Chamber Music Summer Program in Italy

Sarteano Chamber Choral Workshop - Young Adult/teen Division:
Sarteano Chamber Choral Workshop - Young Adult/Teen Division, is a summer workshop in Italy designed for the singer, conductor or music educator who loves singing and working in a chamber choral setting. We are an intensive music workshop. All our tutors teach at University level. We are located in Sarteano, a picturesque town in the Siena, Tuscany, dotted with palazzi and overlooked by a medieval castle. The workshop and final concert will be held in the centro storico (historic center), a pedestrian area of small winding streets, quaint homes, lovely stores, and fine restaurants. With its magical Renaissance ambiance, Sarteano is the perfect place to sing chamber choral music.

Summer Workshop in Italy designed for the Singer, Conductor or Music Educator:

There are three possible tiers of participation: Full Conductor, Conducting Auditor or Singer (serious singers ages 15 - 20, who are looking for a strong chamber ensemble experience). Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or chaperone. The main language used in the workshop is English.

This intensive conducting workshop is geared for music educators and choral conductors with strong vocal ability who are interested in rehearsing and performing chamber choral music. You will be part of a 26 to 28 member ensemble that will prepare and perform a cappella choral music from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. The two-part morning session will consist of vocal pedagogy using the Rohmert method of Functional Voicetraining; and clinics on developing a vital chamber choir. The afternoon session will be a conducting master class. If you already direct a chamber group or similar ensemble, the workshop will help you to further develop your expertise and base of knowledge.

We heartily welcome qualified singers who are interested in attending in a non-conducting capacity; who enjoy singing in a chamber group environment and/or who are very specifically looking to learn rehearsal and conducting techniques. Ten (10) applicants will be granted Full Conductor status; to apply for this position you must submit a videotape. Please send a VHS Video Cassette or DVD of a rehearsal or concert with you as the focal point. Each Full Conductor will be assigned a piece for their podium time in the master class; they will also conduct this piece in the final concert. Each Full Conductor will conduct in every master class.

You may also choose to participate as either a Conducting Auditor or Singer. Conducting Auditors will also have the opportunity to conduct the ensemble during a morning session; you will be assigned a piece to prepare in advance. Private conducting sessions will also be available to Full Conductors for an additional fee. The master class uses the Workshop ensemble as its laboratory, so everyone receives the benefits of each master class.

As a music educator or conductor seeking the experience of working and learning in a small group, you will have the opportunity to establish and develop relationships and to make music with other like-minded musicians. Creating a cohesive and musical ensemble in such a short time period is essential to the workshop, and we will focus on techniques to help facilitate this over the course of the workshop. Workshop sessions will be held in the Società Filarmonica, and we will close with a performance in the beautiful Teatro di Sarteano.