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Summertrios      was formed in 1990 to provide opportunities for adult amateur musicians to play, study, perform, and listen to chamber music; and to create a community of  musicians.  We intended to establish a warm, friendly, encouraging atmosphere, where people could grow musically, enjoy themselves, and find friends.  The primary activity is the summer music camp.  Since 2002 there have been four Summertrios camps, each one week long. Activities during the camp weeks are centered on playing.  However, there are faculty concerts each week.  There are also participant concerts each week in which every participant, regardless of playing ability,  may perform (performance is optional).  Every musician is different, and Summertrios accommodates the scheduling to the needs of this participants.  Everyone has a customized schedule reflecting their interests and abilities. By intention, the atmosphere at the all the camps is completely democratic.  All players -- piano, strings and winds -- have opportunities to play in groups with professionals. Our participants are diverse by any measure: age, income, race, religion, political persuasion, sexual preference, etc.  Our faculty has had representatives from Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, England, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Korea, Moldavia, Russia and Sweden; as well as all kinds of Americans.   The Amateur Chamber Music  Programs The Piano Program  2008 details click here At the beginning Summertrios was focusing on pianists, who have few chamber music opportunities.  In 2007 over 50 amateur pianists of all levels attended four different programs.  All four programs are open to any pianist who wishes to attend.  There are no admission criteria.   In the Regular Amateur Programs (2 one-week sessions) pianists work on chamber music of their choice with advanced amateur and professional string and wind players, as well as reading a great variety of music.  We believe this approach to serving pianists is unique.  Many pianists who have come for several years have made amazing improvements in their playing.  To accept and serve 50 pianists for chamber music is almost unheard of. The String Programs  2008 details click here Chamber music requires string players, and string players like string quartets.  From the first there was an active string quartet program.  Originally it was divided into advanced and intermediate tracks; all players also work on the piano literature.    The Advanced Program has given people an opportunity to work on the most challenging literature.  Each advanced group has a professional playing in one of the seats.  Participants have been particularly enthusiastic about the late Beethoven quartets.  Some of the other string quartets (and quintets)  that have been assigned include  Brahms Op. 52 #2 and Op 88 viola quintet Borodin String quartet #2 Debussy Op. 10 Dvorak Op.51,and 80 and Op 77 double bass quintet Grieg Op. 27 Mendelssohn Op. 10 and Op.80 Ravel String quartet Schumann Op. 41 #3 Shostakovich #1, #8, #10 Smetana Quartet #1 Tchaikovsky Op. 11 and Op. 70 sextet Walton String quartet Summertrios' interest in working with pianists has provided unusual opportunities for strings to learn this extensive and beautiful literature for piano and strings..  Advanced players are assigned to work on one or two piano ensembles.  The repertoire is chosen by the pianist, and the groups are coached. String players have been known to complain that pianists are "too loud".  We have learned that the problem  isn't the volume.  Tone quality is one issue; providing transparency for the strings to be heard is another.  We work with our pianists on these points.  The Intermediate String Program usually offers one relatively easy work, one truly intermediate one, and -- depending on the mix of participants -- something which is a challenge at the intermediate level.  Some of the intermediate groups include a professional player; and all these groups are coached. Every string player is scheduled for some sessions with a professional pianist.  As far as we know, this is the only chamber music program in North America that mixes amateurs with professional players on a regular basis.  We soon saw a need for a novice level string program.  There were many reasons: Some of our intermediate string players weren't as intermediate as they thought Some of our pianists wanted to learn string instruments Some of our participants brought spouses who were starting to play People in the advanced program wanted to try out other instruments.  The Novice String Program was started in 1994.  This is a full string quartet program, carefully organized.  It has been very popular; has given many people a way to start climbing towards the intermediate level; and has had a high graduation rate to the intermediate program. We believe this program is unique in helping novice players work through some of the real string quartet literature in a meaningful way.  The Wind Programs  2008 details click here Shortly thereafter, we began to blend in wind players. We now have two wind tracks, advanced and intermediate. The wind program has grown steadily, with much enthusiasm for playing in mixed string/wind/piano ensembles. Wind players work on wind quintets as well as wind quartets and trios.  All these groups are coached.  The advanced players have worked on some of the most challenging literature:  the Nielsen Quintet, the Barber Summer Music, the Piston Quintet.  For both advanced and intermediate players we schedule a mix of classical, romantic and contemporary literature.  Other wind quintets have included Theodore Blumer Francaix Ibert Janacek (sextet) Pierne Reicha We also schedule a piano/wind sextet each year, with a professional pianist.  Recent years have included sextets by Blumer Zarvos D'Rivera Poulenc Francaix All wind players are scheduled for sessions with a professional pianist, and have an opportunity to play the piano/wind quintet and sextet literature.  Mixed string and wind groups are also scheduled. The Premium Program  2008 details click here The Premium Program offers amateurs a week of playing in groups where all the other players are professionals.  Players choose their own literature, typically working on one or two pieces for the week.   All instruments are welcome.  There are no admission criteria.  People do not have to be terribly advanced (although many are).  Anyone who wishes to attend may do so. The opportunity to be in a group with such wonderful players has caused the Premium Program to be a very intense week.  People practice very hard prior to starting the week, so they can do their best  in their groups.  Then they practice even harder during the week, because the professionals have so many excellent suggestions, and there are only a few days to get them incorporated into the music.   As a playing experience The Premium Program is an exceptional  week.  It is an exceptional learning experience as well, even compared to the Regular Programs where so much learning takes place. We do not know of any other program like the Premium Program.  Usually opportunities to play with such professionals are reserved for other professionals or pre-professional students, but this program is open to any amateur.   The Concerto Program  2005 details click here In year 2000 Summertrios added the Concerto Program, which gives amateurs an opportunity to play solo in  a concerto with a professional orchestra.  The orchestra is the very highly regarded Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the conductor is Yuval Waldman of the Summertrios faculty and worldwide conducting experience.    In 2006 we opened the Concerto Program to composers who wish to have a premiere performance and demo disc of an orchestra work, and to amateur conductors who wish to have a chance at a professional orchestra. Like so many of the Summertrios faculty professionals, the members of the orchestra are friendly and encouraging, and seem to be getting much pleasure from helping amateurs.   For the concertos all instruments are welcome, and there are no admission criteria.  The Program is open to anyone who feels he/she will benefit from it. Thus far people have played a lot of Beethoven. and Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Saint-Saens, Chopin and Rachmaninoff.  As a learning experience it is amazing.  People practice very, very  hard.  Despite the friendly, helpful orchestra and conductor, this is a scary program for amateurs.  We observe that fear can be a wonderful motivator.   The Concerto Program is unique in the United States, to the best of our knowledge.  There are a number of amateurs competitions which offer a concerto opportunity as a prize.  But the Summertrios Concerto Program is not a competition.  Playing with the orchestra is open to everyone.   The Summertrios Faculty   For Faculty Bios  regular programs     premium program     concerto program The core faculty consists of seasoned professionals who are successful performers.  A desire to be helpful to amateurs and an ability to communicate well with them is required.  Many of the faculty have been with Summertrios for years -- this cannot be attributed to high pay, because the pay is low.   For these wonderful teachers the rewards of the program are worth the financial sacrifice. Summertrios has also exposed dozens of younger professional musicians to an enormous amount of chamber music, and the wisdom of the more experienced professionals.  We are proud to have introduced important works even to the very experienced faculty.    Being chosen for the faculty is not easy.  Our best amateur participants are playing at a professional level and expect faculty who know more than they do and play better.  Staying on the faculty is also not easy.  Exceptional coaching is one of the Summertrios' promises.  It requires not just playing ability but insight, good communication, patience, compassion, and a desire to be helpful. The participant evaluations consistently give very high marks to the faculty.