Dvorak, String Quartet
Opus 106
August 16-22, 2021, Seattle Pacific
University, Seattle, WA
Coached Quartets
At the core of KentMusic is the opportunity to receive intensive, daily coaching on one great quartet that all participants must prepare in advance. Coaches rotate among quartets that are carefully matched and assigned each day.
Concert Series
Outstanding chamber music concerts featuring the Manhattan String Quartet and guest artists.
Informal Ensembles
Explore repertoire and meet the other players in self-organized, daily reading sessions.
Lecture/Demonstrations
Daily, in-depth exploration of the work being studied with Dr. David Clampitt and the Manhattan String Quartet. A KentMusic highlight!
Come join us and revive your quartet playing at KentMusic!
The faculty welcomes experienced string players: amateur, pre-professional, and professional. Acceptance will depend upon the number of applicants and the need for balanced instrumentation in assembling the participants into full quartets of similar ability.
Fees include a non-refundable application deposit of $400 per participant and $150 per guest/spouse. In the case of applicants who are not accepted, deposits will be returned.
In the event the program must be canceled, all deposits will be returned.
Registration Deadline…………………..June 20, 2021
Acceptance Notification………………..July 8, 2021
Payment in Full Due…………………….July 18, 2021 (No refunds after July 28, 2021)
August 16-22, 2021 at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, WA
Resident Coached Participant $1250
Coaching, lectures, free-playing, lodging, meals, concert
Commuter Participant: $810
Coaching, lectures, free-playing, 1 dinner, 6 lunches, concert
Non-Playing Guest or Spouse: $655
Lodging, meals, lectures, concerts, reception
Meals and Accommodations
For Resident Participants, meals begin with dinner on Monday and end with lunch on Sunday.
For Commuter Participants, dinner on Monday evening and daily lunch from Tuesday through Sunday are included in your fee.
ACCOMMODATIONS will be in the Wesley Residence Hall suites. Each individual or couple will have their own private bedroom and assigned use private bathroom.
For those who are local commuters, SPU offers plenty of free parking.
Inquiries and additional information for KentMusic-Seattle:
Curt Macomber: 917-751-5612, cjmacomber@earthlink.net
Manhattan String Quartet
Critically acclaimed as one of America’s leading ensembles, the MANHATTAN STRING QUARTET is celebrating its 50th season this year. Hailed by Michael Steinberg of the Boston Globe as “a national treasure,” the Manhattan Quartet has appeared throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Mexico and South America. Notable among its many recordings is the complete cycle of fifteen Shostakovich string quartets which TIME Magazine called “One of the most important musical events of 1991”.
The group has been Quartet-in-Residence at Colgate University since 1988 and has also held similar posts at the Manhattan School of Music, Cornell University, Grinnell College, Western Connecticut State University, the Chamber Music Institute in Racine, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Interlochen National Music Camp (for 21 summers). In 2011, in collaboration with the Sarajevo Academy of Music, the Manhattan Quartet established the Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival.
Since 1989 the Manhattan String Quartet has hosted annual teaching and performing conferences in the United States and Europe for pre-professional quartets and amateur players.
DAVID CLAMPITT is a music theorist and violinist who taught at Yale University for 11 years before joining the faculty at Ohio State University, where he is where he is Professor and Area Head for Music Theory. The author of many articles and book chapters, he is a recipient of the Emerging Scholar Award from the national Society of Music Theory. A founding member of the Algonquin String Quartet during his years as a violinist in New York City, he has been a regular member and occasional soloist with Orchestra of New England in New Haven, and has appeared as a recitalist at Yale. He has coached and lectured at KentMusic since 1990 and has also given his popular lecture/demonstrations with the Manhattan String Quartet in New York City and Europe.
Additional Faculty for KentMusic at Colgate
MICHAEL EMERY violinist, is current Senior Artist-in-Residence at Skidmore College. He received his Masters in Music Performance at Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Erick Friedman and the late Raphael Bronstein. While attending Manhattan, he was selected to perform in the master classes of two of this century’s most celebrated violinists, Ruggiero Ricci and the late Henryk Szeryng. Mr. Emery is currently concertmaster and soloist with the Utica, Catskill, and Schenectady Symphonies, having acted in that capacity for several other orchestras including the Vermont Symphony and the Glimmerglass Opera Festival. He has served on the faculty of Colgate University and Hartwick College, and is presently teaching at Skidmore College, the College of St. Rose, Schenectady County Community College, and at his private studio in Schenectady.
Cellist KATHE JARKA has performed in major concert venues across the United States, Canada and in Europe. While a member of the Shanghai Quartet, she toured extensively, appearing at the Tanglewood, Norfolk and Ravinia festivals. She performs and conducts master classes around the country as a member of the Broyhill and Goliard chamber ensembles. Ms. Jarka has collaborated with such artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Ruth Laredo and the Juilliard Quartet. She appeared several times with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and coaches the Young Musicians Program of its education division.
JOEL PITCHON is active as a soloist, concertmaster, and chamber music player. He has received acclaim for his performances with internationally renowned ensembles including the New York Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, and the EOS Orchestra (NY). Pitchon received his B.A. and M.A. in music from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Oscar Shumsky and Joseph Fuchs. He has worked extensively in chamber ensembles as a member of the Forster String Trio, the Walden Chamber Players, and the Kinor String Quartet. Mr. Pitchon frequently performs at the Monadnock Music Festival (NH) and each summer participates in a series of concerts as leader of the New Baroque Soloists. He is also currently a member of the Smith Chamber Music Society and the Rose Colored Glasses Chamber Ensemble.
Violist LIUH-WEN TING is a graduate of the Juilliard School and former member of the Meridian String Quartet. She has collaborated with the Cassatt String Quartet and the Persian master Shahram Nazeri on a sold-out tour, appearing on ABC, CNN, and Fox News. Ms. Ting is a frequent soloist at international festivals including The Prague Spring Music Festival, Ostrava New Music Days in the Czech Republic, The Warsaw Autumn Music Festival in Poland, and the Primavera en la Habana electro-acoustic music festival. She has recorded chamber music on the Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, and Capstone Record labels. Ms. Ting is also a faculty member of the prep division at the Mannes School of Music.
Celebrating the 250th year since his birth, we are excited to be studying
Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major, opus 59#1
About KentMusic
Since its beginnings in Kent, Connecticut in 1989, KentMusic has enjoyed a loyal following with participants returning each year from all over the United States as well as from abroad. Returning participants and newcomers alike enjoy a friendly, welcoming atmosphere with the opportunity to refine their skills, learn new repertoire and collaborate with others, see old friends and make new ones. Enrollment is limited to ensure balanced groups and ample coaching. Advance preparation is absolutely essential for all participants.
A Typical Day at KentMusic
Mornings: Breakfast is served from 7:30 AM, followed by coaching sessions with assigned ensembles from 9:00-10:45 AM. After a coffee break, Dr. David Clampitt lectures from 11:00-12:00 on the theoretical and musicological aspects of the movement studied that day with the MSQ playing musical examples. Lunch is served from 12:00-1:00 PM.
Afternoons: Coaching sessions with assigned ensembles resume from 1:45-3:45 PM. The period of free time that follows can be used for relaxation and more music making.
Evenings: Dinner is served from 6:00-7:00 PM. From 7:30-10:00 PM time is available for optional free ensembles.
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
The Colgate University Campus is set in the rolling hills of the Chenango Valley in central New York State. Colgate offers a beautiful setting with ideal rehearsal, concert, lodging and dining facilities as well as walking trails and athletic facilities. The closest airports are Syracuse (1 hour) and Albany (2 hours). Hamilton is a scenic 4-5 hour drive from New York City or Boston. We assist in arranging carpools and airport vans.
Accommodations are in Colgate University’s New Residence Halls, offering single & double rooms with shared bathrooms. Beautiful common lounge areas and laundry facilities are in each residence hall. All buildings are within walking distance in a beautiful setting with gentle hills.
Colgate University Campus
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, WA
Located in a residential neighborhood on the north slope of Queen Anne Hill and just 10 minutes from downtown, Seattle Pacific University’s 43-acre city campus borders the Lake Washington Ship Canal and boasts majestic trees, open lawns, beautiful gardens, and views of the Cascade Mountains.
Accommodations are in spacious suite-style units with single private bedrooms and private use baths, plus a shared kitchen and living room. Laundry facilities are available in each suite.
For those who are local commuters, SPU offers plenty of free parking.
Seattle Pacific University
“I am still thinking about the wonderful week at KentMusic. I feel so lucky to be able to delve into this extraordinary music and study it with such a marvelous group of coaches. I think we all get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from the experience in large part because all of you approach the process with such enthusiasm and passion.”
“What a great week it was! For me as well as everybody I talked to. Today is like a fermata, trying to hold on to it before the inevitable rush of What’s Next.”
“The superb concerts make this conference the one to choose.”
“A fine week, worth every penny. I plan to return next year!”
“I’ve been to a lot of music camps and KentMusic is special. You gave me the kind of focused, friendly, interactive experience that is the heart and essence of chamber music. The members of the Manhattan String Quartet are not only superb performers, but they are all great coaches with the rare ability to illuminate the music while inducing us to play at the top of our capacity. KentMusic is extraordinary in its achievement of high standards without competition.”