DaPonte String Quartet High School Students Chamber Music Workshop

About the Workshop

Music transforms and inspires

In the beautiful, secluded and relaxed lakeside setting of historic Camp Kieve, the DaPonte String Quartet offers a weekend-long workshop to aspiring high school string players from Maine as well as up to four students from other parts of the country. The weekend is dedicated to the study of chamber music, its preparation and performance, through the great works of the string quartet literature.

Twenty students, selected by audition, are organized into five string quartets. They are coached in the round by the individual members of the DaPonte String Quartet (violinists Lydia Forbes, Ferdinand Liva, violist Kirsten Monke and cellist Myles Jordan). The coaching sessions focus on the elements of ensemble playing: listening, communication, cueing, rhythm, intonation, blending, and theory and music history. At the completion of the workshop, a concert is presented by all the students for parents and friends.

Underwritten by an endowment, the workshop is offered at no cost to the student. All lodging, food and tuition costs are covered. Funding is available to help pay travel costs for out-of-state participants who need help covering these costs.

For some, this workshop is a student’s first exposure to playing chamber music, and it is an experience that will stay with them for a lifetime.

About the Quartet

The DaPonte String Quartet have performed together since 1991. They have appeared in France, Scotland, Canada, and more than twenty American states. With Ferdinand Liva and Lydia Forbes on violin, Myles Jordan on cello, Kirsten Monke on viola, and guest artists ranging from Peter Serkin to Awadagin Pratt, they truly enrich Maine’s cultural life while also representing the state as they perform and teach around the country and the world. DSQ members are currently on the faculty of such places as the University of Southern Maine, Bowdoin College and Bay Chamber Music School.

Eligibility: Students must demonstrate proficiency on their instruments, be able to read music easily, and be of high school age at the time of the workshop. Students must be available for the entire weekend.

Application: To apply for this workshop, please register using this link.  When you fill out the registration application, you will be asked to include links to two YouTube videos of your performance of two contrasting pieces that you have studied. Cellphone videos made in your living room are ok! You will also be asked to arrange that a letter of recommendation from your teacher or someone who knows your playing be submitted to the quartet via email. Specific instructions will be provided after you register.Out of state applicants: Travel scholarships of up to $500/student are available on request for those who need it. Please state on the application form whether you are requesting reimbursement for travel costs.

Application Deadline: June 15, 2018