School of Music > Academics > Summer Music at DePaul > Summer ChamberFest

Summer ChamberFest

Mon​day, July 6 - Sunday, July 12, 2020​
Chamber Music Showcase

The DePaul University School of Music is proud to announce Summer ChamberFest, a one-week intensive program in the creative and challenging world of chamber music. This inaugural program offers daily coaching, master classes, seminars and performance opportunities from our world-class faculty and is open to string, woodwind (including saxophone), brass, and percussion players. All student groups created during the week-long program will perform in a Summer ChamberFest closing concert, celebrating the week's accomplishments, in the School of Music's brand new, state-of-the-art Holtschneider Performance Center.  

Rising high school junior and senior student instrumentalists are encouraged to apply. You must be serious about making good music, working hard and having fun! Groups and repertoire will be assigned to each student accepted. Pre-formed groups are welcome to apply! 

Apply now! ​ Deadline for applications is March 16, 2020.  

Performing chamber music is a vital and fulfilling part of becoming a successful musician. Chamber music repertoire is vastly diverse, rich with technical challenges and opportunities for both intimately collaborative and virtuostic playing. Members of each group will learn to share and balance leadership roles and allow for independent and creative musical interpretation. Chamber music fosters critical communication techniques, both by learning to interact with colleagues in a respectful, productive manner and by providing valuable public speaking opportunities in front of an audience. Listening, awareness, responsiveness and flexibility are essential skills uniquely cultivated by performing chamber music - these abilities will serve you well in whatever career path you follow!

This program provides a rare and unique opportunity for dedicated high school music students to work with the School of Music's illustrious faculty who are professional musicians at the top of their fields.  Faculty members are updated as they are confirmed.  All faculty are subject to change. 

Wagner Campos, clarinet
David Cohen, trumpet
Cliff Colnot, Director of Orchestral Activities
Julie DeRoche, clarinet
I-Hao Lee, violin
Paul Lowry, trumpet
Eric Millstein, percussion
Jeremy Ruthrauff, saxophone
Ann Setzer, violin
Jenny Shin, flute

All students will be housed on campus in DePaul University dormitories, located in the heart of Chicago’s North Side Lincoln Park Neighborhood (no exceptions).  There will be on-site support from Resident Hall Directors and Resident Hall Assistants  who reside in the dormitory.  All students must abide by an 11:00pm curfew unless otherwise determined by the Summer Program Director. 
There will be daily coaching sessions, master classes, rehearsals, workshops and social events, along with breaks for three meals each day.    A sample day looks something like this: 

8-8:45 AM  Breakfast
9:15-11 AM  Chamber coaching
11:30-12:15 PM  Lunch
12:45-2:30 PM  Chamber coaching
2:45-4:30 PM  Master class/practice/rehearsal
5-5:45 PM  Dinner
6-10:30 PM  Workshops/concerts/social events
11 PM  Lights out


Tuition for the program is $1,595.00 which includes on-campus housing, meals, off-campus events and all other related activities. 
One letter of recommendation from your private teacher or school orchestra/band director and a simple resume that describes your musical experience, listing any chamber pieces you may have performed. 

For all instruments other than percussion, please submit an audition recording of the following: two contrasting solo works (one may be a movement from a standard concerto/sonata) that best demonstrates the full range of your technical and expressive skills.  Each work should be 5-8 minutes long.  Piano accompaniment is not required.  

For percussionists, please submit an audition recording of either a snare drum solo (or etude) or a multi-percussion solo and a mallet solo (can be marimba, vibraphone, or xylophone), preferably with 4-mallets. 
If accepted, students will receive detailed information on items to bring regarding room and board, travel and more.  Each student accepted will be assigned to a chamber group with appropriate repertoire.  Music will be sent to prior to arrival, and each student must prepare their part(s) in advance.  Coachings will begin on the first full day of ChamberFest and each student is expected to come fully prepared to perform their part in its entirety.  We will be diving right in from the first coaching session through the week, so each student must commit to arriving at ChamberFest ready to perform. 
Please feel free to email us directly at music.depaul.edu with any further questions.  
March 16, 2020 - Application Deadline - 5PM CST
Early April, 2020 - Notification of admission status provided to all applicants who submitted by March 16, 2020
April 24, 2020 - Deadline for admitted students to accept admission.  50% deposit of tuition fees due on this day
June 12, 2020 - Final payment of tuition fees due
July 6, 2020 -  Arrival and Check-In Day
July 12, 2020 - Final performance and Check-Out


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