The Shedd Institute welcomes all string players in grades 4-12 to our Summer Chamber Strings series. For students looking to start a string instruments to beginning players, choose our first session, titled Basic Strings. Here, our faculty will address the fundamentals of string playing and get you started on your way to making music. For more experienced players, dive into the world of chamber music with our Chamber Strings camp. This camp will focus on small ensemble playing with an emphasis on group music making using the repertoire of some of the masters of the Classical period such as Beethoven, Brahms, and Bach.

Week 1 Basic Strings (beginner, June 26-30): Basic Strings is a one-week camp for violin, viola, cello, and bass for students who have never played an instrument or are interested in gaining ensemble experience. This camp will offer a good introduction for students planning to take a strings class at their school in the fall. Students who have played in elementary strings and looking for additional coaching will benefit from this camp’s highly personalized instruction. Students will work both in small groups, as well as in a large ensemble setting. They will gain exposure to a wide array of music genres from classical composers such as Mozart and Haydn to fiddle tunes and folk melodies from Celtic culture, the Middle East, and the American South. This camp is a great way to prepare for school orchestras and other, more advanced, chamber groups.

Week 2 Chamber Strings (intermediate/advanced, July 3-7): Chamber music for string players is a source for some of the richest literature and intimate creativity and collaboration found in the world of classical music. The Chamber Strings Institute's Chamber Strings Camp serves to share and introduce a high level of rehearsal strategies and performance practice to serious strings players grades 6-12. Each student will be matched in a chamber group of 3-5 ensemble members, based on skill and experience level, who will work together throughout the week culminating with a final performance of works by composers such as Mozart, Telemann, Schumann and Beethoven. An emphasis is placed on learning self-guided practice and rehearsal strategies. All students will receive highly individualized instruction with a high faculty to student ratio.