette Suite rooms are in South Hall. Budget (non-ac) rooms are in Brown Hall.

Ensemble Singing Intensive Audition Information

To apply for the Ensemble Singing Intensive Program you will need to submit the following through our audition portal. The due date for applications is May 1, 2025.

  1. $30 registration fee
  2. Your resume or a brief description (one or two paragraphs) summarizing your musical background and experience, including formal and informal training and education.
  3. 5-10 minutes of music showing your technique, expression, and understanding of 16th -17th century style. The piece need not be accompanied. Please include composer and title information with your submission.

Scholarships & Work-Study

Work-Study

All participants are welcome to apply for tuition assistance through AEM's Work-Study program. The work-study application form can be found here. Questions about Work-Study can be sent to Click here to show mail address. Applicants are encouraged to early, and before May 31st.

AEM Scholarships

To apply for all AEM scholarships, including the Washington McClain Scholarship, please fill out the Scholarship application form here. Applications due by May 15.

The Washington McClain Scholarship Fund honors the memory of Baroque oboist and Amherst Early Music faculty member Washington McClain. It will fund scholarships for students who have historically been underrepresented in the early music field, including African-American, Latinx, and others. Awards will cover tuition, room and board, and travel and may be used for any in-person AEM event, particularly the Amherst Early Music Festival.

In addition to scholarships, AEM offers work study tuition to all of our workshops, and the Amherst Early Music Festival. Work study is an option for students of any age.

Other Organizations

American Recorder Society offers scholarships to recorder players for Weekend Workshops as well as Summer Festivals. Any ARS member who needs financial assistance to attend a weekend or week-long workshop may apply for this scholarship. Deadline: May 15.

Lute Society of America scholarships include full tuition, room & board, and some travel. Due Date May 1.

Early Music America offers scholarships to help students attend early music and historical performance workshops in North America. Applications due April 1.

Viola da Gamba Society of America offers Grants-in-Aid to its members to attend Workshops and Masterclasses.

The Historical Keyboard Society of North America has established the Funaro Fund Award to support its members to offset the cost of traveling to an early keyboard event.